February 22, 2015

I wish I could bring you to my world right now and let you experience it.

There is almost always the smell of something burning in the air. It might be from cooking fires, but usually it is garbage and debris. Today it is our cuidador(caretaker) who is maintaining the large property by raking up leaves and burning them in piles. Today his three girls are helping him; raking, picking up leaves, giggling, and giving each other rides in the wheelbarrow. The smell is not bad, it just lingers and mixes with the smell of the black beans and spices that are cooking in the slow cooker.

A wonderful breeze blows through the house; a house filled with windows of slated glass. I love hearing the sound of the wind in the trees and seeing the fluttering of the leaves on the coffee plants that surround us. The dust blows in with this wonderful breeze, but I would not give it up, and I am learning why people cover anything important around here.

We have free-range chickens clucking and pecking around the property, and a pitbull named Candy that craves attention so much that if you pet her she will either pee or jump up on you; we have learned not to pet her, but she is faithfully by our door when we eat just in case we have leftovers. Also, I just saw an amazing squirrel- the kind I have seen in books but not in real life. It was grayish white with a wide black stripe down its back. This is the first squirrel I have seen in Nicaragua. And those chickens are now walking past the front door. All I see are their bobbing heads on the other side of the porch.

This week our transportation to and from the farm (la finca) has been tuk-tuk or moto-taxi as they call it here in Masatepe. It is kind of a motorcycle with three wheels and a covered bench in the back. Every morning I have called Javier and I have been able to communicate with him that we need a ride into town. He always says more than I understand, but I just repeat where I am and what I need, and he has faithful arrived at the farm. He smiles slightly as if he is not sure about coming all the way out to the farm, but he keeps coming!

Masatepe has such a different feel than Granada. The town feels more friendly and safe, less harsh, not the same number of mansion type houses, but also not the same number of people in extreme poverty. It is not that there is not the same neediness but it is just that there are fewer people here. It feels like a more manageable community to help care for.

Our beginning here has been with stops and starts; twice we have heard that we could move into a house, and twice we receive a call the next day saying that plans have changed. Twice we have prayed that if it is not the right house that God would let us know. So we continue to live with boxes all around us.

We have been working in the office this week, attached to the coffee shop. It is not set up yet, but it should be in the coming months. We had dinner with our co-workers, and the relationships are beginning. I have my second day of teaching tomorrow for 7^th, 8^th and 9^th English classes, and today to scheduled our intensive Spanish classes.

We are beginning.