I always knew growing up that Sydney was a hard name. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love the uniqueness of it and the fact that it's not a name you hear everyday. What I don't love is the fact that most people think I say "Cindy" when they ask me my name. I've even gotten "Tiffany" a time or two.
But if you think Americans have a hard time with my name, try getting a Central American to say it. Last month in Honduras, one of my students thought my name was "Signi," another,"Sini". This month in Nicaragua, it's mostly "Cisne," which means "swan," so I guess that's an okay interpretation (As opposed to the actual meaning of Sydney–"St. Denys," so holy!).
So in order to help out my Nica friends, this month, I've decided to just go by "Cindi." Spanish speakers can understand "Cindi." Yes, yes, it's ironic. The name that I've tried to avoid being called my whole life has finally won the battle. As a child–I was destined to be a speech therapist–I would scold my new friends if they mispronounced my name, "It's not CinDY, it's SydNEY! Say it wif me!" (Apparently the "th" sound gave even me a little trouble…) Now, it's just easier to say, "Hola, me llamo Cindi" instead of…
"Hola, me llama Sydney."
"Que?"
"SYD-NEY"
"Signi?"
"SYD-NEY"
"Ohhh, Cisne."
"…Sure."
We'll see how things go in Asia…
Name changes aside, in these last three months, somewhere along the road I fell in love with Central America. The culture was a bit of a shock at first: barbed wire everywhere, iron-gated windows, barely-paved or dirt roads, people staring at the blue-eyed, blond-haired girl like she's from another planet… But I now can say with a sincere heart that I truly love these people. Especially in Nicaragua, but in Guate and Honduras too, everyone is so incredibly kind. People here expect you just to walk into their houses unannounced for a visit, they hug you and kiss you every time they see you, they constantly offer food, they constantly offer blessings, the children come and sit in your lap after knowing you for only a moment. I've come to the realization that one of my happiest moments in life is when a little child is curled up in my lap.
This past week was really wonderful. On Wednesday, I hung out most of the morning at my friend Consuelo's house, drinking fresh coconut milk, trying guava for the first time, and learning to cook rice, beans, shrimp and macaroni (ok, I already knew how to cook macaroni). Consuelo and her family truly made me feel like one of their own that day. I held some precious babies, watched a little boy get a bath in the middle of the yard in a big sink, and just relaxed and laughed with my Nicaraguan family.
Apparently, I stir too slowly.
I can't believe we only have one more week at New Song. I hate that I'm just now getting to a point where I feel like I'm one of the gang with the youth group, but it is such a great feeling. Saturday, on New Year's Eve, we celebrated by having a Secret Santa gift exchange with my team, and later we had dinner over at our friend Emerson's (the one who was just baptized) house. We then walked to a big park in Chichigalpa, where it seemed everyone and their brother came out to ride fair rides, eat street food, watch a Christmas parade, and shoot off fireworks (a bit too close for comfort–watch out for falling sparks and debris!) I had a blast just weaving through the crowds, arm in arm with my new sisters and brothers, taking in all the sights.
I look like one of them, right??
It was definitely tough being away from my family on Christmas day. I was so blessed to get to Skype with them as well as another one of my favorite families, the Moltenis. God has given me a lot of strength, but I never realized how hard it would be to be gone for this long from the ones I love. And I've still got 8 months to go!
One huge blessing this week is that God is revealing to me my love for teaching. I knew that I loved working with kids, I loved being a "speech teacher" back in the States, and I have absolutely fallen in love with teaching English this month and last. But, this Saturday I had the opportunity to teach a study for my team and the New Song staff. God put it on my heart to share what He has been teaching me about truly surrendering our lives to the Lord, and although I was a little nervous to teach to ADULTS, the lesson went extremely well. God truly blessed that time, and I got such positive feedback from my team and the staff, which was such an encouragement. I feel as if God may be pointing me in the direction of teaching more and more–really exciting stuff 🙂
Last weekend, we had a blast in Matagalpa. We spent time at a beautiful coffee plantation and even got to ride horses!
This weekend we are finally at the beach! We are at Playa Roca, a beautiful beach on the Pacific Ocean–this is my first time to swim in the Pacific! Beware, the waves WILL knock you out. But the sun is hot, and the water is the perfect temperature, I'm hoping to pick up a little tan while I'm here, so the Nicaraguans will stop commenting on my piel blanca (white skin)…
Sunset from Playa Roca
I hope everyone had an amazing holiday. Merry Christmas from Nicaragua!
See all my pictures from Nicaragua HERE!!
