Las Mesas, Nicaragua

Well, my time here in Las Mesas is almost over. It has been a memorable time for sure.

Yesterday, I awoke to meet a plateful of beans for breakfast. Needless to say, they continue to affect me at this very moment.

After the morning meal, a group of four of us climbed the mountain to pick coffee beans. We did about four hours of work, from 8 am to 12 noon. There was good conversation and the weather was pleasant. Judging from the content of most of our conversation, it is apparent who and especially what we miss from the United States. That is to say we are all typical young adults.

I finally took a shower, for the second time since I've been in Nicaragua; that was after a healthy lunch of rice, yucca, and cabbage, along with tortillas (I think I'm getting plenty of carbohydrates).

One interjection as I write this: a young Nicaraguan girl just walked by. She made me realize that smiles and laughter are truly universal.

Anyway, at about 2:30 pm, the festivities for our despedida began. First, our "tour guides" from Project Minnesota/Leon spoke as an introduction to our visit here. Much of the community of Las Mesas was present. After briefly outlining the Project, the mic, so to speak, was handed over to me. Speaking in Spanish to the community of Las Mesas, and basically improvising along the way, I introduced the nine-person delegation from Gettysburg, our reasons for being here, and our background and geography in the United States.

After speaking for about ten minutes, we then sang 'Home on the Range,' introduced ourselves individually, sang "My Sunshine," and closed with a thank you. Then, the pinata was brought out. It was fun to watch the children try to break it open. At this point, it was dark out; we ate dinner together as a delegation; and then danced the night away. I danced with a couple of girls/women before settling down to play games with the kids. By the time I got to bed, it was 9:30 pm: a late night. I slept well; dreams of being wiht someone special.

Today, as always, I am both happy and sad to leave. In such a short stay here, I made many connections. Maybe one day I will return. I won't be surprised if they remember me.

Well, now its off to Leon and the next chapter in this short jaunt to Nicaragua. Even despite a gracious compliment by one of the Nicaraguans saying that my speech/presentation was very eloquent and well-spoken, I will still take time to prepare more for the Leon presentation.

A final word before closing this entry is my lesson from this experience: Life that is simple is beautiful. It is a good feeling to be ALIVE.