Traveling Mercies

How to sum up the month of December? We welcomed four new volunteers to Nicaragua, two of whom now live with me, at the beginning of the month. As second year volunteers, we collaborated to plan an in-country orientation for them, including setting up different talks and arranging homestays. We also celebrated Purisima, which is a huge holiday here in Nica. Purisima is the celebration of the the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Here, people create elaborate altars in their homes dedicated to the Virgin Mary and open their houses to people to come sing songs about Mary. Then, the hosts give the singers gifts, ranging from candy to plastic bowls and cups to bags of rice. It is kind of like Halloween minus the costumes and add the Virgen and singing. Later on in the month, we sent off our community mates who completed their two years and headed back to the States. That was really hard because we had not only grown close as a community but also as friends.

On Christmas day, my entire family arrived! I was literally jumping up and down with excitement as I spotted them in the airport. Needless to say, it was the best Christmas gift I received this year. I spent the next few days showing them glimpses into my life here: my school, the market, packed bus rides, lots of Spanish interactions. We also went on an adventure that included hiking a volcano and swimming in a lagoon formed by a volcanic crater. While all of the “things” we did were very enjoyable, some of my favorite parts were just being together as the six of us. There is something special about the bond that exists between family and their willingness to come down here and see why I love being in Nicaragua, deepened our relationship and ability to relate to one another. (At least I think so... maybe I should ask them if they agree.) After a sad goodbye, I spent about a week at home hanging out with community mates. Then, the first week of January, I began my adventure to Belize.   

[I wrote part of this blog in my journal and am copying an excerpt directly from there.]

I write this as I am about to begin the final leg of my journey back to Nicaragua, to community, to friends, to our dog, Muneco, to a place I call home. I have been traveling for a little over a week now. I spent the majority of this time in Belize, visiting other Jesuit Volunteers that live and work there. The time I spent in Belize reconnecting with and meeting some new inspirational people, soaking in the sun, the sounds of the ocean, and the view of pelicans suddenly diving head-first into the water was all very life-giving and rejuvenating. I could recount many stories of going on an adventure to a waterfall, visiting some of the JV work sites, trying really hard to understand Belizean Creole and being utterly confused about where I was and thus trying to speak Spanish to some of the kids I met, who in turn just stared at me.

 

View from boat ride heading to Belize from Guatemala

Instead, I want to write about the trip itself: the car, buses, and boat rides that I took to get to and from that beautiful country. I was struck by this thought today as I was explaining to a driver of a “tourist” bus that I am a volunteer and couldn't afford his offer to go in one straight shot to the city I was going to stay in for the night. He was very respectful of what I said and as I was walking away to find the local bus, I found myself wanting to run back to this man and explain that the real reason I didn't want to take his direct bus, which would be so easy and less hassle, was because it's not about getting there quickly, it's about the journey. It's about seeing the Belizean border off in the distance and feelings of excitement swell up as I approach my destination. It's about the ride that I took on the micro-bus, squished in the back seat next to an elderly man, who kindly kept offering me a space to put my giant backpack so that I would be more comfortable. It's about the boat ride on the way from Belize to Guatemala where it started pouring down rain, and we all covered ourselves with tarps and when we finally reached the dock, I realized that I had stay pretty dry except for my bottom which was soaked! I just started laughing and became a source of entertainment for those around me. The journey is about waiting at customs at the Honduran/Nicaraguan border for two hours with the rest of my companions on the bus knowing we were so close to the end of a twelve hour bus ride and just wanted to arrive. It's about reading, sleeping, journaling, zoning out. It's about watching movies on a big charter bus with Spanish subtitles. It's about eating bananas and tortillas and chips and calling it a day. It's about walking in the door to our house in Ciudad Sandino and being greeted by cheers of, “She's back!” “It's Adrienne!” “Welcome home!” Nothing compares to the feeling of being exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally after a long journey and being wrapped up in the arms of community. I am home once again.

 Our new community on Christmas

(Tony, Jenn, me, Bianca, and Elspeth)

*I got the title for this entry from a book that I read during my trip called Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott.*

Gratitude

As December rapidly approaches and big transitions are imminent, I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been reflecting on in light of Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday!

I am thankful for the handful of students that approached me this past week with concerned looks on their faces, asking me whether or not I will still be around next year. After I reassured them that I will still be here another year, I could almost see their sense of relief as huge smiles stretched across their faces, and they walked away without saying another word.

I am thankful for having a wonderful community to come home to everyday after work. These are the people that know me best here in Nicaragua and continue to love me and share themselves with me. I will not be able to express in words how much they have taught and continue to teach me about what it means to be fully present and to accompany others.

I am thankful for love that surpasses physical distance, for all of my family and friends who have showered prayers and encouraging words on me and who truly listen to my stories even if they don't fully grasp what I'm saying. I am thankful for unexpected emails or letters. I am also thankful for good conversations that challenge me to go deeper.

I am thankful for things becoming familiar and the fact that I now recognize people along the way to school and the way home, too.

I am thankful for feeling safe in our house and that I can share myself openly and honestly.

I am thankful for the elderly woman that lives around the corner and reminds me of my Gram Hillman. When I ask her how she is doing, she usually tells me about her latest illness and then tells me a little more about what is going on in her life. The best part of our short interactions is our despedida, she calls me her amor and asks God to bless me. I like to think that it is my Gram's spirit that is shining through this woman.

I am thankful for our yard, for our dog, for walking to the bus, for people out on the streets talking and kids playing soccer, for dancing, for delicious beans, for time to practice the guitar, for laughing, and for so many of the little things that fill my day.

I am thankful for feeling at home in this beautiful country, Nicaragua.

Time is Flying

I realize that I didn´t get a post up for September but that does not by any means imply that it was a month lacking in stories and activities. In fact, it was quite the opposite which is why I am just now getting around to writing this. Here´s a quick snapshot of a few of the highlights.

At the end of August, we had an English music festival where a representative from each class in secondary, selected by the teacher, sang a song of his/her choice in English. They were judged by a couple of my housemates and our principal. I wasn't allowed to judge since I had been helping a couple girls work on their song and hence I got assigned to being the MC. I was so nervous getting up in front of everyone, students and coworkers, although I'm pretty sure only a handful of people actually understood what I was saying since I was speaking only in English, like I was asked to do. The girls I had been helping won the competition with their song by none other than Justin Beiber. It was a really fun event!

In the beginning of September, we celebrated my community mate, Bianca's birthday. For her party, she decided that she wanted to have a “Holi” party, an idea inspired by the Indian Holi Festival. We got each other wet with buckets of water and then began throwing colored powder at one another. It reminded me a lot of messy games from the camp where I used to work and I loved the carefree and childlike atmosphere that was created and shared inter-culturally with some of our Nicaraguan friends. The picture is my community mate Lauren and I right after I threw some more colored powder at her.

The nine of us Jesuit Volunteers here in Nicaragua went on a little retreat at the beach. We spent a lot of quality time together, hanging out, playing the guitar around the campfire, and swimming in the Pacific. The picture is the view from the house where we stayed.

September in Nicaragua is a time of great national pride and celebrations. September 14 and 15 are days of independence here and were filled with parades and marching bands. I somehow found myself leading a group of preschool girls in a couple different parades. I made up dance moves to the beat of the band and they imitated what I did. Although they were really long, hot days, the little girls were so cute and excited to be dancing and marching.

I was able to get away for a couple days of vacation. I decided to head way out into the campo to visit a family that I stayed with during language school back in January. I went solita and I was really proud of myself for making it there and back without problems. Being out in this little community was very inspirational. The lifestyle in the campo is much more tranquilo and I appreciated the time that I spent reading, journaling, and reflecting. The food was also delicious - lots of beans, tortillas, and a type of cheese called cuajada, oh, and coffee for both breakfast and lunch! Beyond relishing in the physical surroundings which were very green due to the rain, I was very inspired by the family I stayed with. I stayed with a single mother and her 17 or 18 year old son and we talked about speaking out against injustices and working towards true liberation. The son is a very talented guitar player and he played everything from Guadabarranco, a Nicaraguan group, to the Beatles, to his own songs he made up on the fly. I felt so at ease and at home in the company of that family and in the community as well. I know I am not doing the best job of expressing myself, but I left the community rejuvenated and inspired to dream big. The picture is my host brother and I planting beans.

At the end of September, two of our Jesuit Volunteer Corps staff members from the DC office came to visit. One came to visit me at work to see how things were going and it was a very positive and reaffirming experience for me. She observed one of my classes and it went amazingly well! She expressed that she was impressed and I had to admit that I was too because my students are usually never that well behaved! Then, we went on Re-Orientation/Dis-Orientation retreat with all 9 of us Jesuit volunteers here in Nica. The staff created a beautiful space for us to reflect, share, and discuss our experiences as a JV thus far and we also began to consider the rapidly approaching time of transition. We will be welcoming the new volunteers at the beginning of December and saying see you later to our current second year volunteers towards the end of December. 

October has flown by and I have found myself staying very busy, really investing myself here. We had a Halloween party the other night and we are going to dress up again tonight in our house, just for fun! 

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Sending you all love from Nica.