I have returned from my site visit with excellent news: I rather like what will be my home for the next two years. What a relief!
The trip up north was rather arduous, what with the workers’ strikes and resulting roadblocks. Rather than using the four hour express bus, we were forced to detour around the lake, through Leon and Estelí, to reach Somoto, the department capital of Madriz. Although the trip was beautiful, the seven hours spent in buses left everyone a bit spent. Which is not the best state to be in when one is then thrown into a completely new living situation, with strangers, in an unknown city. I was completely overwhelmed: my site town was smaller than I’d imagined; my host family had a different manner of speaking than what I had grown accustomed to; and I immediately noticed the lack of indoor plumbing and gas stove. I gave up and went to bed at 7:45 pm.
Luckily, the next morning I awoke in a better frame of mind. It didn’t hurt that I was surrounded by incredible beauty – my site is surrounded by rugged hills, sprawling ranches, and farmland. The nearest city is charming and low-key, with sufficient shopping and dining options (I just need to make sure to leave prior to the last taxi home at 5:00 or 6:00 PM. No more wild nights for me…). I discovered the benefits of the latrine (no flushing required! This is a blessing in a place that only has running water for an hour or two each morning). I realized how fantastic food tastes when cooked on a wood burning stove. I found my health center to be relatively large and well-kept (and open on the weekend! Craziness!). And while I frequently failed to understand my new host family, I found them to be welcoming and patient with my frequent blunders and linguistic errors.
Over the next few days, I was introduced to some of the health professionals that I will be working with, as well as some of the rural communities that I will be visiting regularly. I learned more about the most pressing health issues, community needs, and available resources, and began to form some ideas with regard to my future work. I left my site at the end of the week feeling energized and optimistic.
That being said, I am quite happy to be back to the comfort of my training town. I missed my host family, my purple room, and (as strange as this might sound) the fancy new door on our bathroom. I cooked my family a breakfast of French toast this morning, and found myself wishing that I’d had more opportunities to repay in some small way the kindness they’ve showed me. I can’t imagine leaving permanently in only two weeks’ time. Where have the last two and a half months gone? What will I do without Doña Petrona’s kind words and vegetable-filled meals? Without freshly baked pan dulce and mandarinas? What will happen when I can no longer relax in a rocking chair on the expansive front porch and stare out past the flowering plants and lush greenery to the volcano in the distance? When I can no longer walk down the street to visit my fellow trainees? Why must I leave before the family dogs have their puppies (due in May)? Before the end of mango and avocado season? Before I’ve had a chance to fully explore the surrounding areas of Granada, Masaya, and Rivas? I’m about to leave for the mountains, and I haven’t even been to the beach!
I will have to take the bitter with the sweet, and move forward. This week we face our final language interviews, and begin preparations for our swearing in ceremony. Next week we pack up our lives and, with a brief stopover in Managua, transition to volunteer life. Wish me luck!
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