Less than two weeks left in Nicaragua. Time has gone by so so so quickly and yet it seems like forever since I've been home. I am both super excited to be back in the familiar... with those I love most in the world... and feel a clenching in my heart as I begin to think about leaving the people I have met here.
During my time in Nicaragua I have learned and relearned many things. These are just a few... in no particular order:
1. Nicaragua is a beautiful beautiful beautiful country. The mountains, rivers, lakes, trees.... all of it, completely stunning.
2. The contrast between the beauty and the ugly is also stunning. Everywhere I look, I see trash... everywhere. Plastic bottles, plastic bags.... everywhere! There are some small efforts at initiating recycling programs but so far they haven't taken hold. Also, garbage pick up seems to be sporadic. People put their garbage, in plastic bags, in front of their homes where they seem to sit just long enough for the many stray dogs to rip apart. Dirty diapers in the middle of the street along with every other disgusting thing you can imagine.
3. I'd be tempted to say that people here don't care about the cleanliness of their city... however... every day I see people sweeping and moping their front steps. The sidewalks and front walkways are spotless... not an easy feat in a place where there is more dust than I have ever seen. I will never get the pores on my face clean. My skin always has a fine layer of dust on it. I've opted to live with super dry skin as opposed to attempt to moisturize. Dust sticks to moisturizer like a fly to....
4. Turns out I'm a magnet for creepy men.
5. Turns out there are alot of creepy men. (of course, there are also many many wonderful men).
6. Along with the contrast between the beauty and ugliness of the scenery, I am also witnessing the compatability of the beauty and ugliness of human nature. This seems to be a culture that tolerates abuse (particularly towards women and animals), infidelity and overt sexism. I have also witnessed here extreme compassion, generosity and selflessness. I know we are all capable of wonderful acts of kindness as well as horrible acts of greed and I agree, as Dumbledore said, that it's our choices that make all the difference, but somehow it just seems more apparent here. Perhaps its just because I am paying more attention. I have less distraction here. My senses are on high alert.
7. Learning a new language is incredibly difficult for me. I have spent countless hours in class and studying. I have been completely immersed in Spanish for almost 2 months and still I understand only a little. I am much better at making myself understood (so long as I only talk about myself in the present tense) but understanding when another speaks is very difficult. This does not sit well with my personality. I am very good at inviting others to talk about themselves but not so good at talking about my life with others. Partly this is because I am naturally curious and care about the lives of those around me.... partly its a self protection mechanism. Here I seem to be spending alot of time talking about me and my life in Canada... fortunately my vocabularly is limited.
8. Day to day life isn't nearly as lovely without my family close by. Weekly phone calls and emails just don't cut it for me. I miss Jordan and Hope so so so so much. I also miss my wider family and my church family. When I think of McClure my heart aches just a little bit. I am so grateful to be part of something so wonderful. Everytime I check my email and see a note from a McClurite... my heart skips a beat with joy.
9. Cockroaches aren't so scary.
10. Traffic here is absolutely insane. Stop signs seem to mean "lay on your horn and speed up". There are no lanes and people pass on the right... on the left... on the sidewalk... whatever. AND if you happen to be a pedestrian LOOK OUT. Vehicles are first, motorcycles second, bicycles third and pedestrians LAST. Look both ways at least 10 times before you step forward. Also... in Nicaragua... laws are actually meant to be broken. No one wears seatbelts. I have seen up to 5 people (an entire family... mom, dad and 3 kids - the youngest of which was a baby) on a bicycle. I have also seen 3 or 4 people on a motorbike meant for 2. I have seen up to 20 people in the back of a truck. I've seen people riding on top of and stuck to the sides of the buses. Last night we took a taxi to the restaurant... there were 9 people in a compact car... this included 3 children under the age of 5. There are dogs, horses, cats, cows, buses, big trucks, cars, motorbikes, bikes and people all sharing a road that is about half the width of the streets in Saskatoon. I am not hearing daily news reports of people or animals dying on the streets. How it works I have no idea... but it does seem to work. One thing is that people here seem to be infinitely more patient than in Canada. No one seems to mind too much when there is a traffic jam. I don't hear people yelling at each other or making rude gestures.
There is more... so much more... but I'll save it for another time. Now I need to figure out what a verb in the "conditional tense" means. Wish me luck!
Blessings!
