Nicaragua, a trip of a lifetime - Week 2



           



 Miriam Adeney says that “ You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That's the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place”. I can not agree more with this statement, and I can see it becoming more relevant the more places I go to. A piece of my heart lies in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and now Nicaragua, and the longer I am here for, the more I feel at home and attached to the people. I guess that is why they say its a price you pay for loving and knowing people, because it sure does not feel good to have to say goodbye, not knowing when you will ever see them again, always having a piece of you that longs to go back.


This week, we moved into a little village house to become immersed into their everyday life and learn how to live the way they do. This was a huge step for me, throwing me way out of my comfort zone, putting yourself into a survival mode, doing everything you can to learn how to live in an environment like this. Living in this small four concrete wall house, with a tin roof, really makes you see how many luxuries we really do have everyday in North America and do not always realize it. The fact that we have running water and electricity in this house is a huge luxury here. It has been an adjustment getting use to all the weird and loud noises of animals around here, which always seem to make the most noise during the night, doing dishes and laundry outside, and just trying to shop in the busy markets, not to mention that every single thing is in Spanish. Adjusting to all the new cultural foods has actually been easier than I thought, and that is one of the things I will definitely miss, it is so different but so good, especially all the fresh fruit drinks!


Even though this week has had it's hard challenges, it is stretching me so much, and changing how I look at the world, and what really matters in life. These people have grown so much on me, and how they care so much for us, even though they hardly know us, taking us under their wings, teaching us everything we need to know to living like a Nicaraguan. It feels like we have been accepted into this big family, and its going to be so hard to leave them in three weeks. As much as I hated the idea of living in a village house, I can see how much more meaningful this is making our trip and we would not be able to grow such close relationships with these people if we didn't live with them in their community. If these people can be so content in a situation like this, why does it seem the rest of our world in places where we have so many luxuries, are not content or ever satisfied? I do not think I will ever be able to look at all the things I have back at home the same, knowing what it is like to live with a lot less. I do not what to ever forget what I have seen here, the plastic and tin shacks used for homes, the sewer and garbage filled roads, but most of all, how content, generous, and loving these people are.


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