I Am Here!

Well, I am here in Nicaragua! The last few days have been quite unexplainable. I do not even know where to start. Arriving in Nicaragua and stepping off the plane was like an immediate culture shock. The other intern, Austin, and I found our way through customs and immigration… neither of us able to speak the language. It took us a lot longer to get through than it should have. In Nicaragua, there is no such thing as waiting in line. You push your way to the front, or you never get through. We were greeted at the Managua Airport by Austin (a different Austin) and Jill. They are a young couple from Indiana who moved here about a year and a half ago. The two of them work with SI and are leading us through this entire internship. We spent our first two nights staying at the Students International base. It is absolutely beautiful! As I walked into the room where I was staying, I was not surprised to find two geckos on my pillow, a VERY large cricket on the windowsill, and a cockroach-looking "thing" in the shower. I decided I should not waste any time freaking out, and just get used to it. We spent our time going through the orientation process, learning about the culture, and discussing everything else we might ever need to know. Austin and Jill led us around Masaya, introducing us to our new home. 

I find myself often comparing this country to the Dominican Republic, but with much more poverty. The foods here are rice and beans at every meal! They are very bland and do not really taste like anything. Bread or tortillas are usually served with each meal as well. We may not drink or brush our teeth with anything but filtered water, and the showers are FREEZING! But when you are constantly sweating, you do not want a warm shower anyway. I have been sleeping over 10 hours every night, and am extremely exhausted by about 8pm every evening. Apparently, studies show that when you are completely submerged in another culture and learning a new language, you need 2-3 more hours of sleep than normal… so I guess I should get used to this.  

Yesterday I moved into my host home. My family is awesome! My host mama, Elia, is a single mom. She has two kids… Sophie (15) and Oscar (11). They live in a little house here in Masaya with two dogs, Beethoven and Princess, and a parrot, Estella. Estella talks constantly. In Nicaragua, when you arrive at someone’s house, you walk up to the front gate at shout “BUENAS....BUENAS!” before you walk in. Because of this, Estella is constantly saying, “Buenas! Sophie! Buenas! Sophie!” Hopefully I will be able to get used to her. Many rooms in my house, besides the bedrooms and bathrooms, have only three walls, and the fourth side is open. I am staying in a little room with a small bathroom attached. 

Sophie and I have already become close. She is able to speak some English, so she has made the transition much easier for me. She said she is so excited to have a sister. They have hosted many students in the past, but she said that she is “extra excited” for me to become her sister. Because of my dress code, she thinks that I have no sense of style. She said I need to start wearing short shorts and spaghetti straps. Showing your booty and your legs is very important for the cute boys, and I better start wearing some makeup! I explained to her that was the very reason I have a dress code, but baggy khaki shorts, ugly capris, and longggg skirts are not usually my every day attire. Sophie said I have a sad, sad life so I let her give me a makeover… and then she insisted we have a photo-shoot with my new face.

Today was also my first day at the Micro finance site. The site is run by two amazing Nicaraguans, Katia and Holman. Every day, I will take public transportation, usually a bus, to the site. Katia picked me up at my house this morning to show me the rout. We rode the bus from Masaya to Nindiri. When we got to the site, Holman led the three of us in a short Bible study. They described to me the overall purpose of Micro finance.  It is not about money, loans, or business at all. It is about helping women, showing them that we love them and care about them, but more importantly, that God loves them and has a plan for their lives regardless of what they are going through right now. Katia shared with me story after story of broken families in the community, prostitution, and complete poverty. Katia, herself, has experienced unimaginable pain and sorrow, yet she praises God for the life she has. Her eyes filled with tears as she shared her story with me. She explained that she often asks God why this would happen to her, but He reminds her time and time again that she has a wonderful life and that trusting in Him brings more happiness than any earthly thing. I am so excited to get to know her better!

Next we did a few home visits. We walked 25-30 minutes down a long dirt road from Nindiri. They began to tell me that this dirt road would lead to some of Nicaragua’s poorest people. As we walked farther and farther, it got hotter and hotter. It was not long before I was completely drenched in sweat, my feet and legs covered in dirt, and an unbelievable amount of flies swarming my head. Along both sides of the road were horses. Their ribs and hips protruding through their skin farther than I thought possible. Abandoned dogs lay in the ditches, covered in flies, and their eyes oozing with puss. I had seen all of these things before when I went to the Dominican Republic, but this was so much worse. When we finally made it to the land fill, we turned down a path lined with houses… if you could call them that. The children were running around naked, and those with clothes, had pooped smeared down their back sides and onto their legs.

We came to the house of Melena, a 13 yr. old friend of Katia.  She greeted us and brought out chairs for us. She began telling me that about school. She is in 5^th grade and loves to do math. Her dream is to learn English and visit America. I watched as flies covered her feet and legs; they filled her ears. Maria Magdalena, her 8 year old little sister, put her hands together in mine and bowed… a common greeting from children as a sign of respect. She climbed into my lap and began to tear up. She missed her mom. Melena told us she had been gone for months trying to find work.  We talked with them for a while longer, read scripture with them, and then prayed over them before leaving.

Since I have been here, I have been taught something that we, as Americans, do not seem to understand. Poverty is not something that can be fixed. Americans assume we have all of the answers, but sending free clothes and shoes to these people in need will not solve their problems. It might bring them temporary comfort, but poverty runs deeper. It is the pain of absent fathers, uneducated people, and communities living with the deep brokenness of not knowing Christ. Those things are not solved by a new pair of flip flops from a "gringo"... as they call us. 

Any thoughts or fears that I have ever had of not having enough money or being able to get by, are now forever erased.

Tomorrow I will work with the people in the microfinance site selling clothes in the morning, and then we will meet with all of the ladies in the program. Starting Monday, I will begin three weeks of Spanish school before I return to the site again.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support! Keep praying for me and the people of Nicaragua… the prayers are greatly needed and appreciated.