Day 6

A week ago, I had no pairs of shorts. A day before I left to come here, I went to the Gap and bought two pairs. You could say that I was unprepared, (despite numerous missions meetings), and you'd be right. Both in my wardrobe (which mostly consists of black jeans and t-shirts), but also in the mentality of coming to Nicaragua. I wasn't sure how adequate my Spanish would be, what the food was going to be like, and how hot the climate would be.

Now that I'm here, I can address these previously unknown quandaries. Firstly, my eyes have been opened as to how limited my speaking skills really are. I've been taking Spanish classes for six years, but have had little success in keeping up a conversation. The locals speak so fast, and with such a broad vocabulary that I continually have to ask "mas dispacio, por favor," at which point I generally get what they're saying. Kind of.

Just because the language barrier has been difficult doesn't mean that I haven't been able to communicate, however. Facial expressions, gestures, and the like have all been beneficial in getting simple messages across. For instance, while leading worship, the leader of the church here simply asked to see what chords I was playing as I played rather than having me talk, which was apparently harder to understand, haha. I've had a much easier time talking to the kids than the adults, partly because I feel more comfortable asking for help, and partly because their vocabulary is much more similar to mine.

Secondly, the food has been great! Even though our meals generally consist of rice and beans, I've discovered that those dishes can be varied in many different ways. Rosa, the cook who prepares our meals three times a day, gives generous portions and I leave feeling full every time. We've also gone out to several restaurants, and I've found two of them to be slightly American. Though the side dishes are more Nicaraguan, the primary dishes have been along the lines of pizza, burgers, fries, and chicken wings, which I find to be kind of funny. Tonight, we went to a local joint and my dad ordered cow heart, which tasted surprisingly like a normal steak.

Thirdly, it has been hot here. Not crazy hot, but still hot enough to make you sweat sitting still. Joe, (our fearless leader) said that this has been the coolest week he's ever been here, which is pretty surprising to me. Here, it is the rainy season (and the equivalent of winter). In the dry season, December and January, kids have their "summer" vacation. This week is also a vacation for them, so we've been able to spend a lot more time with them than we would if they had been in school.

I will post again, but for now I think this is adequate. Also, there's the fact that it's 11:17 Nica-time and I have to wake up at 7:00 tomorrow! :)

-Ben Knight