My last two months in site seemed to drag by. I am glad they did though because I honestly did not want to leave. I was still teaching class and working with my teachers and students, but I also utilized this time to begin saying my "Adios'" or "Goodbye's". Over the course of two years I had the opportunity to step outside of my somewhat introverted self and meet some truly awesome people in my site. I remember the first couple months in site were rough. I did not know anyone and to top it off, I was the only "gringo" or "white skinned person" in my site. I had a site mate, but he lived further out in a very rural community. I was fortunate enough to make a couple of good friends in my site the first few months into site. Johnny and Daniel.
I met Johnny first. He was somewhat intoxicated sitting on the front porch of his house with his friends. They flagged me down as would any other intoxicated person in Nicaragua. I was different. I stood out. They were curious and wanted to talk to me. My Spanish was a little rusty then, but I introduced myself. I knew they were making fun of me and joking around with me. I didn't care. My conversation with Johnny was about lifting weights and running. I told him how I enjoyed running and staying in shape. Low and behold we met up a couple mornings later and headed to the local baseball stadium that sat up on the hill just beyond the local high school where I would be teaching. For five months we would meet up and run. He later introduced me to Daniel who was volunteering for Vision Mundial or "World Vision". These two became my best friends in site. They introduced me to people and even participated in some of my work with Peace Corps. Life would have been completely different without these guys. I can't thank them enough. Johnny always had my back and stood up for me. Daniel introduced me to people and was always down to hang out or participate in Peace Corps events.
I lived on a street full of wonderful people. They were all family. I got along with everyone. They all took care of me and laughed at me when the opportunity arose. I said my goodbyes but not without receiving the question "Nunca vas a volver, verdad?" "You are never going to return, right?" Man, that was always hard to answer. Life in the states is so much different and I did not know exactly how to explain that to them. I simply said, "Of course I will return!" I hated giving them a broken promise because you never know what will happen here in the states. Jobs happen, people happen, families, etc. There are numerous things that could prevent me from going back. I am not going to let this happen. I want to make it a goal for me to go back. If I have a job, I'll use my vacation time. If I have a family, I would love to bring them along. Whatever it takes for me to get back. I felt like I gave my heart to these people and they took me in as family and a friend. They didn't have to do anything, but being hospitable to people from the outside was first nature for them. It's not like it is here in the states. I cannot walk over to my neighbor whom I do not know and ask to come in and have a cup of coffee and bread while we talk about anything that comes to mind. Nor would they ever randomly invite me over just to talk. This is the life we have created for ourselves here in the states. For whatever reason it may be, we have closed ourselves up to the outside world and the people that live around us. In Nicaragua it was simply the opposite. Its the culture that I miss.
I said my goodbyes to my students. Some of them seemed to care and others did not. I worked with them for two years so I got to know most of them fairly well. They did not completely understand why I was leaving in the middle of their school year. I told them my time and work here was completed and that someone else would come in and take over. I thought they were not going to have that at first. The ones who cared asked me how they were going to learn without me and gave me hugs. The schools presented me with a plaque expressing their gratitude for my work and accomplishments as a teacher. My last day at the high school, class was cancelled early for a surprise going away party or "despedida"! Five kids came into my classroom and blind-folded me and led me out to an open area where there was music, gave me a stick, spun me around, and told me to hit the piñata. I'm sure I looked quite silly, but I was having fun and enjoying every second of it.
My teachers whom I worked with one-on-one over the past two years did not want me to leave. They enjoyed me and enjoyed having me in their class rooms. I felt bad leaving them in the middle of the school year and not being able to co-plan class with them, but I had no choice. I told them they would be in good hands with the next volunteer that was to follow me up. I miss working with them. They taught me a lot about patience and how to work with teenagers. They worked with my on my Spanish and even gave me rides home from class when needed. They accepted me and allowed me to step in to their class-room, homes, and lives. I became a teacher. It was here that I learned the responsibility and patience teachers in America have. My mom was a high school teacher. I always reached out to her for help and words of wisdom. I commend her for being a teacher as long as she did and want to personally thank all teachers across America for their hard work and dedication. Without them, we would not be where we are today. It takes a special person to be a teacher.
There were a couple goals I left unfulfilled during my service, but the more I think about it, I feel it does not matter as much. I went in with an open mind and open heart. I let it all play out and took things with a grain of salt. I met wonderful people and learned from them. I integrated myself into an awesome culture and soaked it all in. Before I left, I use to tell people in my site that I was officially 80-90% Nicaraguan. They laughed.
Since I've been back....
I flew out of Nicaragua May 21st 2015 with two good friends. We flew into Atlanta together. One parted ways with us as my other friend and I headed to Oregon. I spent almost three weeks in Oregon with my grandparents. The last time I was there with them was in 2007. I fell in love with the Northwest, especially the coastline of Oregon, specifically Cannon Beach. So, for a few days, we spent some time on the beach with Haystack Rock and the Pacific Ocean as our view every day. It was great. My whole trip to Oregon was relaxing. The first day I arrived, I asked my grandparents if I could borrow their washing machine and dryer for a day so I could have clean clothes. I hand-washed, yes, that means by hand, my clothes every week for two years. I know they never got as clean as a washer and dryer would make them, but better than wearing dirty clothes for two years. My grandparents wanted me to just "relax". I told them I would not mind helping them around the house or out in the yard, but the answer I got was a straight, "NO". Instead, they were nice enough to buy my a three week membership to their local gym which I utilized. It was great to get back in the gym. We visited downtown Portland, the Saturday market downtown Hillsboro, and even went to a Memorial Day ceremony with an auto-show. I visited my friend who is from Portland and we hung out, played horse-shoes (I won!), saw some live music, and reminisced about the last two years abroad.
From Oregon I flew to Texas. My mom was waiting at the airport for me late that evening. She was super excited to see me! I threw my luggage into her SUV and arrived at the house about one in the morning. I spent the next day unpacking and running errands with my mom. It was good to be back, but I found myself missing the lifestyle back in Nicaragua.
About a week after being back in Texas I had a phone interview with a company I had applied for back in April while I was still in site. I later found out that I got the job!! This was a couple weeks ago. Currently, I have been waiting to set things up through human resources and sign on the dotted line. I'm ready to get back in the swing of things. I learned a lot through working abroad in a different culture and different language. Now, I'm ready to apply this to my work here. "Put me in coach!"
Two years may seem like a long time to live outside of your own culture, away from family and friends, and lifestyle, but let me tell you something: "It was worth it!" Of course I had my ups and downs, bad times and good times, but who doesn't right?! What a great experience! I would do it all over again if I could.
This is my last post about my Peace Corps work.
If you are reading this and want to learn more about Peace Corps or my work in general, e-mail me, message me on Facebook, or we can meet up for some coffee (it may not be the good ol farm grown coffee from Nicaragua, but a small cup of black coffee without sugar or milk will do just fine) and talk about my past two years in person.
RPCV Nicaragua
2013-2015
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