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.