The Beginning of the End

The last 3 weeks of my time in Nicaragua began in a very memorable way, thanks to the onset of food poisoning.  On a Wednesday morning Anthony and I got up at 5 a.m. and took the five minute walk down the road to the fishing and tourism village of Playa Gigante.  We walked down to the water just as the sun began to peek over the horizon on our way to meet a local fisherman named Zack.  Anthony needed to experience the tour, ask questions, and see if the tour is suitable for guests at the resort.  It was a beautiful day with clear skies and a slight breeze gently rocking the waves back and forth. We helped launch the boat and shove off directly from the beach as there are no docks or marinas in our quaint fishing town.  The men literally put round logs under their boats (and using a lot of man power) slowly roll their rigs in and out of the water.  Their boats are of basic fiberglass model and require the men to manually lift the prop engine on and off each day.

We started our journey trolling south along the coast and immediately snagged a fish- a glistening 2 foot silver tipped tuna!  It was exhilarating to hear the whir of the pole, see the line spin taut, and then watch one of our friends nurse the line back and forth and back and forth, slowly reeling in our first catch of the day.  As we continued our expedition, the wind and waves picked up and the boat rose and hammered back down, showering us with a salty ocean mist.  Zack explained how the color of the water, flocks of birds, and schools of sardines help them “feel” where to fish and what kind of lures to use.  Along the way we spotted three sea turtles, two of which happened to be making sweet turtle love…  a very cool and rare sight to see J  Zack made a huge circle to get us closer so we could snap a few Kodak moment shots.  The rough waters on our journey did not provide good conditions for fishing, and for the remainder of the three hour trip we did not catch another fish.  Yet despite this turn of events,  I enjoyed sitting back and watching the views of rocky ridges, isolated beaches and the veiled Coast Rica coastline peeking through in the distance. 

That night, after consulting Zack, we boiled the fish and then fried it with onions, peppers and other tasty additions in our best attempt to make the specialty Nicaraguan dish Salpicon.  Tuna is a hearty fish that is more like eating steak rather than the light flaky white meat we are used to in the states.  We enjoyed our meal, but soon discovered that we would be reliving that meal over and over for the next two days.  I’ve never had food poisoning before, but the severe achiness, cramping, and constant feeling of the need to vomit (compounded together with my own current digestive issues) made the two days feel like a week.  My body hurt so bad I couldn’t rest much during the day on our extra firm mattress.  We did however weather the storm and even got creative in making some soup.  There is no buying canned soup or broth at the local store.  Thankfully, Anthony being the experienced traveler he is thought ahead and had called in an antibiotic prescription for traveler’s diarrhea before we left just in case. I can tell you I have never been so thankful for the marvels of modern medicine and the cleansing power of antibiotics!  Thank you so much Anthony for thinking ahead.  =) 

Now that we are both fully recovered I find myself continuing to struggle with my digestion, even though I have been faithful to my all natural digestive supplement regiment.  This is really nothing new, but I did have it under control before we left the States.  The diet here has made it impossible for me to function at my “normal” health level.  It has been so bad lately that we’ve even considered changing my flight and sending me home early. Nevertheless we are making as many changes that we can and I’m sticking it out until my flight November 21. 

As Anthony and I planned our time here in Nicaragua several months ago we had two goals in mind.  The first was for Anthony (with my help) to produce a quality and valuable product for Aqua that did more than just fulfill his internship requirement.  I can say with confidence even with a few weeks left we have been able to do that very thing. Anthony was even able to work on a special project directly for the owner and then present his research to a group of AQUA shareholders via skype.  He has earned the respect of the management here, and in my opinion, has given them more than they expected.  It has been a fun and fulfilling experience for me to work alongside Anthony and help him with some of the technical and graphic design aspects.  I’m so proud of how hard Anthony has worked, what he’s been able to accomplish and how he’s done this in the midst of a challenging work and unique environment. 

A couple of snapshots together during our last few weeks in Nicaragua, as we hiked the coast
with Juan our Spanish professor.

Our second goal was to get to know the people here on a deeper level while learning more about their lives, language, and culture.  This task has been especially more challenging and intimidating for me because I came in with very little Spanish language knowledge and experience.  Anthony and I had an opportunity to rent a house instead of living in the same accommodations as the resort staff.  Although in many ways living in a house and having our own private space would be easier, (and of course more costly) we decided in the end it would speak volumes and open up the doors to build relationships if we lived as the Nicaraguans did.  Overall, Gringos here don’t have the best reputation.  They tend come here to surf and party, living better (and separately) from the locals.  Some have lived here for years and refuse to learn the language.  Our hope was to convey an attitude of humility, care, respect, and to show the love of Christ.  Although living in just one room and sharing sub-standard common space with the resort staff has been extremely tough, we have been able to break down the barriers with many people and form friendships.  Anthony especially has earned the trust and respect of numerous workers at Aqua resort by learning their names, asking them questions, and hearing their stories.  Both Anthony and I are taking Spanish tutoring and the workers know we are working hard to learn the language.  Even if all I can do is put together a phrase or sentence, making the attempt and being willing to learn and ask questions has spoken volumes to them.  

A few weeks ago we were invited to live in a luxurious, modern Gringo staff house on a ridge on the water right near the resort.  I can’t tell you how tempting it was at first to think of spending our last month here in such nice living conditions.  Yet again after thoroughly considering the offer, we decided to turn it down.  There were many reasons why living in this house would not have been good for us, but most importantly we didn’t want to send a message of living an easier and separate life from the Nicaraguans because we were “privileged Americans”.  The fact that Anthony and I have not only survived, but we have thrived living at hotel Brio has even impressed the owner, manager and other Americans who understand what it is like to live there and in Nicaragua. 

We have thrived here in Nicaragua for many reasons, but one of the most important is because we see our purpose here to be much higher than a simple internship.  We do not see the people here as inferior, but as people who are also made in the image of God.  While I have not been able to have a direct, thorough conversation with someone about my faith, I have been able to share a few things about what I value and about God.  There are a couple of the workers who I believe have a genuine relationship with Jesus.    It is exciting to see God work all over the world and He has definitely used this  experience to teach Anthony and I so much.  As my last few days here continue to slip away I’m soaking in the culture, the sights, sounds and smells of life here and the conversations with people we would now consider friends.  In the end I hope we have been an encouragement to everyone we have met and that God has used us as much in their lives as He has used this experience in ours.  

Top left and bottom right our pictures of the coast north (Iguana), south (Playa Gigante) from our hike.
Top right is Anthony with  Angel, (pronounced An-hell) a good friend we made here.  He helped us with our Spanish. Bottom left the national bird of Nicaragua that we finally get a picture of.  It was not easy.