So I wrote this post throughout the day from the time I arrived until now, lying in bed at the end of the day. This is how it works: I keep my whackberry with me all day and journal as things pop up in my head. Then I copy and paste from a note to a blog post. These are my (pretty much) uncensored thoughts about my first day in Nicaragua...
The trip here was easy I suppose, other than MIA being the worst airport. Ok not the worst, but one of the worst. Remember when I asked you guys to pray for cheap luggage prices, well I have a praise for the Big Man. Even though I was traveling with two different airlines, I was able check the bags straight through and I only paid 50 extra instead of 90 or 150 which I thought I would have to pay. Sidenote: packs of paper and notebooks might not take up a lot of space but they are SUPER heavy. I was really nervous/scared about traveling alone (internationally) for the first time, so my mother prayed that God would send good-hearted, Christ-like people to look over me...low and behold I sit next to a nun on the plane ride from Miami!!
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I'm sitting here watching them take the luggage off the plane, and let me tell you something about how hard they just toss stuff around lol. Don't put anything fragile in a bag you are checking on a plane lol.
...As I was flying into Managua, Sister Isabel pointed out all the big landmarks she could from the air. Lagoons everywhere! And volcanoes! Have you ever seen a real live volcano? Well I did once in Hawaii. This was cooler though lol...Sidenote: still haven't seen my bags yet, so I hope they made that switch from Delta to AA! Ah there's one!
The juxtaposition of the landscape and the city is intriguing. As you fly over Nicaragua all you see is green and water. Absolutely amazing. But as you get closer to the city the sun reflects the tin roofs of the homes in Managua. You can tell from the air that things are bad. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen worst, but people shouldn't live like this. I didn't want to take pictures because the taxi driver was with me and I don't believe in taking pictures of people like they are animals for show. The cows are malnourished and the neighborhoods are filthy. But the roads are better than Auburn Ave. in ATL (que interesante).
Sergio, my taxi driver, is telling me about his sick mother. I ask if it's expensive to go to the doctor. "Si, como 20 dolares." He thinks 20 dollars is a ton of money. I spend that on a pedicure...well close to it. Sergio was at the airport waiting for me (just like my mom said he would be :-). The name read 'Lardycia' on his paper -_- LOL. If you know me you know how I feel about that name.
There's no AC in the car, but it's not like being in Sunshine back home. There's always a breeze and the heat doesn't stick on you like Georgia heat. He's yelling in the phone "un chino alto con pelo largo" haha I can't even imagine that. Aaahhh, admittedly, it's refreshing to ride down the winding roads. Forgetting if even for 20 minutes the poverty I just witnessed replaced with the coastline and the trees. But therein lies a problem; we are aware of the problems that other people face, but we like to look at the pretty parts and forget about it because it makes us feel better. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone cared about the problems of their brother/sister and didn't just think about themselves or ignore what's happening around them?
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Amanda and Patrick are excited about the possibility of bringing MODEL26 to their campuses...I'm hiding that I'm much more excited than they are :-)
I've been here a few hours and I already love it. I wish I were staying. I'm so anxious to get into some volunteering out in the community tomorrow. I'm really bad at taking pictures, but I'll make sure my journals are very descriptive.
...Rachel's voice reminds me of that feeling you get when you open up your window and let the steady beat of summer rain put you to sleep. She's rocking on that guitar singing something I've never heard. We're ten or so on the porch listening and singing with her. She tells me wake up is at 630 and I remember that I've slept 3 hours in the last 36. I'll sleep well tonight.
...Word to the wise from Kathleen: don't tell the weekend guard I speak Spanish. He'll never stop talking. *noted*
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Lying in bed upstairs. Rachel's downstairs on the guitar singing 'Grenade' with the drum in the background. *fave* :-) **Proverbs 16:9**
D <3
