Happy New Year from Team ZOI!
To give you a quick glimpse of the last month of my life in Nica, here's my month-end wrap up: Things That Don't Happen in America…
1. Seeing actual oxen yoked to an actual wagon.
And no, we're not on the Oregon Trail. Most people in the village don't own cars, so they transport their vegetables or goods the old-fashioned way (emphasis on the old).
2. Riding in the back of a truck as our major mode of transport.
Be prepared to have some awesome hair days. And even though its 90 degrees, wear sunscreen for the sun and a jacket for the wind. There's also no law against the lack of seatbelts or the number of people crammed into the back or hanging off the sides!
3. Sitting in a seat on a public bus that was just occupied by criminal.
Yep, you read correctly. Apparently when there's no police car available, the criminals ride the bus with the rest of us. I had the pleasure of sitting in the sit where a sweaty, drunk, shirtless white man (go figure) with handcuffs was just sitting–hey, seats on a bus are a valuable commodity.
4. Seeing mothers nursing their babies out in the open.
No blankets, no pre-prepared bottles, no slipping away to nurse. Just yank your shirt down and go to town. A little unnerving to us conservative Americans!
5. Seeing naked babies pretty much everywhere you go.
As a general rule, the younger the child, the fewer articles of clothing required. Most kids 5 and under will play in the streets in their underwear, babies are often naked altogether. Hey, I'm sure it's easier than washing tons of baby clothes!
My sweet baby, Kelin. I wanted to steal her.
6. Seeing children take baths in the pila (sink) in the middle of the front yard.
Step 1: Strip off your clothes. Step 2: Jump up on the sink. Step 3: Soap up. Step 4: Rinse. Reminded me of a certain mother who used to bathe her children in the baby pool in her front yard when they were little (coughJanWoodscough).
7. Setting off fireworks from my bare hand!
On New Year's Eve, we celebrated with the New Song youth by setting off bottle rockets. You hold the rocket between your two fingers, have a friend light the fuse, wait for the exact right moment, and let go! Dangerous yes, but a rush!!
Andrew shooting off a bottle rocket
Hoping I don't get burned after I just set one off…
8. Learning to cook an authentic Nicaraguan meal.
My sweet friend Jaquelin taught me to cook rice, beans, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, and more. I fell in love with her sweet family, including Consuelo, Paola, Brian and more. I loved just sitting in the yard in plastic chairs, looking at family photo albums and being made fun of for my inability to peel potatoes fast enough.
9. Eating sugar cane right from the field.
The little boys would break off a stalk, peel back the outer layer and feast. Candelaria is the sugar-cane capital of Nicaragua! Also where the country's famous rum, Flor de Caña is produced… We also had fresh coconut water straight from the coconut!
10. Riding a rickety, ridiculously fast ferris wheel on New Year's Eve.
We went to the park with the youth to celebrate on New Year's once again. I was a little fearful for my life when the ferris wheel began to spin at rate at least 2 or 3 times as fast as American ferris wheels, but my adventurous side was living it up!
Jose & Andrew
Gato and me, smiling nervously before the ride started…
11. Celebrating Christmas with a Charlie Brown Christmas tree made from a broken-off tree branch
Ok, it was a little ghetto, but hey, we did the best with what we had! We even made paper snow-flake ornaments!
12. Camping on the beach
We re-created tent-city on our last 3 days in Nicaragua for our 3 month debrief. We packed up our bags, hopped on a boat and set up camp on an island off the beach at Poneloya, Nicaragua. Sounds glamorous, huh? Let me tell you… it is not quite what you'd think. Before my tent was set up for 30 seconds, it had sand in it. All night, I was itching from sand and bugs. I quickly paid the $8 hostel fee to have an indoor bed! But hey, we did get some pretty incredible beach sunsets…
13. Horseback riding through a coffee bean plantation.
Kat, Jeremy and I jumped on some wee little horses and cantered along a trail while taking in the beautiful scenery of the plantation. Ever since my summers at horse-back riding camp, I have always loved riding!
14. Celebrating New Year's Eve by setting life-size dummies on fire.
Nicaraguans have a tradition of stuffing a dummy with newspaper and firecrackers, dressing it up and posing it in the front yard, usually with a cigarette and a bottle of beer or liquor. The dummy symbolizes all the "sin" of the old year, so they set it on fire and start afresh! Kind of a fun (scary) tradition!
15. Shedding MANY tears saying goodbye to my Nicaraguan friends.
On the day that we packed up and headed out, I thought I was doing okay. I visited my favorite family and friends, gave many hugs, and even got in an almost water-balloon fight with my dear friend Rosita. But it all fell to pieces when my sweet friend Emerson began to say his goodbyes. A few of the youth gathered around us to pray for us, and Emerson began to speak of how we had impacted his life and how we would be in his heart forever. I lost it.
Me & sweet Emerson
Me and all my Nicaraguan friends from youth group. I miss them all so, so much.
Me and my precious little girl, Mari, and her baby sister
God really broke my heart for this place. I fell in love with the culture, the familes, the children, the youth, the beautiful scenery. I pray He will bring me back here one day. But for now, I am working on stepping up my excitement for Asia, a culture unfamiliar and intimidating to me. I am working on stopping my tongue from speaking Spanish in response to a foreigner speaking to me (Apparently Asians do not think this is funny, lesson learend in the South Korea airport). I am working on taking the lessons God taught me these past three months and using this new strength and wisdom to bless a whole new set of cultures.
I am also adjusting to my awesome new team! Yep, didn't expect to have to say goodbye to my family in Team ZOI, but God had other plans for the six of us. I am now a part of an all-girl team, team Wellspring! I am thrilled about my incredible new teammates!
Right now, I'm sitting in a bus station, waiting to make the 6 hour drive to Fetchabun, Thailand! We just spent an amazing 2 days in Bangkok (LOVE this city!!), getting $10 pedicures, $7 Thai massages (OUCH.), and exploring the markets. Can't wait to see all God will do in this country!
Please pray for safe travel for B-squad, for God's name to be made known by Wellspring among the students in Fetchabun, Thailand.
I'm so excited to see all that God will do this month! Happy New Year, everyone!
