Day one in Nicaragua comes with promise and lots of noise. I am staying in a beautiful house with Francisco (who tells me that I may speak no English while here but also lies and says my Spanish is good)and Reyna. Their daughter, Davitha has given me her room and is rooming with her brother, Levi. I was awakened by the sound of a very insistent rooster perched right outside my open window, trucated by the deep thud of mangos hitting the roof as they fall from the trees all around us. Good thing I am an early riser anyway!
I took advantage of the cool morning hours to expore while the rest of the house slept. Immediately, the dogs took a liking to me, hanging at my heels and nuzzling me for attention. The mangoes are EVERYWHERE! They pepper the ground like New Year's Eve confetti in Times Square, but so much more delicious. The air is cool, but I am aware of impending heat and impending rain hanging in the atmosphere.
Our host families live in a beautiful huerta, yet I sense that, outside these gates, the world of Jinotepe is very different. It was so dark when we came in that I could see little, but the eyes are not always the keenest organ (especially mine!) and I know that I am in a different world. The policemen who were hitchhiking and the boy who climbed on a semi truck to wash his windows, unsolicited, for money tell us that we are not in Kansas anymore. But it is greater than that. Sounds and smells all converge to communicate the differnece here. The kids were stricken by that fact almost immediately, and we sat around the table eating rice pudding, surrounded by Nora's family, talking about those first impressions. I am glad that they get to have this experience, but I am more glad that they have made me a part of it. They are great kids and this is going to be a breathtaking journey for us all.
Today, we will buy seeds and other supplies for Banco de Tierra. Let the adventure begin!
No comments:
Post a Comment