10 Things I LOVE in Nicaragua (that I didn’t notice or really like before)

   

1. Rubbery, deep fried cheese- A year ago I could not stand the sight of it let alone having it in my mouth. It was like taking the sole off your tennis shoes, cutting it into perfect squares, then smothering it in boiling corn oil. It was the worst. Fast forward to the present, I don’t eat fritanga (street food) without it. Fried cheese with a nice sweet plantain, YUM.

2. Washing my laundry by hand- I spend about 40 minutes every morning washing laundry. It has become a meditation of sorts. Repetitive. Back and forth. Not so bad really. That said, I cannot wait to use a machine when I get back the States. No more of that fire, burnt bean smell in my dried clothes.

3. Bucket showers- Ok well I don’t really need to take bucket showers here but, I do. The water that comes from my faucet is freezing. It comes from the water treatment plant in the mountains. It smells of chlorine and something else you just can’t put your finger on. It is worth my time to boil water on my gas stove, and use that the shower. So worth it.

4. Dia de los Muertos- I guess I never really celebrated Day of the Dead in the US. Halloween kind of overshadowed Nov 2^nd. Here though it is amazing. Families go out to the local cemetery and dedicate themselves to painting tombs for their loved ones. The cemetery comes to life with colors. Flower venders line the street to sell everything from real flowers to bags of plastic confetti to cover the ground in. Little boys come out, each with their own machete, to sell their labor; hacking weeds off of tombs. Old women have their great-grandsons arduously wheel then to their families grave site, all the while laying out specific details of what needs to happen when they die. It is a beautiful holiday. Quiet, colorful and full of purpose.

5. Beans- There are two main foods in Nicaragua, rice and beans. I like rice, but I love beans baby.

6. Rocking chairs- In the US a rocking chair is for two purposes: babies and old ladies. We rock and sing our babies to sleep. We see old ladies on their porch, rocking back and forth, while they heckle neighborhood kids. That is it. Here in Nicaragua though, everyone has rocking chairs. In fact, everyone who can afford it has multiple. Like 6 or more. I’m not kidding. Living rooms have rocking chairs instead of sofas. I have two. They are the BEST!

7. Jump ropes- The last time I used a jump rope in the States was probably 2^nd grade, in P.E. Here, I use one almost everyday. Braden brought me one from the US and my youth groups love it. They aren’t so good at it, but they are learning. And, like I said, they love it.

8. Big sheets of paper- Every presentation or class I give includes at least 4 or 5 huge pieces of paper. We call them papelografo here. Who wouldn’t like a vast sheet of white you can write anything or draw anything on?

9. Electricity- I love having electricity. Do I need to say it again? I love light at night time, having a charged computer, a phone that works, having a fridge that keeps my food edible for longer then a day, even watching telenovelas. The phrase se fue la luz, is so common here that I am scared when I get back to the US I will hoard batteries and make myself anxious of possible electricity blackouts. Ridiculous.

10. Christmas- Well, I loved it before but I love it even more now that I don’t really have it. Holidays like Dia de los Muertos and Purisima are celebrated more here in Nicaragua then Christmas. Pretty much, I am a sucker for the music and lights in the US. I love the peppermint lattes at Starbucks. I love waking up in the morning and digging through stockings. I love cooking breakfast in the morning with my family. I love Christmas. Enough said.