15 Reasons Why Nic Has Captivated my Heart:
1. The People-Nicaraguans are genuine. Genuine in their demeanor. Genuine in their actions, hellos, goodbyes and everything in between. You can trust their every word to be real and raw. It’s a quality that stems from a faith that illuminates from their very being.
2. Rice & Beans-For breakfast, lunch and dinner. A little hot sauce gives life to this Central American staple. Wrapped in warm, homemade tortillas with jalapeo, tomato and onion filled eggs is my personal favorite.
3. Coffee Lovers Unite– At all hours of the day. They drink it out of comfort and tradition and not necessity. The amount of sugar they add to their steaming cup of cafe never ceases to amaze me. I’ve gotten on board with this daily routine and it’s going to be a tough one to break.
4. Dirt Roads Take Me Home-Each time we leave our compound, we are welcomed by the unpaved road ahead. The driveway leads to a cattle guard where we cautiously exit onto a manure filled dirt road with creatures of every kind. Pigs, roosters, horses, dogs and cows roam about without a care in the world or a care that you’re in their way.
5. The People-While cleaning the kitchen on a Friday morning, a local woman was touring Cicrin and became quite fond of us. In her welcoming, Nicaraguan spirit, she was insistent on opening her home to us for juice, bread and pineapple. A few of us sat with her and her family for an hour or so. I listened intently as she poetically described recipe after recipe. She gave us a tour of her family’s quant, beautiful property. She was disappointed when it became time for us to leave as she was prepared to share their bountiful feast of squash and chicken soup with us. I thanked God for her that day and hoped that her selfless ways would lead us to a similar way of living within this World Race community.
6. Streams, Lakes, & Volcanoes-When crossing the border into Nicaragua from Honduras, I could not peel my eyes away from the window. The lush landscape seized my attention. It also made me question as to why a country so full of natural resources can be so poor? The rich volcanoes surrounded by Lake Nicaragua would tell you other wise; that this land has an unending supply of God’s creation.
7. Tarantulas are Friendly-It has taken me 10 years to quiet my shrills whenever a spider is in my vicinity. And yesterday marked the day I came within one foot of a tarantula and smiled at its furry body instead of crying in fear. It may have been the heat, but I could of sworn that it
smiled at me.
8. Tia’s & Tios– I love the concept of aunts and uncles and I especially love being one myself. They are the protector, homework helper, disciplinarian, bedtime reading, advice giving, loving, role models for the children at Cicrin. They range from the young: Tio Felix at the age of 20 to the beautiful Tia Maria at 50. They instill so much wisdom and prosperity into these nios and ninas.
9. Kill a Chicken and be Thanked-We woke up at the roosters’ crow; around 5:15 Friday morning. A fellow racer deemed this mornings exercise routine as a “fun run”. We would be killing chickens and then going on a run. Sounds fun, right? Well, the time came for us to butcher what we hoped would be that evening’s dinner. I won’t go into detail but I will say I have successfully killed and plucked my first chicken; with the multi-tool known as the machete.
10. The People-I was nervous to work in the kitchen with Tia Maria as there would be quite a language barrier. All of that anxiety faded away with a simple song. At one point during lunch I could not grasp the rapid Spanish she was throwing at me. What else to do but sing “Feliz Navidad”. She must think I’m crazy but since that day we have been on hugging terms.
11. Nic Time is on My Time– I have been known for my procrastinating ways for quite as long as I can remember. I have found a place where that is not frowned upon! Time is a relative term here. “We’ll be there at six” usually means they’ll show up at seven. My family would do just fine here.
12. Hitch Hiking– It is not only encouraged; it’s a necessity. We have become accustom to hailing rides from random vehicles along the main road. My favorite thus far would have to be a trip from town with two fellow racers. We were happy to be picked up quickly as we were running late for our one-on-one sessions with the kids. This type of high end truck was rare to see so we were hoping for a speedy return to the compound. We stopped for ice cream, random people on the street, airplanes, you name it, we stopped. It was an adventure to say the least.
13. “Esta Bien”– Or in Gringo language, “it’s all good”. If something went awry when doing construction, Hilario, our trusty “Bob the Builder” of Cicrin, would calm our nerves with a friendly “esta bien.” I have painted the wrong rods, pulled the wrong weeds and swept the wrong roof but i have no fear because its “esta bien.”
14. Hugs on Hugs on Hugs– They’re everywhere. When we wake up. When we go to sleep. When we are working in the garden. When we arrive at church. To be greeted and exited with a hug everywhere you go, takes some getting used to but I’ll take a hug from these beauties any day of the week.
15. The People– I just love these smiling, gentle-spirit filled, great smelling people.
