Soy Nica ¿y que?

Tio took us to the market this morning to shop for souvenirs. Then we stopped to see some of Mo's family. I personally cherish family. I was glad to see her family reunite after such a long time. My camera died that night at Alfredo and Lucy's house. We took a pic together and off it went. Now I can honestly say, "Tengo familia nica!!!" 

  They're coming to Miami the wknd I get back. We traded info so I may see mi familia nica in a few weeks =D 

Managua, Masaya. MASAYA, MANAGUA!!!

The weekend in Managua was definitely an awesome one for me. After walking thru the pouring rain Mo and I caught a bus for a dollar to Managua to meet her family. We arrived and they formed a circle around Monique... kinda ignored me thinking I spoke no spanish. HA! if only they'd realized. I instantly clicked the her cousin's wife and daughter and they eagerly showed us around the city.

   Tia Miriam's friend was a cab driver and he shuttled us from one historic site to another. There's such a rich history in Nicaragua and I learned it within 5hrs... apparently the current prez is not too popular among the people...

The Vieja Cathedral was ruined by an earthquake and sits in ruins. The clock permanently reads the moment the earthquake began. We went to the mall to exchange so cash and tried this refresco de cacao. DELISH!!! YUMM!!! Great stuff. To end the night we ate dinner at a local restaurant. QUE RRRRRICO! Carne, maduros y arroz con frijoles por supuesto. 

El mundo es un pañuelo

Granada is absolutely beautiful. It was named after the Andalusian city of Granada and IMMEDIATELY reminded me of Spain. =) There were tons of restaurants and bars with tables set up in the street. It was a very chill atmosphere situated in one of the oldest established cities in the Americas. We stayed in Hospedaje Cocibolca for $20/night with AC. It was right at the end of the main street so we put up our stuff and walked around the city. 

As we were walking around we met  a group of girls who interning with Viva Nicaragua! We went to an outdoor cafe so that I could finally eat dinner. Two of the interns were from Michigan and it turned out the owner of the bar was also from Michigan and had been living out of the US for five years. He said that wasn't his plan at first but he felt, "If I have to struggle, I'd rather do it here than in America. It's just different."

He and his girlfriend bought the bar 6 months ago and still hadn't broke even, but he enjoyed what he was doing. This feeling of satisfaction is prevalent both here and in Costa Rica. It reminded me of the question Carla posed to our class. Even if they aren't wealthy by our standards they live their lives to the fullest...

 We left the bar and went to Cafe Neut. A live band took the stage and there were PLENTY of  dance partners vying for a dance ;-). I've never danced salsa, merengue, or bachata SO much in my life. It was great. =D Something outta Havana Nights. ha. 

The next day we toured Granada. We saw the main sites in the city and then toured the isletas by boat. We passed the monkey island and a spider monkey decided to hop aboard! fun times. We decided to walk back to catch the bus and while we walked God decided to open up the heavens above us and shower the earth. We were drenched hasta la ropa interior. But it was worth every moment. VIVA NICARAGUA. 

Safety Primero...

I've learned how to trust the feelings God gives me. I prayed and claimed that I would travel to Nicaragua and Panama while I was studying down here in Costa Rica. This weekend the first goal was accomplished. Mo and I traveled to Granada and Managua, Nicaragua. This is how it all worked out...

Mo's grandmother moved to the US before her youngest sister (Mo's great aunt) was born. None of Mo's family has been to Nicaragua since. Thursday before we met Morgan to go to Cultura Extrema we hit up Tica Bus, some other sketchy bus station, and TransNica. The first was filled, the second was closed, and the third wasn't sure if they would have room on their buses for us to return home Monday. (I have to meet my OTS group Monday evening) He told us to call Friday morning and he would call headquarters in Nicaragua. Ivannia, mi mama tica, called and reserved our seats Friday morning. We get to the station and the man says all the seats are filled and there's NO SPACE!!! =O We get in another line explaining that we had called ahead and reserved seats. The woman confirmed this and we were on our way... First Class ;-)

Once we got across the border four other dudes hopped onto our bus. Mo and I were in the last row by the bathroom and they stood beside us. They looked sospechosos from the jump off but as we watched Little Man in Spanish their laughs kinda eased my fears. Then they started asking where were going and talking amongst themselves about how we were traveling solas. Mo felt the need to tell the bus driver to call us a taxi and  about shady dudes behind us... with her spanish, I doubt she conveyed all those ideas. lol. But she asked me to get out my knife. Do you know how many times I cut myself trying to master that thing within 10mins?! craziness.

  We got off the bus in Granada (no taxi was there, go figure?!) But the guys went their own way... which makes me wonder how we as humans draw some conclusions. I know people say it's better to be safe than sorry, but was I misjudging someone's character and intentions because he seemed dangerous? So many people had warned us about safety in Nicaragua. In San Jose there are always stories of muggings especially of people who appear too touristy. Had I let the warnings justify my prejudice? Just wondering because I felt really bad about my assumptions.

Cultura Extrema

Dear Diary, 

  Today was a good day. lol! I've always wanted to write that. Today that line rings true. I went to Calle Blancos today. I've had many rewarding experiences in the last two weeks, but this one was joyously indescribable? Mo and I went to buy our tickets after school at TicaBus and they were sold out. We went to TransNica, the bus line Dorian recommended and they didn't have contact with Managua. It wouldn't have been wise to purchase salida tickets and not know if we'd make it back on Monday (I have to meet the OTS group Monday). So we went to McDonalds in the Centro to meet Morgan. I wanted to see what she did in her spare time with these "teams."

Calle Blancos is "one of the worse" barrios in CR. It was raining, the door was locked and three teens were already outside. We did the whole introduction with a kiss on each cheek. Morgan told me there was one cat named Meneo would'd be coming  and if I could understand him (he speaks a lot of slang) then I'd mastered the Spanish language! Ha! Challenge much?! Meneo arrived with a box and introduced himself... indeed understanding him was quite a feat. 

Finally some of the other volunteers arrived with the keys to open the center. The interior was not what I'd imagined. But God doesn't require anything elaborate or ornate to get his mission accomplished, just willing vessels. The center was basically an old car garage transformed into a youth center complete with a ping pong table, a 4 square grid on the cement, a foosball table, some old couches and chairs and plenty of eye-catching graffiti. One wall read "Jesus es gratis pero no barato" (Jesus is free but not cheap). Another asked "Que buscas?" (What are you looking for?). Another stated, "Reflejamos la luz de adentro hacia afuera" (We reflect the light from within, without). The kids started to fill the center. We blasted music and left the doors open to attract passersby. 

If you've ever been in place anointed with the Spirit, you can relate to the peace and happiness I felt within the four walls of Cultura Extrema. There were eager youth wanting learn about Christ and young adults willing to share. When the program began four years ago, the church stopped allowing CE to use its facilities because they viewed the program as just that... extreme. The next three years the youth met in the youth minister's house  but because of the way the Lord works, the group soon outgrew the house. Thanks to funding from several churches in the US the old garage was purchased and transformed. No one was shoving doctrine down these kids throats. There were no crucifixes or condemning messages decorating the wall... just warm hearts and open minds. My cheeks hurt from all the smiling I did that night. The younger girls loved my hair (that's been a trend this entire trip btw) and stayed with me most of the night. They loved my lipsyncing renditions of Chris Brown ballads. ha. I played 4 square for the first time in a LONG time and foosball for the first time... ever? Some of the guys breaked and you know I had to school 'em on some thangs ;-)

  We ended up heading back home at 11pm. God is just too good. 

~Isaiah 61:1

   

Who says we aren't happy?

Today I graduated from the Costa Rican Language Academy. I opted to bypass the graduation ceremony because Mo and I needed to work out the logistics of our excursion to Nicaragua. Carla said a lil speech in front of the class and presented me with my "diploma." Though I've completed my course of study according to CRLA's standards, I feel I still lack sufficient knowledge about life... about viewpoints... about the reality of others. Our discussion in the afternoon only gave me a taste of the "knowledge" I long to acquire. 

We read an article dealing with development in Latin American countries, specifically Costa Rica. Halfway thru the reading Carla stopped and asked us why Costa Rica was considered a third world country. She asked whether different equated to lesser. "Even though we may not have as much, we are happy. Why should financial status be valued more than spiritual and emotional well-being?" We were all silent for a few minutes. I drifted back to a conversation in Samara...

While we were walking to the beach one night, Monique and I were brainstorming about our future non-profit organization which would provide educational and vocational classes, sponsor drug and alcohol prevention programs and create numerous jobs on the beach. Another student who was walking with us laughed and made this snide remark, "If you give them good jobs, who's gonna clean our toilets and pick our fields?" 

I shared this anecdote with the class. How important are socioeconomic levels? Are these levels really necessary for a productive society? Do we need a lower class to work and a higher class to "rule" and act as motivation for the 'lower' class? 

La Segunda Semana

My mother has always told me that learning styles are important. This week I realized that there are several aspects that must be present in order for me to fully enjoy and engage in a class:

1. Structured lesson plan
2. Clear and concise explanation
3. Real world application
4. Practice of the newly acquired knowledge  
   

My instructor this week is Carla and she is an awesome person and teacher. She seems to base her lessons on things we struggle with or questions we asked the previous class. Maybe I enjoy her class because the material we cover addresses my Spanish language problems, for example,  past perfect/imperfect subjunctive, conditionals, indirect/direct objects,  the proper use of gerunds, and the many uses of "se." 

In addition to hardcore grammar, Carla teaches us things we would never learn in a traditional Spanish class  and "Tiquismos" (phrases/words commonly used by Ticos). Like in the morning you can ask Como amanecio? Which basically asks how did you sleep and how was your morning all in one. We learned how to say "I did #2" in ways ranging from most crude to most formal and how to express your relationship with a significant other. ha! Stuff I can actually use. (btw I can't wait til I can teach Cherry all this stuff)

In the afternoons we do activities that reinforce the lessons. For instance, to practice subjunctive we each but two items in a bucket. In order to retrieve our belongings we had to fulfill a request from each person in our class. "Quiero que preguntes a la recepcionista por un tampax." "Ordeno que cantes "La cucaracha" en voz alta mientras estes de pie en el poyo." Good times... just let me say that. 

My classmates this week are much more interactive and we are evenly matched linguistically. Morgan goes to UI but is a die-hard TARHEEL fan plus she works with a local youth group. Caterine goes to U. Michigan, Jens in my class again and we have a girl from Austria named Claudia. Our discussions are classic. ha! Oh, and Carla served  on some of the reservations I'll be visiting through the Peace Corps. She's teaching me some common words for the Bribri. I'm going to miss this class... can't believe I only have one more day here at CRLA. =(