Home stay with mi familia nicaragüense

I currently live with a family in Cedro Galán, the community where Manna Project runs most of its programs. As a (new) part of Manna Project, year-long Program Directors get to live with a family in Cedro for 2 weeks- an opportunity that I’ve been excited for since I got here. My family in Cedro includes my mom (Racquel), my dad (Marcos) and three little sisters (14-year-old Gregoria, 12-year-old Anielka and 4-year old Yuvi- pronounced “you-bee”). I call Yuvi, the little one, my conejito (bunny rabbit) because she’s always wearing pig-tails. Marcos and Racquel are currently out of work; finding steady jobs in Nicaragua is extremely difficult. Our three-roomed house is made of concrete, we cook over an open fire in the cocina (a separate shelter built out of scrap metal), we shower in an outdoor four-walled enclosure using a bucket (hello, Kenya?) and wash dishes in the outdoor concrete sink. Our home is shaded by mango trees, banana trees, and coconut trees. Racquel often cooks gallo pinto (traditional Nicaraguan dish of beans and rice) in the kitchen while Yuvi runs around chasing chickens in the yard. Their spry, tiny 95-year-old abuela (grandmother) lives next door in a metal shack and comes over every morning to greet the family and ask how the night went. The first time I met Abuelita (which she insists I call her), she asked how old I was. I told her “22-years old.” She smiled, patted my hand and replied “la flor de la vida” which means, “the flower of life.”

Living in the community is just where I want to be. One of the many perks of living with a family is that my Spanish is improving rapidly thanks to hours and hours of conversation every day. Just last night, Racquel, Marcos and I sat outside under the stars for 3 hours chatting about everything from religion to funny stories about past gringos in Cedro. I love it. The past week, I’ve been to a quinceaños (the birthday party of a 15-year old girl, where the quinciñera “comes into womanhood”), two Nicaraguan church services (think candles, guitars and singing), a 200 person casamiento (wedding), I’ve learned how to make tortillas over an open fire and have had my hair styled by my 14-year-old sister every day.

I’m slowly realizing that living in and experiencing new cultures is my thing. I can’t seem to get enough of it. Soooo, I’ve decided to stay here in Nica for Christmas. I’m going to live with a family in Cedro Galán over Christmas break for another 2-3 weeks (with some traveling to Corn Islands and Ometepe Island on the side) while the other Manna members go home to the US. It’s going to be strange to be the only gringo in Cedro Galán for a while but to be honest, I can’t wait! I’ll take as much Nicaragua as I can get ☺.