I spent my first winter holidays away from my family and away from my friends for the first time in 29 years in Nicaragua! Christmas 2013 by now has come and gone. I knew that time would come as I entered service. I was not sure what to expect or how to handle it, but here is a little synopsis.
After Thanksgiving I spent the next few weeks in site. A week before Christmas Eve December 24 2013 the people of my community were scrambling around putting up Christmas decor and the kids were buying small fireworks "triky trakas" and other noise makers "bombas & cohetes" that would fill the streets with noise and trash.
Here in Nicaragua Christmas Eve is celebrated much like we celebrate Fourth of July in the States. Ok, it is more of a mix between Fourth of July and New Years Eve. People stay up all night shooting fireworks and rockets to welcome in the new day, the 25th, the day in which Christ was born. I had spent Christmas Eve at my site mate´s house hanging out, eating Nacatamales, a traditional Nicaraguan food and watching TV and surfing the Internet. At 10pm my site mate, his host mom, and myself headed to the local Catholic Church in the center of town to participate in Mass. We were out by 11:45pm. I headed home thinking the night was over. I was tired and ready for bed.
I arrived at the front door to my house and my neighbors welcomed me with food and a glass of Coca Cola. I was not all that hungry but I could not decline their generosity. It was a few minutes before 12pm. More fireworks and "bombas" could be heard in the distance. As the clock struck midnight I saw fireworks (the kind we see on Fourth of July) shoot up into the night sky. Luckily it was a clear stary night. I felt at home, I felt a sense of peace. It was good to see the spirit of the holidays being displayed. My neighbors also shot off some fireworks and black cats. The night was full of noise and the streets were full of burnt trash. The night was just getting started. My neighbor who is a Pharmacist invited me in for more food and a drink. I climbed into bed at 3am.
Christmas Day was much like any other day in Nicaragua. Nicas celebrated the night before and were resting or eating Nacatamales. I spent the day at my site mates house watching TV with him and his host mom. I talked to my family via face time. This filled the void of not being there with them. It was good to be able to talk to everyone on Christmas Day! My mom says she wants me home next year for Christmas as she cannot go another Christmas without me! Yeah!
I originally had plans to spend the new years in San Juan Del Sur with some other Peace Corps friends, but plans changed over night. I would spend the New Year holidays with a friend I met in Matagalpa. The first night I was in town we had gone out to a local bar. I had been out and about in the streets of Matagalpa before and felt rather safe. We left late from hanging out with friends and headed home. We had turned the corner to her house when we were followed by three men (most likely in their 20s). I had seen them in front of us as we turned the streets corner but did not think anything about it. We were two houses down from her house when we were each grabbed by two of the three in a rear arm bar around the neck. The third stood in front of us. We were against the walls in the shadows of one of the houses on the street. We had given them the perfect opportunity while we were the only ones on the street. A gringo and a female. I was taller than the three, but that did not matter. My eyes were on the knife in front of me and my friend to the left of me. My hands were held high and my pockets were searched. It was like we were being robbed by shadow men. I did not catch any physical description. I feard for our lives the whole two minutes. I was thinking about my brother and the time he had been stabbed. I did not want to feel that knife inside of me but I was mentally preparing myself and body if it were to enter. Two minutes of my life passed in which seemed like hours. They let us go unharmed. We made it to my friends house. I looked back and the three men had ran off. I wasn´t sure what to feel...infact the first few seconds after being inside her house I felt nothing...I had been robbed, my phone, my wallet with all of my important cards, and C$3000 ($150). We still had our lives, we were unscathed.
I spent the next late hours on the phone cancelling my bank card from the states. I didn´t sleep much that night.
I headed to the bank the next morning to report my stolen-lost bank card (from nicaragua). The process was frustrating, but they said I would have a new one in a week.
To this day I still feel frustrated that I did not react or respond during this situation. There are those times when guys feel like they should be the hero and risk their lives, believe me this thought crossed my mind. Where were my Chuck Norris ninja skills when I needed them most?! Ugh. Zafo!
I spent the next week with my friend and her friends in Matagalpa. New Years Eve 2013 was very chill. Had a good time as I watched the sun rise before heading home at 5am Jan 1st 2014!
After my incident, Peace Corps called me telling me a gentleman in Matagalpa had found my Peace Corps IDs and both bank cards in his yard. What a suprise?! I went to pick them up and thanked him for saving them and contacting Peace Corps. I still had to buy a new phone, which I did...a week later.
My week was well spent and worth it. The experiences that I had...were they worth it? Maybe not at that point in time, but I´ll have a story to tell in the future!
I´m back in site now waiting for the 14th and 15th of January to come! This day is our day we celebrate the Black Christ, my site´s Patron Saint Day. There is a big pilgrimage from outlying communities to my site. I understand 30,000 people will be making this trip to my site...granted my site initially has 7,000 people living here. Should be fun!
Vamos a ver!
I welcomed 2014 in Nicaragua with open arms and an open mind so let´s see what happens from here!
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