Sunday, October 4, 2009

Nicaragua: feeling at home

I'm down in Nicaragua for the first time! It was planned at the very last minute, but I am here to visit Eduardo and his family. I arrived on Saturday. My first impression of Managua, the capital city, was from the air: the city is HUGE! But I love cities and was ready to explore. Eduardo picked me up at the airport and it took about 15 minutes by taxi to get to his mom's house. I met his mom before I met him in Costa Rica, so it was nice to see her again and she welcomed me warmly. I got to meet one of his sisters that I had not met before and her son as well as his grandfather. They all share the small 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house. His mom has lived here for 40 years, so it is where Eduardo grew up. There was lots of meeting, and some eating, and a trip to the little market too. The market reminds me of the one in Bolivia, but much smaller. And it is just a few blocks walking distance.

There are lots of churches very close to the house and we heard the praise music much of the day. In the evening, Eduardo and I took Leo and Diana to a service. I recognized several of the songs and it was fun to have the kids with us. Eduardo and I were back in the market in the afternoon with his mom and they wanted me to try all kinds of foods. So I had a burrito and a hot dog and they bought a bag of turtle eggs that they will cook tomorrow.

Nicaragua is definitely the dirtiest place that I have visited, there is a lot of trash in the streets, but I still really like what I have seen of the city. I feel welcome, not like I stick out like a gringa, and am happy to be here!

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