Jesus, Sandino, and me

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It is very strange to be in a part of the world where the two most influential and revered personas are Augusto Cesar Sandino and Jesus Christ. What a freakin' team, right? But like characters in a poorly conceived and short-lived 80s sitcom, they find ways to overcome their glaring incongruities, and live in a state of hilariously forced harmony... sort of like The Odd Couple but with more martyrdom.
The point is that, at first, the clash is a lot to take in, but with time it makes for pretty amazing ambiance, and I am digging it.

With that said, there are times when it is still too much for me. Like 7 am in the morning when Doña Ibaña, the mother of the family who I am currently living with, turns on the less-than-soothing static crackle of the Estelí Catholic Radio Network: The Splendour of the Truth, so that I may start my day off with the repetitive drone of prayers in Español. The radio dial never moves, and for the better part of 15 hours ever day the house is filled with Christian music from every genre imaginable, the only rule being that they have a strict policy forbidding the broadcast of songs by people with musical talent. While I understand that Catholic radio is not known for its bold trailblazing, when presented in a language where the words for "Jesus", "light", and "cross" rhyme, it is a recipe for auditory monotony like no other.
I spend a lot of time walking the streets.
Or hanging out at the Museum of Martyrs and Heroes, a small room with information about the Sandinista movement and pictures of those who died fighting for the cause.
As I said, contast.

My plan (and holy bejesus, have I ever started using that word loosely) is to stay here another week, and then move on to León or Granada. I want to meet up with Richie, but he is of course functioning on Richie time, which when you factor in international travel, means he will be about 2 months behind schedule. But better late than never.

Love you all

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