Day 8

Today was both sad and exciting.

This morning at 7am we left San Juan del Sur and headed to the Managua airport to drop off the rest of the volunteers. It took a little over 2 hours to be back in Managua. It was sad to say goodbye to the rest of the volunteers. I am going to miss having them around! It was such a great dynamic and I loved getting to know everyone!

We then drove to buy beds for Jessie and I's room. They are little cots with a mattress on it but are actually very comfortable. I am also using the TCU pillow pet my brother gave me for my birthday, just because it gives me a little feeling of home! :)

Jessie and I were finally able to settle in to our room right next to Brad, cofounder of VISEDAL, which is so great and God definitely had His hand in this. We don't have to worry about meeting up with him because we are neighbors. I feel more safe with him right next door and I know it's a lot easier as well. We got everything unpacked and got comfortable. Lunch right around the corner at this place that Brad eats at every day which I understand why. The food is really good and they give you a whole plate full of food and coke for only $3! How great is that right! Hello breakfast and lunch spot for the next 4 weeks(they aren't open for dinner)! :)

After lunch we went to the market. This time it was different because you have the tourist side of the market and the local side of the market. The first time we went was the tourist side but this time we were on the side where all the locals go to buy everything from house appliances to baby clothes. We had to get a few things like a fan, since there is no AC, hand soap, trash can, and toilet paper. Now in order to get to and from the market we had to take a public bus. These buses here are very different than in the States. There is no such thing as personal space! The bus ride on the way to the market wasn't too crowded but on the way back it was completely full. When I say full I don't mean all the seats were filled. I'm talking all the seat were filled and there was no standing room whatsoever. We were packed in the bus. I didn't mind though. I never have been too concerned for personal space anyways, because I'm the type of person who loves being close to people. So I wasn't uncomfortable at all! :)

The more I feel like I can fit in the more I realize I stick out like a sore thumb! Everywhere we have walked, which we did a lot of walking today, we have been honked at, whistled at, blown kisses at, and the stares are incredible. We also are called Gringas by almost everyone! We aren't hispanic and look white so of course we come from the states and are called gringas. "Nica's love their gringas" as the saying goes, unfortunately. I don't mind some attention but I don't care for that kind of attention and it's not always fun to stick out so much. But I am who I am and they just should know that I can understand what they are saying.

After running errands, I was able to FaceTime my church in Maryland during Bible study, which was really great! I enjoyed seeing their smiling faces and talking with them about my experience so far! It was really nice. Then it was dinner time and we ate at the food court in the mall. Yummy cookies and cream ice cream for dessert! Put minutes on our work phones here in Nicaragua and headed back to our new home for the month.

Today was a day mainly full of errands to allow me to settle in and get situated. One thing that has been very heavy on my mind is the ideas we form in our heads about other people from other countries. A lot of times I feel as though when we see people from a different country or we travel out of our country we somehow have this mindset that these people are different and they don't think the way I do or I can't talk to them like that because they won't understand. We sometimes feel that the language barrier is actually a barrier of life experiences and knowledge. When in reality a language barrier is only a barrier of the tongue. We all experience life and even though some are in better off situations then others it doesn't mean that we aren't from the same planet. I become frustrated when I hear people say that oh they won't know that or do they even do that? We are all humans and all people. We all feel and we all experience life. Just because you don't speak the same language as me doesn't mean you are any less of a person nor does it make you a whole other creature nor does it make you stupid. If we could all come to the realization that all over the world there are people, people just like you and me, who have dreams, goals, desires, and thoughts just like our own, it would be so much easier to live together. We focus so much on what makes us different, culture, language, dress, etc, when we should be focusing on the fact that we are all human with human thoughts and human hearts. Just some food for thought.

Well I should probably shower tonight and then off to bed for an early morning tomorrow! :) Good night, Buenas noches.