...in the Nica Time

Oh what a long, strange, trip it´s been....

Just when you think you´re headed to Guatemala, you actually end up in Nicaragua again.

When I initially left here in September, I knew I was leaving too soon, that I hadn´t hardly scraped the surface of what life in this land is like, but the beckon of the waves in El Salvador called me, and I let myself get carried away. Two months later, it comes to no surprise that I´m back here again.

This time, instead sweating it out at the beach, I´m high in the cool mountains of Esteli, enjoying a climate that is not unlike Santa Cruz. I´m enrolled in language classes here for a few weeks, trying to make good on my goal to learn Spanish before I return to the States. It is certainly a challenge to retrain the mind- just when I think I´m getting better, I realize just how much I have to learn. Cést la vie, as they say.

As for the beach bum life.... Well, after a series of incidents I realized that the universe was sending me a message. First, at Punta Roca, I scraped up my feet after wiping out on a hollow over head wave and getting raked across the rocks. Yet I continued to surf, despite the festering wounds. Then, in a span of two days, I managed to find myself splayed out across the rocks on three different occasions. The last wave I rode ripped my leash off my foot and sent my board and my body into the rocks. At that point I realized that maybe someone or something was trying to tell me something... Something like, ¨Hey, it´s time to go.¨ But I wasn´t really interested in listening, I mean, a few cuts on my feet and ankles aren´t going to keep me away from perfect surf. That was, until that very same night when I received the final message.

It was a typical evening in El Salvador, and I spent it reading in the hammock. Typical, that is, until the hammock decided to break, and send me falling to the ground. Below me was a concrete pad that became intimately acquainted with my elbow. It seemed like the complete force of my fall came down on that one spot, and my elbow soon grew in size, and I could barely move my right arm. At that point, I no longer had a choice, I couldn´t surf anymore.

Realizing that it was time to go, I packed up my bags and set out on my way. On my way here to Nica, though, I did take some time to take advantage of the low cost of health care outside of the U.S. I underwent a medical procedure to fix the bridge of my nose, which I broke many years ago and neglected to treat, and it had been the source of an unwelcome hump and decreased breathing ability. It was something that I had always wanted to do, yet never had the time or the money, and here I had both, so I just took care of it. And so now, here I am, taking my time, taking it in, breathing a bit easier, enjoying this beautiful opportunity that I have to live this life.

In a few days I´ll take my leave from Esteli, I´m going to live with a family on the side of the Panamerican Highway, somewhere between here and Managua. The people there are artisans who carve muebles (furniture) and sculptures of pajaros (birds) out of wood, and I have this amazing opportunity to live among them and learn their trade and their language. I´m very excited to cultivate my machete skills and to get a feel for what life is really like for the people here. Up til now my experience has been based at the beach, or among those who make a living off tourism. This time I´ll get a sample of the so-called 'real´Nicaragua.

I´ll have computer access for a few more days, after that I will be about 30 kilometers from the closest 'cyber,´ or internet cafe. I´ll update the blog as soon as I get a chance.

Until then,
much love,
Ryan

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