It's lovely here, a little too lovely. The Monkey Hut, Laguna de Apoyo, a backpacker resort located in a crater between Granada and Masaya. Everyone speaks english and everyone is white. Are we even in Nicaragua? Tubes, Kayaks, a Canoe (without oars), on a lake with a dock to dive off of. Very pretty, very silly, $10/night. Wierd. So very beautiful. It almost feel wrong...but it's not.
The calmness the evening waves bring remind me that everything is as it should be. i cannot imagine a better place for me or a better time. Close your eyes and listen to the waves against the shore, the wind through the trees, the laugh and chatter of her stories, plans, adventures. Enjoy and be enjoyed.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Easy Breezy in Nicaragua
At 11:30pm on Saturday night we boarded a bus. Two days later we were in Nicaragua. Border crossings make me laugh. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua. I paid a total of 10 Quetzales and 12 US Dollars, took my bag off the bus once for an immigration man to look at Andrea and I, smile, and wave us on. It is rediculous. The hardships Mexicans and Latinos go through to come into the US, meanwhile we could be carrying who the hell knows what and it's easy breezy. We prance across one border after another without a worry in the world.
So yea, we made it to Nicaragua. With the help and money of a jovial San Salvadorian we also made it into a cab, a bus, and to a backpacker hostel in Granada. We spent our first full day in this beautiful country bicycling through the street, to the lake, through the market, to a fort, and didn't even get knocked off our bikes (although we came pretty close).
The men in the streets are much worse here. In addition to their cat calls they also like suck their teeth and make other horrible noises at us. However, the architecture that covers Granada displays its age as well as its beauty. The heat the elevation brought reminded my body of its inability to handle humidity. Meanwhile, I have an interview for a job in Florida and don't know if I have the ability to breathe, let alone teach in sticky, wet, draining climate. Awesome.
So yea, we made it to Nicaragua. With the help and money of a jovial San Salvadorian we also made it into a cab, a bus, and to a backpacker hostel in Granada. We spent our first full day in this beautiful country bicycling through the street, to the lake, through the market, to a fort, and didn't even get knocked off our bikes (although we came pretty close).
The men in the streets are much worse here. In addition to their cat calls they also like suck their teeth and make other horrible noises at us. However, the architecture that covers Granada displays its age as well as its beauty. The heat the elevation brought reminded my body of its inability to handle humidity. Meanwhile, I have an interview for a job in Florida and don't know if I have the ability to breathe, let alone teach in sticky, wet, draining climate. Awesome.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
GLOW
Spanish is starting to come back to me, what little of it I already know. After buying bus tickets for me and my rediculous friend a glow permeated out of me, it must have had a 50 foot radius. I feel great. Tired, but great.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Breathing in the warmth of love
Learning to love all over again. Mexico is filled with it. Not the kind that leaves you wondering what you should say or if your feelings are valid and reciprocated. Realizing it is okay to love simply because it feels right. I started reading, maybe for the first real time in my life. I found new perspective, patience, and love. So now I speak to my heart. It loves me, openly, honestly, and unconditionally.
My emotions are wild here. As inconsistant as Michigan winters. I go from glowing to melancholy in seconds. But I am learning to accept myself for all my beauty and flaws. I am an emotionally intense 24 year old, and know now that I´m stuck with me. My birthday is approaching sooner than desired. The first one in ever that I do not look forward to. Maybe it´s the lack of camp friedenswald, but more probable is the fact that it´s 25. I look back at the last 5 years and want, no beg, for it to slow down.
I´ve been here for over a week and have done little. It´s been nice. Last night we stood in our courtyard watching the entire eclipse. Magnificent. A good portion of my time has been spent resting and relaxing. My nasty case of strep throat is nearly gone, thank God for ass injections (ouch). So now we prepare to depart San Cristobal and head to Nicaragua. I realize this is the reason I ventured down here at all, but I have grown very fond of our place here. Change and I have a very strange relationship. It always treats me well, but sometimes comfort is hard to leave.
I am so glad I made the quick, slightly rediculous decision to come down here. Sometimes craziness really does come in handy.
My emotions are wild here. As inconsistant as Michigan winters. I go from glowing to melancholy in seconds. But I am learning to accept myself for all my beauty and flaws. I am an emotionally intense 24 year old, and know now that I´m stuck with me. My birthday is approaching sooner than desired. The first one in ever that I do not look forward to. Maybe it´s the lack of camp friedenswald, but more probable is the fact that it´s 25. I look back at the last 5 years and want, no beg, for it to slow down.
I´ve been here for over a week and have done little. It´s been nice. Last night we stood in our courtyard watching the entire eclipse. Magnificent. A good portion of my time has been spent resting and relaxing. My nasty case of strep throat is nearly gone, thank God for ass injections (ouch). So now we prepare to depart San Cristobal and head to Nicaragua. I realize this is the reason I ventured down here at all, but I have grown very fond of our place here. Change and I have a very strange relationship. It always treats me well, but sometimes comfort is hard to leave.
I am so glad I made the quick, slightly rediculous decision to come down here. Sometimes craziness really does come in handy.
Friday, February 15, 2008
hmmm
Well, I´m in Mexico again. It was way too easy to just leave and be here. I find myself occasionally wondering why I came, what I thought I would find. But then I look around and return into now and find myself very pleased. My body prefers to spend days basking in the sun, evenings reading, and nights sleeping. At first thought it seems to be stuck in Michigan Winter, but in reality, it just really likes these activities.
It is somewhat difficult to think about future plans here for 2 reasons: 1) Mexican culture is very slow paced (awesome), and 2) My traveling companion seems to have a new plan every hour. The latter I should be used to by now. ah well.
It is somewhat difficult to think about future plans here for 2 reasons: 1) Mexican culture is very slow paced (awesome), and 2) My traveling companion seems to have a new plan every hour. The latter I should be used to by now. ah well.
Not sure I ever left
I made it. The funny thing is I really didn´t have to leave the country to find sunshine. There was some in detroit! Miami was strangely cloudy, but Cancun was lovely and after two flights and a 19hr bus ride later I stumbled into Andrea´s arms and there was sunshine there (in San Cristobal) too!
Wednesday was spent resting and partying (obviously). Shortly before I arrived Andrea scored a sweet place to stay...for free. So we have a room, with a bed. The rest of the house is basically a small cement courtyard, perfect for laying in the sun to recover from a hang over (I forgot about that whole altitude thing, whoa). So, the recovering..well that was thursday. And today we went to the garden outside of the city, I spent 5 hours watering vegetables and then chowed down at the organic vegetarian restaurant. Pretty sweet.
It´s much warmer here than it was back in December, and although my spanish is worse than before, it feels good to be back. I´ve heard back from both of the places I applied at, and although it´s wierd to think about working it´s nice to be doing something while I play the waiting game.
Wednesday was spent resting and partying (obviously). Shortly before I arrived Andrea scored a sweet place to stay...for free. So we have a room, with a bed. The rest of the house is basically a small cement courtyard, perfect for laying in the sun to recover from a hang over (I forgot about that whole altitude thing, whoa). So, the recovering..well that was thursday. And today we went to the garden outside of the city, I spent 5 hours watering vegetables and then chowed down at the organic vegetarian restaurant. Pretty sweet.
It´s much warmer here than it was back in December, and although my spanish is worse than before, it feels good to be back. I´ve heard back from both of the places I applied at, and although it´s wierd to think about working it´s nice to be doing something while I play the waiting game.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Lost & Found
There is nothing like knowing you're going to see the person that lights up your soul to bring you out of the winter slump. So, I'm headed south. Every idea I've had since returning has sucked and this one makes sense.
There are days where I don't go outside, I don't see the sun. I sit in front of the computer thinking it will tell me what's next, it has the answers. But there are no answers. There is only right now, there is only love.
I'm tired. Of short days, of being in the way, taking up space. I'm tired of waiting. Of empty streets and gray skies. Of my parents quiet hope, wondering what I'll amount to and hoping for more.
I'm going back, but in a forward motion. I read on a job site the other day, "When you look back at your life, you will regret the things you did not do..." Right now...is everything.
There are days where I don't go outside, I don't see the sun. I sit in front of the computer thinking it will tell me what's next, it has the answers. But there are no answers. There is only right now, there is only love.
I'm tired. Of short days, of being in the way, taking up space. I'm tired of waiting. Of empty streets and gray skies. Of my parents quiet hope, wondering what I'll amount to and hoping for more.
I'm going back, but in a forward motion. I read on a job site the other day, "When you look back at your life, you will regret the things you did not do..." Right now...is everything.
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