by Martha June

Buenos friends!

I have made it to Nicaragua! These last couple of days have certainly been a learning curve for me! There has been so many new things to become accustomed too.  My first day here, two other interns and I moved in with our Nicaraguan family. They are just a couple of the very many sweet people i have met here. The family has been so welcoming to us; going above and beyond to make sure we are comfortable.

Just simply being in Nicaragua is like a dream! A sweaty and frustrating dream at times, but beautiful all the same. Obviously Nicaragua is so different from the US. Today I realized how truly different it is. Here is a little humor from my day folks. I hope you enjoy!

Since today is Saturday, we had a day off from helping at the school. Our sweet host offered to take us into Managua (the capital city) to buy some American foods we could not normally get in Tipitapa.  Reyna (our host) told us to be ready by 11am so we could catch a bus. The bus system here in Nicaragua is absolutely nuts! We only survived because of our host and her daughters. We had no idea what on earth we were getting ourselves into.

Before heading to Nicaragua, I had been told a joke many of times that went like this: “How many Nicaraguans can you fit on a bus? *think of a random number* PLUS ONE!”

Basically there is no limit to the amount of Nicaraguans you can fit on a bus people.

This is not a joke.

All the buses in Nicaragua are refurbished and painted bright colors. Most of them say “Dios es amore” God is love somewhere either on the interior or exterior, which I find such a delight.

As we loaded into the buses this morning, I was pretty excited for what I expected the day to hold. I have been here all of three days and was already craving American food. Mostly anything green. (That’s for you mom and dad. Yes, I am dying for vegetables) Managua gave us the hope of nutrition as well as an adventure. We got onto the bus pretty early in the route and were able to find a seat. Taylor (another intern) and I sat together while Sarah Beth and Reyna sat next to us.

The ride was enjoyable, however, very soon it became clear that you don’t stop loading once seats are filled. In fact you are about a third of the way full at that point. At first I could not stop laughing. I just kept thinking “Is this a joke? Are they seriously going to fit one more person on this bus?” Oh friends. Little did I know that was only the beginning.

About 30mins into the ride we were in Managua. To our relief I might add! A pack of Sardines never looked more spacious in my life. Yet, our guide never motioned for us to get off. We just kept driving, and driving, and driving. Taylor even said to me “I am honestly convinced we are driving to the other side of the country.” Meanwhile it just got hotter and hotter. The sweat was real.

About an hour into the ride, (it honestly felt like two) we switched buses. Which roughly consists of physically shoving people out of the way, while in the process touching everybody on the bus. At this point I just decided I don’t need personal space anymore. Mind over matter right? Another bus and another hour later we arrived at PriceMart.

Price mart is really the Nicaraguan version of Costco. It looks like Costco, smells like Costco, so it’s basically Costco. To our surprise and delight, almost everything on our list to buy was too expensive. (lol. we had our hopes so high) So needless to say our shopping did not last long. After we bought our groceries (yes vegetables were included. THANK THE LORD!) Reyna wanted us to eat lunch with her and her daughters. So we ordered Fried Chicken and Fries. Nothing Nicaraguan about it at all. It was the heaviest meal we have eaten and we figured we would save the rest for later.

This is where it gets a little hairy.

I decided I was more than capable to ask for a pizza box to bring our food home in. I had assumed that was what Reyna was trying to tell me to do in Spanish. (Oh did I mention? Reyna and her family only speak Spanish.) So, I mustered up the limited Spanish I know and asked for a box with no pizza.

I apparently had just agreed to buying pizza for my host and her family for dinner.

Honestly, I have no idea how those two things are even remotely similar. Especially when I kept saying “NO PIZZA! NO PIZZA!” I guess assuming “NO PIZZA” is “NO PIZZA” in Spanish was dead wrong.

My host ended up recognizing I had no idea what I had agreed to… and she bought us a Costco sized pizza too. Then we laughed until we were crying. My tears of frustration over misunderstanding turned into tears of laughter. What. a. day.

And yes, after four hours of buses and shopping and Spanish misunderstandings, we had to get back on the bus. Twice.

Estabien. “It’s fine.” 

What a joy that I get to be here friends.

Here is to stepping out of your comfort zone and accidentally buying a pizza.

Chase your dreams, y’all. They just might take you to a Nicaraguan Costco.

Sincerely,

muy no comprehendo espanol

(ps: just found out that i was yelling “1 head” to the pizza lady instead of “1 box” Spanish tutoring is going so well.)