Halfway Mark!

Liz & Nate enjoying the waterfall and beauty in Malacatoya.

On the 22^nd of March, we hit our halfway mark for our time here in Nicaragua with MCC!!  It’s hard to believe that we have been here in Nicaragua for 1 year and 6 months!  In some ways it feels like we’ve been here forever and this is just our life now, and in other ways I feel like the time has gone by so fast!  It’s weird how time can go so slow in the moment sometimes, yet feel so fast overall!

We have in many ways become accustomed to our lives here in Nicaragua and things feel generally normal but mundane would never describe it!  We live with no daily routines (expect maybe for making coffee every morning).  Our travels keep us moving—from visits to communities and trips to Managua, our weeks and months are filled.  It’s exhausting sometimes, packing, unpacking, repacking and repeat.  I guess we find some kind of routine in all of this, at least we know what we need to take where and what we can do without.     

It has been quite the journey indeed, and family and friends keep reminding me of this!  What was once our norms in the states, feels so foreign and far away to me now.  The norms that we have been accustomed to in Nicaragua probably seem so unnatural and foreign to our family and friends in the states.  All the things or foods we once needed and couldn’t live without are now rarely thought of as we prepare our meals.  It is interesting to see how this process has evolved from foreign to familiar. 

Additionally, it’s been interesting to observe how we have changed our expectations, ideas and ideals, and our outlook over the last year and a half.  There are stages and seasons to the process as we became accustomed to our lives in Nicaragua.  Adjusting to daily frustrations (big and small), finding patience when the timing is not what you expected, going to plan b, c, or d when plans are not working out, encountering the little joys that daily life can unveil if you look for it, sitting and chatting with the unexpected visitors that appear at our door as we are trying to leave, seeing the genuine smiles of individuals as you pass, and listening to people’s life stories as they open up to you.

All of these things we have experienced here have impacted us in some small or large way.  It is these experiences that we draw from as we try to make sense of the absurdity, chaos, and challenges that we are presented with.  At times, it seems impossible to make sense of situations, specifically relating to poverty.  I see signs of poverty all around me, yet I don’t know how to change any of it.  It becomes numbing in ways because there is no sense to it.  Yet we try to draw on the positive experiences and interactions we’ve had with individuals in the communities where we work.  We try to see change not in drastic numbers and sweeping line graphs, but rather in small steps—steps that are being taken in the right direction towards positive change.  Yes, there are setbacks; yes, we sometimes feel like we’re not moving at all; but if the general direction is moving forward, then that is all we can ask for:  small, positive steps towards growth and change.