Christmas and Ben's Arrival

Ninoska called me while I was walking to the bus stop yesterday, telling me that no one would be at the street corner because their aunt was in the hospital. I thought it would be a good idea to stop by just to make sure no one was there, though. So, I walked to the bus stop, noticing how quiet the streets were. Keren told us on Monday that the country is essentially shut down on Christmas day, explaining that most people go to the beach.

It turns out she was right. I realized that, unlike normally, I was the only person waiting at the stop or the stop across the street. Usually the buses come ever 5-10 minutes. After 20 minutes without seeing one I inferred that the buses weren’t running. I walked back home, stopping to talk with Erwin for about 25 minutes.

My parents brought their computer to my aunt's house for the family Christmas party and I had the opportunity to Skype with them for a few minutes. I enjoyed seeing everyone and feeling like I was part of the party. Technology is pretty amazing.

Brad and I agreed the other day that we needed to “Americanize” our Christmas so he and Esmir came over to throw the football around yesterday afternoon. While we were just playing catch a group of three Nicaraguan teenagers who were walking by challenged us to a game. Brad asked if they knew the rules and they responded, “mas o menos,” meaning ‘more or less.’

I think that I would describe their familiarity with football as being more on the ‘less’ side. Concepts such as the line of scrimmage, only one forward pass per down, and downs themselves were novel to our opponents. The game quickly evolved into a free-flowing affair that resembled handball more than football. We all had a great time though. I think the kids enjoying playing a new game with the “gringos” and we had fun trying to explain our country’s favorite sport.

I’m about to leave to go meet my friend Ben at the airport. He’ll be here until the morning of the 31^st. It will be great to see him and I’m looking forward to benefiting from his fluency in Spanish! I know the kids will love him, too.