More Pictures

On the way to Leon, we came upon a little league baseball game (baseball is the national sport of Nicaragua, not soccer, as it turns out!)

Here are more pictures from our beach adventure...

To the Beach!

Last week Sarah and I realized that the best way to enjoy smoggy, noisy Managua was to get out of it as often as possible. While I have found some charms in a city about which guidebooks only say things like, “the best thing about Managua is that there’s lots of cool things surrounding it,” or “Managua is tolerable if you absolutely can’t avoid it,” the real beauty of Nicaragua lies beyond, and Nicaraguans are eager to tell visitors about everything their country has to offer. So last weekend we went to Las Peñitas, a laid-back beach town on the Pacific coast. The three-leg bus journey was an adventure in itself and raised my confidence in my ability to get around the city (I didn’t get lost, thankyouverymuch). The waves there were some of the largest I had ever seen, as the beach was very steep and made for some great curls. I spent hours bodysurfing and just trying to stay on my feet in the midst of monstrous currents. The water was refreshing after four hours of straight sweating on the buses.

We stayed the night in a hostel right on the beach which was full of backpackers and locals alike. I met a guy from Greenlake, Seattle! While I generally try to avoid places where other Americans congregate, it is fun to meet other travelers, exchange advice, and enjoy the shared sense of adventure and struggle that comes from traveling in another country. We also met a local guy named Fiel who hung out with us for awhile and showed us where to go dancing and took us to a small fish stand at the end of the beach where we ate a delicious and cheap fish dinner. It wasn’t really a restaurant and I wouldn’t have even known it was there if he hadn’t been with us because the power was out and there was simply one couple cooking fish under a tarp. We sat down at one of the two tables and, with the help of a flashlight and some candles, ate a somewhat unconventional but tasty dinner with stray dogs yelping at our sides.

Back in Managua, we have one week left of our intensive Spanish class (which turns out to be not so intense) and then we’ll start regular school at the UNAN. In the meantime, I’ll keep busy discovering things to enjoy about Managua!

God found me in Nicaragua!

I just had a really neat experience that I would love to share. If you spend any time with me, you know that I am very involved with my church in Redmond and that that community and faith are a big part of my life. So it was important to me that I find a church home in Managua. I did a Google search for Christian churches in Nicaragua (a predominantly Catholic country) and it led me to the Facebook page of a Christian student group at the very university I’ll be studying at. After a series of desperate-sounding posts on the group’s page (“Hi, I’m an exchange student and wanting to know when you meet.. and where… and any other information you have… thanks!”), I was led to their meeting tonight.

I went alone, because no one else in our group really goes to church and as it is, I like pushing the limits of my comfort zone. I have to say as I got out of the cab (don’t worry, I used a cab driver that I trust who was recommended to me!) I was slightly terrified. As much time as I spend with Spanish-speaking adults at the Esperanza service at church, I don’t interact with people my age very much, and when a group of your peers has a different culture and first language than you, it is very intimidating. Luckily, the guy I’d been in contact with knew who I was before I said anything (gee, do I stand out?) and we went right into worship so there wasn’t too much awkward small talk. They had me introduce myself and people seemed excited to have me- I don’t think there are many exchange students at all at the UNAN.

We started singing and I knew the second song, which I was happy with. But then a couple songs later, we sang my absolute favorite Spanish worship song- La Niña de tus ojos. There is a part that says, translated, “you saw me when no one else saw me, you loved me when no one else loved me.” I was overcome with emotion in a physical way that I didn’t expect at all, and it was amazingly comforting to hear that voice when I am so far away from anyone and anything familiar. It was a great confirmation that this was a place I should come back to, as if God was saying “you’re gonna be okay here.”

Pictures!

Sarah and I with our Sandinista shirts (see post below)






Abuelito and Mario, the men of the house



Our living room



My bedroom

Dancing with the Socialists

Monday was the anniversary of the Nicaraguan Revolution which was really interesting to observe from a political standpoint. The host mom of David, another CIEE student, is a hardcore Sandinista and bought us all t-shirts to wear to celebrate. But first, a little background. For decades Nicaragua was ruled by a family of dictators called the Somozas. In 1979, a group led by Augusto Sandino, calling themselves the Sandinistas, or FSLN, led a revolution. The US led a contra war against the Sandinistas in the 80s, but today, they retain power under the president Daniel Ortega. Daniel’s slogan is “A socialist, Christian, and solidarity society,” which is a combination of words not often heard in the US. So Monday, thousands of people went nuts in a big plaza in the city to hear the president speak, wave FLSN flags, and drink rum and coke (a national favorite; I saw someone selling it yesterday and calling it “leche,” or milk). Sarah and I went for the cultural observation and people-watching opportunities. On the way there, dozens of buses drove past us, filled to the brim with people wearing “Yo amo a Daniel” t-shirts and even riding on top of the bus. It was a neat feeling of unity and solidarity. We had fun just strolling around, buying food off of street vendors, and making friends with a guy named Junior who was eager to tell us all about Managua and learn about the United States. Lots and lots of people here have family in the US, so they are generally pretty curious about it.

Interestingly, my family is not sold on Daniel and his politics. My host family and some of their neighbors were chatting about how the government isn’t really doing much for the people. Apparently the government pays a lot of poor people to come in from the countryside and show their support for the government. I'm curious to learn more about this in class.

Buenas Tardes from Managua!

It has been a busy few days and my body and mind are already feeling worn out from absorbing so much new information and speaking Spanish all day. I arrived on Wednesday around noon and had orientation with the group at a retreat center until Friday. There are only 5 students in the program, so it is easy to get to know each other. Last night was my first night with my host family. They are a friendly and definitely talkative bunch- eager to help me, as I obviously need it. My host mom is an older woman named Donya Mirna who is probably in her late 60s. She is Catholic and rather serious-faced, but loves to talk- and talk. It makes it easy to get to know her, as I don’t have to endure awkward silences thinking of what to say. Then there is her brother, Raul, who I am to call “abuelito” (like grandpa). Then there is Mirna’s daughter, Carla, in her 30s, her husband Mario, and their daughter Grecia, who is almost 11. Carla is energetic and likes to joke around. She has already told me story after hilarious story about the last exchange student to live with them. I am just waiting to see what stupid things I do that will end up as stories or lessons for the next person.

Of course I didn’t have to wait long. Today I had my first “Kelly stinks at directions” experience. Most of you know this about me. Well, I went out for my morning run. They told me that went in a big circle around the neighborhood, where I could run laps. That sounded simple enough, but of course even the simplest directions are sometimes lost on me. Luckily, I had planned ahead and brought my cell phone, so I called home and Carla helped me get home. Now, this was not as simple as looking at the street sign and telling her the address of where I was, because in Managua there are few streets with names. So I ran into some little store and asked the woman working there if she would explain where we were. Seriously, in the US I rely on street names to find my way around and this will be hard to get used to. My address here is literally something like “Barrio Centroamerica, next to Fatima church, 3 blocks south and half a block east.” Ha!

So my family already has something to laugh about. Then they are already making fun of me for how much water I drink… is anyone really surprised?

Other than that, I am busy learning some aspects of daily life, such as buying a cell phone and recharging prepaid minutes, or taking a taxi, which I will take instead of the bus at night or when carrying my laptop.

Last night I sat outside on the street with some neighbors and just chatted for awhile, which was fun. Sarah, another student in CIEE (my program), lives just a few houses down so she came out too and a bunch of us had a lively discussion about different kinds of toilets around the world. Mario has traveled a lot in Russia so he was eager to contribute. I have to say it was the longest conversation about bathrooms I’ve ever had, but I guess that is one topic that kind of transcends cultural boundaries. My favorite thing was to hear a grown man say with a straight face, “hacer pupu.” (hacer= to do or to make; do you get the gist of it?) All in all, the night was a good exercise in just learning to let loose, because I’ve realized that one mistake I sometimes make in communicating across cultures (and languages) is that I sometimes take myself too seriously. I want to learn about people and speak correctly, but sometimes that means that I forget to just have fun and enjoy the process.

Monday is a national holiday here, the anniversary of the victory of the revolution of 1979, which is supposed to be a fun party. Then we will have 2 weeks of an intensive Spanish class, and will start regular classes at the UNAN (National Autonomous University of Nicaragua) on August 2. I am excited to start as I am anxious to dive into university life here and meet more Nicaraguans to make friends beyond our little American group. Until then, I look forward to exploring the city and country and will keep you posted!

Another thing I stink at is taking pictures. I'll post some when I get around to it!

Con amor,

Kelly

Where in the World...?

It has come to my attention that not everyone knows where Nicaragua is. It is not in South America or Africa. Here is a handy map for you all of Central America!


Please note as well, I am not going to be living in a mud hut, I will not be asked to eat cow brain, nor will I probably have much contact with drug traffickers. Nicaragua is not as scary as some of you may think:). Just in case you were worrying.

Love to all!