Goodbyes

I will be in chilly Minnesota around 10:00 tonight!!  All of the other students already left about 5:30 this morning, so I am alone at the Nehemiah Center and thought it would be a good time to write my last blog post.  This last week has been full of fun, but also full of goodbyes.

Last Friday, we went to the pre-school graduation for my cousin Mareling.  It was fun to have a big family get together and the younger cousins were all hyper and crazy, so it reminded me of my family at home.  Saturday was spent finishing up homework things and buying the rest of the souvenirs I needed.  Sunday I went with Lisa, her host sister Yenny, and another girl from our church, Maria to the movie theater and central park.  We watched the new Twilight movie, which we all thought was terrible and made fun of the whole time, and then went out for ice cream.  It was a fun night and Yenny and Maria made sure that lots of pictures were taken. 
Monday we went to the Nehemiah Center for two of our final presentations for class.  They all went really well and were very creative. All of our classes have been pretty laid back and we are very comfortable around each other, so it made for fun presentations.  Tuesday we had our last presentation and then went out for ice cream with Zhenia, our professor and friend here in Nicaragua. 
Tuesday night I also had a goodbye dinner with my family.  Many extended family members came, and we all ate around a table for the first time all semester.  I even got to help cook the supper, another first!  After eating, my mom had everyone go around the table and say things to me, which was really sweet.  Then we had a piñata that my sister made.  Unfortunately, most of the candy had shattered by the time the piñata was broken open, but it was still a fun time and we got to see my papito break out some dance moves.  After most of the family had left, Oscar and Indira taught me some new card games and then I taught them one, Presidents.  They loved playing that so we ended up playing it the next night too!  Once everyone else had left, my mom and sisters and I sat on the porch for the last time.  
Wednesday was my last full day in Leon, so we made the most of it.  For lunch we went to Tip Top, the Nicaragua version of KFC and had a "Christmas turkey" family dinner.  In the evening, we had our Despedida, or the goodbye party with all the families hosting students.  It was a fun time, we had another piñata, each family had a special activity planned, and then after supper, us students did a fun skit.  After the party, it was interesting because Wednesday was a holiday in Nicaragua.  It is called the "Griteria" and is similar to our Halloween in appearance, but has very different motives.  It is a Catholic holiday, meaning our Evangelical families don't really support it, and all of the rich families put an altar in their house to the Virgin Mary.  Everyone else then goes around with giant bags and gets candy, food, plastic cups, and other items from the houses.  The streets were very full this night, so it was kind of crazy out.  We didn't do anything too exciting, we went to visit another family from the church and I got to kind of watch what was going on, and then when us kids were bored, we went back to our house.  Indira and Oscar wanted to play Presidents again, so I taught Xochilt and Jefferson and we all played.  Later, Lisa and Yenny stopped by to play/watch too.  We ended up playing cards until about 1, with Papito and Mama joining in later on.  It was a fun last night with my family with memories that will last a lifetime.  
Yesterday, we left our families in the morning to come to Managua.  We spent the day at a private pool, doing some debriefing and mostly hanging around and goofing off.  Alicia and Maynor were there to spend the day with us.  After supper, we had cake for Curtis's birthday that is tomorrow.  I was excited because with all this celebrating and parties we've been having, cake, or any type of dessert, is not a thing that gets eaten, which is sad because that is my favorite part!  The rest of the night was fun hanging out with the other students, as we remembered all the funny times we had over the semester.  
I am now trying to prepare myself to experience a cold shock when I step off the plane in Minneapolis.  I have a busy 4 weeks planned until school starts again, so I hope I am able to keep moving enough to not notice the cold. 
Thank you so much for your prayers during the semester! I had such a great experience and learned so much.  Continue to pray for safe travels today, a joyous holiday season, and our families here in Nicaragua who were sad to see us go.

One week left!

With one week left, I think it is appropriate to list some of the things I’m looking forward to when I get back to the US. 

• Milk-I haven’t had an actual glass of milk since being here, which for this milk-aholic, hasn’t been easy
• Twizzlers- I’m not sure why, but this week I suddenly developed a craving for these
• Chocolate-this is something I’ve craved all semester, as there isn’t much chocolate here
• Fresh chocolate chip cookies/basically all desserts- Also something that I absolutely love and haven’t been able to have here
• Bread-The bread here is usually pretty dry and flavorless, so I am looking forward to really good bread, maybe even some homemade by my grandma
• Peanut butter- For some reason, PB&J sandwiches are one of the first things I missed when I got here, so I am excited to be able to have a PB&J sandwich, Reese’s peanut butter cups, and anything with peanut butter!
• Driving- I don’t usually like to drive if I don’t have to, but after a semester of public transportation, I am excited to be able to go where I want when I want again
• Target- I love this store and miss it when I am just in Sioux Center, so it will be exciting to go shopping again, in any larger store for that matter
• Church- I have been to church an average of 2-3 times per week here, and it would take me a whole other post to describe it, so I’ll just say it’s different and I am excited to get back to worshipping in English and in a style that I am more comfortable with
• Family- This is probably the longest I have ever been away from my family, and while I’m not super homesick, it will be really nice to see them again!
• Friends- Thank goodness for Skype, which has allowed me to stay in contact with my friends and family, but I am excited to get to hang out with my friends again and be crazy with them

There are also some things that I will miss when I go home:

• The weather- this is probably going to be the thing I miss the most, not going to lie…this weather is perfect!  I will probably freeze for the rest of the winter in Minnesota/Iowa, so don’t be surprised if I am always bundled up.
• My host family- They have been a great family to live with and have already told me many times I have to come back and visit with my family sometime
• Fruit- There is always fresh fruit, or fruit juice around here, which is hard to find in winter in the mid-west
• Pulperias- These are small “convenience” stores that are usually connected to the owner’s home.  There are about 2 or 3 on every block and they are very convenient if you need a snack, drink, notebook, or pretty much any other basic need.  Contrary to my previous comment about being able to go to a big store, I will miss these little stores too.
• Prices- Everything here is very cheap, I can get an ice cream cone for about 35 cents, a bottle of pop for a dollar, or a bag of chips for less than 10 cents.  It’s going to be hard for me to get used to paying full prices for everything again.
• Ice cream- speaking of ice cream, I’m going to miss its availability here.  There are ice cream carts that are constantly where ever you are and the  Eskimo ice cream stores have delicious ice cream, again for really cheap.  Blue Bunny just isn’t the same.

And since I haven't posted pictures for a while...here are a few from the last few weeks

Mama, Me, Indira, and Oscar at the Quinceanos celebration 

Gigantonas like this one roam the streets with drummers telling stories, and one night my family paid for one to dance for us

The Gigantona with her band of drummers and Pepe Cabezon, who also dances

This afternoon, I am going with my family to a pre-school graduation for my cousin.  The pre-school graduation is just as big of a deal as a high school graduation, so we will all be dressed up and then have dinner at their house afterwards.  I am pretty excited to see what it will be like.  The rest of the weekend I will be finishing up projects and papers for my classes next week.  

Please keep Alicia, our program coordinator, in your prayers as she is expecting a baby and has been placed on bed rest for the week.  It throws some changes in our schedule for the week, but we are hoping for the best!