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Published: December 22nd 2008
mbaade´s random thoughts
It´s the 22nd of December, which means Christmas is in 3 days. But it´s just not Chriiiiiistmas here! I tried explaining this to Angsty Fro, my 13 year old, and to Eyebrows, the 19 year old.... for a better desciption, they´re my ¨sisters¨..... but, somehow, the family here in my site just isn´t ... family. They are totally cool, all of them, but I don´t think of them as MY family like I think about my M---- family in Estelí or at home. I hang out and live and eat with the T----- family and I enjoy all of their company, but they just aren´t faaaamily.
At any rate, I was trying to explain to the girls about how it doesn´t feel like Christmas here.... because our house is the only one in the community with Christmas lights and a tree - albeit a one foot tall tree. It´s warm, like in the 70´s during the day, probably 50´s at night. There are still leaves on the trees. I don´t think presents happen here, so there´s no going hither and thither and hiding stuff and wrapping presents behind closed doors and grinning like idiots because you just KNOW that gift is PERFECT for person xyz. The Christmas music is in the español and really, it´s just not Christmas without Elvis´Christmas album and Bing Crosby crooning about how the weather outside is frightful. I mean, at least in Beijing the weather complied with the season. And while, yes, they believe in Santa Clause, it´s not the saaaaaame! There are no stockings hung by the ... kitchen fireplace.... or galletas and coffee for Old St. Nick.
The point is, I cannot believe that it´s the 22nd of December. Also, the 24th is the big day of celebration here, not the 25th. Everyone keeps asking if I´m going to be here for the 24th, the 24th24th2424242424 blah! And apparently everyone kills a pig and makes nacatamales or kills a chicken for gallina reina, or stuffed chicken, or sometimes a pavo, or turkey, which would be awesome. People are so excited about having me probar, or try, nacatamales, but I HAVE tried nacatamales, the awesomeness of the special nacatamales of my family in Estelí! I was totally and completely spooooiled by Moncha´s kitchen!
Also, a word about nacatameles. You take part of a banana leaf. PS this is the recipe at Moncha´s house ... On this leaf you place molered corn meal, or corn that´s been ground - in an electric grinder. This corn meal makes up the bulk of the nacatamale. On top of the corn you place a hunk of raw pork, some dry rice, some salsa, chunk of potato, chunk of carrot, and some salt... and then you wrap the mixture up in the banana leaf and tie it with string. It´s about the size of a very large potato. Then you boil it over night in its banana leaf cascara. And when you open it, omigod the aroma! Mmmm my stomach is grumbling just thinking about Moncha´s nacatamales....
So, whatever, there will be awesome food on the 24th and 25th. I asked the Pastor what happens at the church on the 24th, like midnight service, and they looked at me like I was crazy. No, I don´t want to go, but I find it strange that in this country there´s no midnight misa or culta.
What I AM looking forward to is going to the beach! Oh yes, I will leave on the 28th or 29th, spend either one or two days in Estelí with Moncha´s family, and then get on a bus with most of my fellow volunteers and go to the city of León and then to the BEACH in LEON for the 31st and 1st, stay in León city for the 2nd, and then return to site up here in Madriz! I am soooo excited for the ocean, for seeing my fellow volunteers after a month in site, and for seeing my family in Estelí again!
Changing gears....
I miss Beijing. Miss being in a city. And the busses here are as close to city life as it gets in rural Nicaragua.
I love taking the super llena - super full - busses down from the mountain - or up the mountain - because we´re so absolutely squished in there that we can´t possibly move and the whole of humanity is pressed up against one another and the smells of sweat and cologne mix... and as we careen around corners we all just sway together because there´s no way to fall with that many people pressed up against each other.... boys and men ride on top of the bus or hanging off the sides by one hand. The girls and women are inside, some of us hanging half out the door, too, with the cobrador - the guy who collects the money - hanging on with two hands outside holding all of us in who are about to fall out the door on every curve.... half of the people mouthing the words and the other half singing outright to whatever music the driver and cobrador fancy... reggaeton, Vicente, Enrique, ranchero... cualquier...
Yup, love taking the busses.
In other news, I asked last night about living in the empty classroom that I´ve heard tell is open for rent.. and was promptly shut down and told that, actually, that room will be in use this year. I knew it was too good to be true and that I was getting my hopes up - I couldn´t possibly see how there would be an extra room in that tiny school.
So. My other options are...
1. Stay in the room I´m in for 2 years and make it more livable. Like, pay to cover the whole thing with zinc instead of tejas. Yes, tiles are more traditional, but crap falls from the ceiling and my mosquitero -mosquito net - is littered with dead bugs and fallen leaves... which means the rest of my room is, too. I also need a shelf for my clothes instead of having them folded in and under my duffel bag.
2. The awesomer option that will take a helluva lot of work... is an empty house on a hill with an absolutely GORGEOUS view..... BUT it doesn´t have electricty, a floor, windows, a baño, or a latrine, or any trees around it.... Which meeeeeeans I could totally make it into what I want! As in, the latrine will become a bio-latrine and the gas will be used for the stove. The water used from the baño´s bucket showers and the lavandero - or concrete washing system - will not just leak out but will drain into my new garden. Annnnd since my ´uncle´ is a carpenter, I want him to come with me to estimate how much it would be to put in windows and a door and pour concrete for the baño and the floor etc. And how much it would cost to put in electricity....
So, either way, a project is in the works. Zinc roof for the room, or massive house remodeling?
And, last but not least, I have started seeing someone.... a Nicaraguan. And it´s going well. Despite all the dire advice about dating where you live, this has actually enhanced my time thus far and has worked to integrate me into the community even more. He is my best friend in site - besides Estrella the awesome dog - and it´s certainly giving me motivation to learn more Español!
On that note, it is time to go buy more Christmas lights for my room and figure out where to get such basic things as qtips and buy fruit to take home to Mita - the abuela at whose house I eat practically all of my meals - and where in the world one finds abate. Abate is this... stuff, that comes in like a tea bag, but it´s placed in the water outside to kill the mosquitos in the open barrels and pilas of water. Seriously, the mosquitos are ridic at the house and no one has bothered to get abate to STOP THEM FROM BREEDING outside of my window....
Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad and alla that from the wilds of Nicaragua!
ps. still nothing from the post office from anyone since mom´s first package with the power book and the letter... boo.
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Ben
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Sounds to me like you are becoming a Nicaraguence which is good, Nicaraguences are known as Chochos by other countries from the region (Hondureans = Catrachos, Guatemaleans = Chapines, El Salvadoreans = Guanacos, and so on). Anyway I am sure you can find Qtips in a Farmacia they call them Isopos and the farmacy should have abate too but even better you can put little fishes in la pila to do the job :). Feliz Navidad to you.