So I'm leaving, oh, tomorrow, and have been reflecting on my experience here. So here's my list of lists:
Things I've Loved From the Start:
1. It's amazingly beautiful here in general. Ometepe more than other places I think. On the island there are 2 volcanoes, a laguna in the top of one of them, cloud forest, a black sand beach, petroglyphs, 2 waterfalls, a river with two types of jicanas where you can go kayaking, monkeys, and a natural spring pool. I'm sorry, but when will I ever live in another place that amazing?
2. The people are the nicest I've ever met. This has really changed my outlook on things. In the states we've come to accept a certain level of rudeness from people I think. If your doctor is brusque with you, or your dentist or whoever, we think, "Well, they're busy. I'm here to receive a service, etc..." After having been here, I find the return to that sort of culture a little disappointing. There's no reason we can't be nice to each other. No reason to feel embarassed to smile at people because of the fear that what you'll get back is a scowl. It's ridiculous. So no more. I want a friendly dentist, doggone it!
This also extends into the areas of being willing to answer questions, share culture, not be ashamed to be curious about people, etc. Last week something bad happened - a man broke into my house and basically attacked me. I'm okay, Peace Corps responded wonderfully, and I don't feel the least bit different about Nicaragua because of it. This is especially true because of the way my friends in the community responded. I stayed with them at night during my last week, even to the extent of sharing a big double bed with a friend (a girl of course). People here may not always have a lot, but whatever they have, they will share. I have been truly impressed by that aspect of the culture here. I'm very sad to leave it, but if I can take a little piece of it home with me, I'll feel like I've learned something.
3. Learning Spanish. I can now (más o menos) communicate with a whole new continent and a half. How incredible is that. My learning of Spanish has also been facilitated by the helpfulness cited above. If you're not sure how to say something here, you spit out what you've got, and people try to understand you, work with you to improve. The fact that I can read real books in Spanish (very slowly), teach classes, and generally live my life is incredible.
Things I've Learned to Love:
1. Being alone without being lonely and appreciating time to think. I was terrible at this before. If I was home alone for too long, I felt anxious, depressed and like I had to go do something, anything. Living here and learning to embrace the slow pace of things has changed me in a way that I like. I have learned to appreciate time spent with people doing basically nothing, and I have also learned to appreciate time just spent with myself. I used to be afraid of self-reflection, perhaps because I was afraid of what I might find. Now, I welcome those times of quiet, of thinking, of processing, both alone and with others.
2. This is pretty shallow, but frescos. Frescos are like fresh fruit drinks. They're not juice because sometimes they might have a little flavoring added in, or sugar, or milk. They make fresco out of just about any type of fresh fruit or milk, and they're amazing. Not quite sure what I'll do when I get back to the states and every little corner house doesn't have a pulperia with their own kind of fresco. How depressing.
Things I Am Still Completely Baffled By:
1. Why the streets don't have names. They don't. If you want to go somewhere, you say, "From the blah,blah,blah, turn right, go 400 meters and it's on your left." That presupposes that the landmark is something you know. If you don't, you have to get directions from somewhere else to the landmark. People also say things like, "From where the Catholic church used to be", or "From Doña Ramirez´s house.¨ Needless to say, those types of directions are not always especially helpful to gringos.
2. The deep love of 80s music, and the propensity to dance to slow hair band ballads at fiestas (called música romántica).
Things I Still Don't Like:
1. When men shout at you in the street. "Hola chelita!" "Adios mi amor." Great. Thanks guys.
2. Cuajada and queso. Cuajada is a type of cheese, but they are not to be confused. Either way, no matter how much I've tried, I don't like either. Ick.
Things I've Loved From the Start:
1. It's amazingly beautiful here in general. Ometepe more than other places I think. On the island there are 2 volcanoes, a laguna in the top of one of them, cloud forest, a black sand beach, petroglyphs, 2 waterfalls, a river with two types of jicanas where you can go kayaking, monkeys, and a natural spring pool. I'm sorry, but when will I ever live in another place that amazing?
2. The people are the nicest I've ever met. This has really changed my outlook on things. In the states we've come to accept a certain level of rudeness from people I think. If your doctor is brusque with you, or your dentist or whoever, we think, "Well, they're busy. I'm here to receive a service, etc..." After having been here, I find the return to that sort of culture a little disappointing. There's no reason we can't be nice to each other. No reason to feel embarassed to smile at people because of the fear that what you'll get back is a scowl. It's ridiculous. So no more. I want a friendly dentist, doggone it!
This also extends into the areas of being willing to answer questions, share culture, not be ashamed to be curious about people, etc. Last week something bad happened - a man broke into my house and basically attacked me. I'm okay, Peace Corps responded wonderfully, and I don't feel the least bit different about Nicaragua because of it. This is especially true because of the way my friends in the community responded. I stayed with them at night during my last week, even to the extent of sharing a big double bed with a friend (a girl of course). People here may not always have a lot, but whatever they have, they will share. I have been truly impressed by that aspect of the culture here. I'm very sad to leave it, but if I can take a little piece of it home with me, I'll feel like I've learned something.
3. Learning Spanish. I can now (más o menos) communicate with a whole new continent and a half. How incredible is that. My learning of Spanish has also been facilitated by the helpfulness cited above. If you're not sure how to say something here, you spit out what you've got, and people try to understand you, work with you to improve. The fact that I can read real books in Spanish (very slowly), teach classes, and generally live my life is incredible.
Things I've Learned to Love:
1. Being alone without being lonely and appreciating time to think. I was terrible at this before. If I was home alone for too long, I felt anxious, depressed and like I had to go do something, anything. Living here and learning to embrace the slow pace of things has changed me in a way that I like. I have learned to appreciate time spent with people doing basically nothing, and I have also learned to appreciate time just spent with myself. I used to be afraid of self-reflection, perhaps because I was afraid of what I might find. Now, I welcome those times of quiet, of thinking, of processing, both alone and with others.
2. This is pretty shallow, but frescos. Frescos are like fresh fruit drinks. They're not juice because sometimes they might have a little flavoring added in, or sugar, or milk. They make fresco out of just about any type of fresh fruit or milk, and they're amazing. Not quite sure what I'll do when I get back to the states and every little corner house doesn't have a pulperia with their own kind of fresco. How depressing.
Things I Am Still Completely Baffled By:
1. Why the streets don't have names. They don't. If you want to go somewhere, you say, "From the blah,blah,blah, turn right, go 400 meters and it's on your left." That presupposes that the landmark is something you know. If you don't, you have to get directions from somewhere else to the landmark. People also say things like, "From where the Catholic church used to be", or "From Doña Ramirez´s house.¨ Needless to say, those types of directions are not always especially helpful to gringos.
2. The deep love of 80s music, and the propensity to dance to slow hair band ballads at fiestas (called música romántica).
Things I Still Don't Like:
1. When men shout at you in the street. "Hola chelita!" "Adios mi amor." Great. Thanks guys.
2. Cuajada and queso. Cuajada is a type of cheese, but they are not to be confused. Either way, no matter how much I've tried, I don't like either. Ick.
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