This will be my last post
I've been back in the United States, Boston specifically, for about a two weeks now.
I've spent time with friends, said hellos and goodbyes, and explored the city.
There isn't much more to say now. I've said so much about Nicaragua and will continue to spread the word about the beautiful country, the overlooked treasure . It's like having a constant toothache, the way i miss my second home.
I have dreams of going back and it feels so incredibly surreal to be here in the United States after months of being away.
Mostly I look forward to the future. I have a great job that will start soon, and am sharing an apartment in a beautiful Boston neighborhood for the summer with my school year roommate and wonderful friend.
But I will never forget how I felt in Latin America.
And I will never stop searching for the blissful feeling I had while I was abroad,
nor will I forget the joy of traveling and seeing the world.
This is only the beginning of my adventure
Feeling renewed, I am just about to take flight
I don't know what the future holds, but it has never been more clear what kind of life I know I have to live
Argentina, Venezuela, Russia, Australia, Panama, Belize, Portugal, Eritrea
I know now all I want to do is see as much of the world as I can
I can only hope that some of what I wrote has made you feel that passion as well
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Friends
I have less than a week left in this beautiful country
Thankfully things seem to be coming together for the summer: I've found an affordable apartment in a nice area of Boston, have a few job interviews coming up, and am looking forward to traveling in the US
My last day of class is tomorrow. One final exam marks the end of my junior year of college
time flies
If I had written a new post everyday, I'm sure I could have communicated even more of what I've seen, but for me that is like taking a million pictures during any great experience. Some things simply have to be enjoyed.
I did however, want to take time and talk about a few people that have made my experience here amazing.
My host family:
Doña Marina and Don Antonio have been the best host parents, more than I had hoped for. I've never had a day where I haven't felt completely welcome here. Doña Marina, a fantastic cook, loves to read my magazines. Mind you I only brought one copy of Details and GQ (I seldom read woman's mags), but it amused her to try to figure out the stories only by looking at the pictures. "Look how skinny these girls are" she would exclaim, whenever a fancy fashion or beer ad would graze the pages.
Don Antonio (who's accent I still have trouble understanding) is a teacher at UCA. His teaching extended far outside the classroom however. Everyday he had some new fact: the names of different types of mangoes, the leading tennis players in the world, whatever you could think of. It was exciting to see someone speak with such passion and genuine love of new things.
Maete I didn't see very often. Our schedules never quite coincided. While I was in school she was at home and vice versa. However, she had a love of American music as many kids her age here do. I had a lot of fun explaining the lyrics of everything from Lady Gaga's Poker Face to Rihanna's Disturbia. She almost always believed the lyrics meant something other than they really did and was thrilled she could tell her friends the real deal.
Baby Emily has grown so much. When I came here she was barely talking and only crawling. After nearly four months she is on the brink of walking soon and brings life and energy to the house more than ever.
Friends:
My three greatest friends here Roberto, Fernanda, and Gretchen have been amazing. I always thought that I'd know my Spanish would be coming along when I could understand and make jokes. Roberto made me feel sure of that, making some not so fun classes bearable and always having great plans for the weekends. He has big dreams of being a journalist, and although his English isn't perfect he's got a great chance of doing well in the US as he is moving to San Francisco soon.
Fernanda is in a category of her own. She somehow manages to put at least one "Viva Mexico" into any given conversation and is an absolute riot. She inspired me to take more risks in the future. She was scheduled to leave Nicaragua at the end of this semester but instead has decided to stay an additional 6 months. She received a ton of backlash from her friends and family back at home but says she is doing what she feels is right.
Gretchen has been my partner in crime. The fact that she is the only other US student here is not the only reason we instantly bonded, it's because we share many of the same views on life. We both have dreams of working internationally and are very spontaneous, artistic people. It was truly fortunate that we both wound up here in this same program. It would not have been the same without her.
I know it will be different when I return home but I’ve realized anywhere you go it’s your friends, the people that you connect with, that make your experience. I feel this summer will be a good one because of all the great people I'll have around me.
There is a lot that I will miss about being here, but it is the connections I’ve made with people that I will definitely miss the most.
Thankfully things seem to be coming together for the summer: I've found an affordable apartment in a nice area of Boston, have a few job interviews coming up, and am looking forward to traveling in the US
My last day of class is tomorrow. One final exam marks the end of my junior year of college
time flies
If I had written a new post everyday, I'm sure I could have communicated even more of what I've seen, but for me that is like taking a million pictures during any great experience. Some things simply have to be enjoyed.
I did however, want to take time and talk about a few people that have made my experience here amazing.
My host family:
Doña Marina and Don Antonio have been the best host parents, more than I had hoped for. I've never had a day where I haven't felt completely welcome here. Doña Marina, a fantastic cook, loves to read my magazines. Mind you I only brought one copy of Details and GQ (I seldom read woman's mags), but it amused her to try to figure out the stories only by looking at the pictures. "Look how skinny these girls are" she would exclaim, whenever a fancy fashion or beer ad would graze the pages.
Don Antonio (who's accent I still have trouble understanding) is a teacher at UCA. His teaching extended far outside the classroom however. Everyday he had some new fact: the names of different types of mangoes, the leading tennis players in the world, whatever you could think of. It was exciting to see someone speak with such passion and genuine love of new things.
Maete I didn't see very often. Our schedules never quite coincided. While I was in school she was at home and vice versa. However, she had a love of American music as many kids her age here do. I had a lot of fun explaining the lyrics of everything from Lady Gaga's Poker Face to Rihanna's Disturbia. She almost always believed the lyrics meant something other than they really did and was thrilled she could tell her friends the real deal.
Baby Emily has grown so much. When I came here she was barely talking and only crawling. After nearly four months she is on the brink of walking soon and brings life and energy to the house more than ever.
Friends:
My three greatest friends here Roberto, Fernanda, and Gretchen have been amazing. I always thought that I'd know my Spanish would be coming along when I could understand and make jokes. Roberto made me feel sure of that, making some not so fun classes bearable and always having great plans for the weekends. He has big dreams of being a journalist, and although his English isn't perfect he's got a great chance of doing well in the US as he is moving to San Francisco soon.
Fernanda is in a category of her own. She somehow manages to put at least one "Viva Mexico" into any given conversation and is an absolute riot. She inspired me to take more risks in the future. She was scheduled to leave Nicaragua at the end of this semester but instead has decided to stay an additional 6 months. She received a ton of backlash from her friends and family back at home but says she is doing what she feels is right.
Gretchen has been my partner in crime. The fact that she is the only other US student here is not the only reason we instantly bonded, it's because we share many of the same views on life. We both have dreams of working internationally and are very spontaneous, artistic people. It was truly fortunate that we both wound up here in this same program. It would not have been the same without her.
I know it will be different when I return home but I’ve realized anywhere you go it’s your friends, the people that you connect with, that make your experience. I feel this summer will be a good one because of all the great people I'll have around me.
There is a lot that I will miss about being here, but it is the connections I’ve made with people that I will definitely miss the most.
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