Two Weeks Down!

Wow. This last week has been fun, relaxing, busy, exhausting, and refreshing all in one. After starting Spanish school last Monday, things have been very laid back. Our school is just a few blocks from my house so I walk there each morning. Classes are Monday through Friday 9 AM-12 PM, with the rest of the day free. Originally, I thought that the days would be easy since school only lasted for three hours each day, but I could not have been more wrong. Spanish is EXHAUSTING. 

My teacher’s name is Bismarck. He is awesome! He is a local here in Masaya, and absolutely loves what he does. He does speak some English, but chooses to speak only Spanish for our sake. It really helps me to learn when I am forced to figure it out, rather than just answering in English. Bismarck reminds me a lot of my high school Spanish teacher, Mr. Haase. He is just a short little man with an overwhelming love for people, and a love for Spanish. The way that he teaches us, his sense of humor, his stories, and his incredible patience… Just like Mr. Haase… and I love it!  He makes it clear that he cares about us, and enjoys hearing about the things we enjoy. 

Alex and Maria Teresa also help with our classes at the school.  Our learning experience is extremely based on conversation. We spend the first part of class learning new verbs or tenses, but a majority is spent conversing with one another and getting to know each other while learning so many words and phrases along the way. 

After just one week in school, I have learned so much! I still struggle to communicate sometimes, but I can already tell I am improving. Conversing with my host family can sometimes be difficult. My host sister, Sophie, speaks some English so she chooses to speak it with me a lot. My host mom speaks so fast that I am not always able to understand, and when she repeats herself, instead of slowing down, she just gets louder and louder and louder! Sophie finally explained to her that I am not deaf, only American, and that if she slows down, we could have a nice conversation. Her mom now constantly yells, “SOPHIE, SOLO ESPANOL!!!” so that I may finally practice my Spanish with her.

When I am not in school, I have plenty of time to explore this beautiful country I am living in! 

Mercado de Artesanias

Lago de Masaya

Parque Central

Almost every night it rains... and when it rains, it pours! A couple nights ago, it rained so loud that even when we were yelling, we could not hear each other. The thunder shakes the house and the lighting lights up the entire sky. It is truly incredible! 

The roads flood within minutes, and rivers just flow through the streets. 

Yesterday, my family and I got the privilege to take a trip to San Juan Del Sur. It is a beautiful beach about 2 hours away from Masaya.  It was so sweet seeing how excited the family was to have this opportunity to go to their favorite place in the world. Sophie and Oscar talked about it for days leading up to it. Sophie had her swimsuit and outfit picked out, and her beach bag packed before I even really understood where we were going. It turned out to be a fabulous day!

One thing that continues to break my heart is the way some people here live. Being in a third world country, you never know what you are going to see next. One house may be a few boards or pieces of metal nailed together filled with naked and hungry children, but less than a mile away, there are people living in complete luxury… unbelievable mansions. It continues to amaze me how unaware people are of the poverty around them. On the way home from the beach, our car broke down right across from a small shack. Outside children were running and playing barefoot in the dirt with their only clothing torn and shredded against their frail bodies. The joy on their faces was amazing, despite the poverty they were living in. As we sat on the side of the road, I watched as Sophie observed what was happening. She had her head phones in, her tablet in one hand, and her cell phone in the other, with her brand new sparkly sandals on her feet. As the smell began to reach us, and flies began to swarm, she began asking me questions. “Those kids aren’t even wearing shoes! You mean they do not have TV? Sometimes they do not have food? What about a shower?” She seemed to be absolutely horrified at what she was seeing, as if she had never seen anything like it. She only lives a couple miles away from families and villages like this, and really has no idea of how deep the poverty runs, even after  living here 15 years. 

And then I began to wonder… is it really any different in the States?

We may not live in a third world country, but there is still poverty consuming the US. Whether it is financial poverty... spiritual, emotional, addiction, abuse... We grow up assuming we live in a perfect country, or that we need to leave the United States to bring hope to hurting people. The reality of it is... it is everywhere. People in need of a saving grace, but we do not even recognize it right in front of our eyes. 

We are so consumed with what we have, want, and need that we have no idea of the pain and suffering that is all around us.