Fiesta

Tonight, I went to a fiesta. In Nicaragua, that would mean a night club with dancing. In Mexico, it means a party. This particular party was a birthday party. For two little boys.

The pastor at Amistad invited me to go with them to the shelter in the park today for a birthday party. There were lots of people from church there. Amistad is the church I attend here - services all in Spanish. I had told the pastor I felt a bit distant from the people at church because I've been attending pretty regularly (minus summers) for three years, and there are lots of people I've never talked to. I might know their names or things about them, but we don't interact. Part of that is my fault, and part of it is theirs. Pastor tried to remedy the situation a bit by bringing me with his family to the party tonight.

Of course there were awkward moments. I spent a lot of time looking around. It reminded me of my first days in Nicaragua, trying to get used to the people, their way of doing things... I don't mind looking quietly and occasionally feeling awkward. I think that's part of building relationships for me.

And don't get me wrong: it was not awkward very much of the time. I did a lot of listening and observing. It was different from birthday parties that I had attended in Mexico. No piñata, for one major thing. The food was potluck - taco stuff, meats, rice, spaghetti - instead of rice with peas, carrots, hot dogs, etc. like at Nicaraguan birthdays. The music was totally different - not the super-loud, kids' songs music of Nicaragua. Also, there was dancing towards the end, something that does not happen among evangelical Christians (at least when other Christians might find out). I kept noting the differences throughout the night.

I missed Nicaragua a lot - for the differences but also for the similarities. People were laughing and smiling a lot. They touched each other frequently, showing much more physical affection than most Americans do in a public setting. I don't just mean couples - I mean relationships on all levels: parents and children, friends, relatives, husbands and wives... It was nice to be in an atmosphere like that again. For some reason, I love the warm, affectionate, unreserved Latin cultures. It was nice to be back in that sort of atmosphere.

So, feliz cumpleaños, chavalitos y gracias por invitarme a tu fiesta

(happy birthday, boys (unique Nicaraguan word), and thanks for inviting me to your party).

Look at the Stars

That's what I should be doing - looking at the stars. At least, that's what my astronomy professor tells us. But really, it is just TOO COLD in Iowa to do that.

I've started school again. After a week and a half, I'm starting to feel like my head is on straight again, or getting there. Most of my stuff is arranged, I'm doing fairly well on keeping up with my homework, I'm making new friends and getting re-acquainted with old ones. Sometimes I feel like a new freshman on campus because I don't know hours or systems any more. Oh well.

Speaking of freshmen, my brother is here as one. Dirk and I went out for coffee together today, and I rather enjoyed it. People ask me if it is strange, but it's not really. It's odd for me to have people identify me as his sister instead of the other way around (him being identified as my brother). I run into the punk almost every day because of schedules, and we banter or talk or whatever. I like it.

I live in the new building at Dordt. My roommates and I are settling in together quite well. 3 of 6 are new, so we are all learning how to live with each other. In many ways, that's easier than being the new one in a group that has been together before. Last night, we bonded while eating M&M cookies at midnight. I needed some extra coffee today, but it was definitely worth it.

I was thinking about Dordt college life. I imagine that it's similar to a lot of college campuses, but I only know Dordt so I can only speak from my experience. It's a pretty unique time. Where else can you live near the majority of your friends? Soon we will all disperse, living far apart, working in different sectors... Students who commute have a different experience from those who live on campus. We all live, eat, and work together. We learn to embrace each other, love each other, put up with each other. Really, where else does this environment happen? I'm very thankful not only for the educational experiences I have, but also for the social ones. College is pretty cool. haha - school is cool! :)

Onward

Well, I've finally come home. A week ago, I was home alone, cleaning the house and doing random tasks, and I found myself comfortable with me again. Somehow, something had clicked. I think it must have been the Spirit moving because I'd been praying about how weird and disconnected I felt from everything, and then suddenly - I was home, physically and mentally/emotionally/spiritually. It feels good, and much healthier.

But, despite the hand warmers and toe warmers I received for Christmas, I'm still generally cold all the time! The acclimatization is taking a bit longer than the homecoming. So I'm fleeing the frigid weather of Indiana and flying south. South to Alabama, to visit my friend, Laura, for a week. We're going to go to the Passion 2011 conference in Georgia for a few days, and I'm going to be a part of her life in the south. I told her I want to eat her favorite southern food. We'll see what I end up getting...

Laura is one of my best friends. We met at a college visit neither of us ended up going to, but we lived close to each other, and we started hanging out. Now she has relocated to Alabama, and she's going to attend med school there and be a kick-butt doctor. Since I haven't seen her in a year, I'm going to go check out her life in the south. Unfortunately, it's not near the beach, and it won't be shorts weather, but 50s are better than 20s (Fahrenheit). Off to another adventure, and looking forward to it! :)

This is a picture from summer 2008, but we look pretty much the same. Laura came to the lake with my family and cleaned the fish we caught for dinner. :)

Spanish withdrawal

I miss Nicaragua. There are a lot of things I miss about it, but Spanish is a huge one right now. While there is a certain relief to being able to say what I want, when I want and not worry so much about miscommunication or how I should say something, I miss living in Spanish.

Yesterday I worked with Dad on a house, and the crew outside siding was speaking Spanish. Although it is cold outside (something I'm still adjusting to: I'm almost always cold), I was eager for Dad to send me to the truck for things just so I could hear some words in Spanish. When one guy told the other to open the "puerta" for me I couldn't stop grinning for a while afterwards. Just knowing there were Hispanics outside made me feel excited. Sadly, I realized that whenever I would go outside, they would stop talking! I'm not sure why, but one time I went back in the house and complained to Dad. So what did he do? Went outside and told them his daughter wanted to speak Spanish with them. Talk about shoving me out of the nest! I hadn't wanted to because I felt embarrassed and shy... But I had to go after Dad told them to expect me. They were from Mexico, and we had a nice little chat. It was good to speak Spanish again, even if they didn't know my country and culture of Nicaragua.

Today, I took another Spanish field trip to the Mexican store in Roselawn, 20 minutes from my house. I looked around at their merchandise, bought Maseca to make my own tortillas, and talked to the cashier a bit. Unfortunately, I had a time schedule so I couldn't sit around and talk very much. But the little reminders of my "home" were nice.

So, anyone who wants to speak Spanish, come on over! I'm desperate!:)

Tourist

When I got to the Chicago airport with Hannah Cooper, it was a strange feeling. We weren't quite ready to be back, and yet we were. I just wasn't sure how to feel, really. Walking to the baggage claim, we were awed by the huge Christmas decoration displays. We took pictures in the concourse (is that the right name for this hallway?) and laughed at all the people in coats. Mind you, the cold of the North is not a laughing matter, as I have been aware of the past several days, but people DO look funny.
Here I am, Saturday night, warming myself by the fire as we cook dinner. The cold is no laughing matter, as I said.

The staring feeling did not wear off. I do a lot of looking around, marveling at everything. I imagine taking my friend Roberto or one of my family members home and showing them all of this. I take a lot of pictures to document my re-entry. I feel restless and can't concentrate on one thing at a time. I hung up my hammock in the basement yesterday and enjoyed a little bit of "home." The adjustment will come. Until then, I'm working on my independent linguistics study and cleaning my room. Oh, and taking advantage of constant internet. :)

The Loose Ends

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am still alive. The time is flying past! The loose ends are not tied, but I'm furiously trying to finish things. I have made projects on my final papers. 2 projects pretty much down, 2 to go. This week I worked at the Nehemiah Center, went to Chinandega for the International Day for the fight against HIV/AIDS (where I put pins into a LOT of ribbons), worked at the Nehemiah Center, worked on homework, went to Roberto's house to hang out yesterday, worked on homework... You get the picture. I'm trying to soak up every little bit I can, but the balance is difficult. I want to be with my friends from Dordt, especially the Hannahs. I want to hang out with Roberto and other Nicaraguans I'm friends with. I want to spend time with my family. I want to finish my projects for the Ezra Team. And I have to do homework. Please pray that I will have the discernment to balance everything well and make the right time decisions. Right now, I need to practice our final presentation with the Hannahs, so I am going to stop typing about how to spend my time and actually go spend it doing something! :) Peace out!

Happy Thanksgiving! Today my thoughts are pretty scattered. I feel like I should write a blog since it has been a while, but it is harder and harder to keep connected to things back home, even as the time to go home comes closer and closer. I understand mentally that today is Thanksgiving, but I don't really feel like I'm missing it because I'm in León, the sun is shining, and I ate a salmon salad at the café for lunch. I'm very thankful, and very glad to be here although part of me is a bit sad not to be spending the day with my family for the first time I can remember...

We had our own celebration (not for Thanksgiving, but for Evan's birthday) last week Sunday. I asked Roberto if we could have a piñata at his house because I thought it would be less complicated than rearranging one of our houses in the city, and he has a big yard area (compared to other Nicaraguans). He said yes, and Hannah Ponstein and I went shopping for food and such on Saturday after learning how to make tacos with her mamá. Sunday, after a "culto unido" of Apostolic Free churches with my family, I went to Roberto's house and helped get stuff ready. Then, Roberto's neighbors, all family, came over to watch our group of students hit a piñata and have an American/Nicaraguan party. We ate chocolate cake and fruit, and a good time was had by all.

Tacos at Hannah's house. I LOVE TACOS HERE!!!

Roberto preparing to decimate the piñata - he broke their clothesline instead...

The birthday boy, 22-year-old Evan, with his cake

Roberto's in-laws, gathered around. We made them hit the piñata too - and we were all laughing a lot. The woman in the front row with the sky blue shirt is Gricelda, Roberto's wife.

This week at work, I finished the data for León and Chinandega Congresos (a big project that I had been working on since the beginning of my time at the Nehemiah Center), and started on a new project. The Nehemiah Center is starting to work in a new area, Estelí, and I am entering the participants' names and questionnaire answers into the computer. However, today I am in León, working on final projects and relaxing, and tomorrow and Saturday I am going on a bicycle trip with a bunch of people from the Nehemiah Center. I am a bit nervous because of the ride and my lack of in-shape-ness, but I am looking forward to hanging out with the people, spending the night near the beach, and seeing turtles! Roberto is going, and so is Alex from Dordt, plus various other people I know.

I can hardly believe that we only have two weeks left in León. The time is going by faster and faster. I feel strangely not ready to leave. Although I haven't had any banners in the sky from God regarding the future, I haven't seen any closed doors either. I think I could do this. The people at the Nehemiah Center say they would welcome me back, and I said that I am waiting for an opportunity, listening for God's voice. I can hardly believe how fast I'm growing up! Pray for wisdom, time to listen, and strength as I, and the rest of the group, go through a lot of changes and contradictory emotions over the next little while...