Some Reflections on a Bittersweet Weekend

This past weekend has been one of great emotions. Having my parents visit was wonderful – I was thrilled to see them and give them a glimpse into Nicaraguan life. On the other hand, it was very difficult to say goodbye to Lauren. I am so happy for her to return home, but I know that I am going to miss her so much. My time here will certainly be different. She’s been such an incredible friend and encouragement to me throughout the last three months. I know that we will always be close in light of these shared experiences, though.

Thursday was a great day. We took a taxi to Lauren’s orphanage, although we had to get out and walk the last mile or so due to the multitude of police officers surrounding the neighborhood. President Ortega’s house is quite close to the orphanage and evidently something of importance was going down.

My parents and I loved the visit to Lauren’s orphanage. The kids are wonderful and obviously love Tia Lorena (Aunt Lauren) so much. I regret not visiting sooner, since I benefited immensely from meeting the kids and seeing the place. Now I can put faces and sights with all of the stories I’ve heard over the last few months.

After our visit we took a cab to the Huembes market to do some shopping. I managed to get us extremely lost in the bustling market, thus unintentionally giving my parents an extended tour of sections of the market I’d previously never set foot in. We had a good time though, and they picked up some gifts and coffee.

Thursday evening we threw a party for the street kids. We met the group – which had swelled to 17, 19 including two of the moms – on the corner and took them to the Fun House, an establishment quite similar to Chuck E. Cheese. I was looking forward to the party because both my parents and Lauren would be meeting the kids for the first time.

The party was wild and fun. I took great pleasure in watching my parents and Lauren interact with the kids. Watching two hugely important, but previously separate, facets of my life come together was quite enjoyable and meaningful. The kids had a great time eating chicken nuggets and running around playing the various games. My mom had the brilliant idea of bringing a Polaroid camera, meaning the kids were able to leave with pictures of themselves.

Friday we toured Managua with my friend Mikael, a translator/taxi driver. He first took us to La Chureca – the city dump – where hundreds of people work and live. My parents had seen pictures and heard me talk about this place and wanted to see it for themselves. Mikael drove us throughout the dump for about 30 minutes, giving us a chance to really experience the atrocious reality of the situation. It was terrible. Even though I’ve been there several times before watching a large group of people sift through trash heaps like ants on ant hills was awful.

After La Chureca we visited a music store and a small zoo. Along the way we had a chance to talk with Mikael, discussing Nicaraguan politics, history, and life. He is quite a character, so the conversation was very entertaining.

We met the kids for lunch after our tour on Friday. There was some drama concerning who was allowed to come. I figured this might happen since we took such a large group to our party the day before. I knew that I could take a large group on Friday, since my parents would be there to help keep order, but I would then be faced with the same dilemma on Monday. With this in mind I decided to just invite the same 10 kids. My previous attempts of implementing a rotation ended very badly, so I knew this wasn’t an option. I had a lot of trouble telling four kids they couldn’t come. It really was heartbreaking, but I think I need to keep the group from going completely out of control.

We had a good lunch – the kids were quite amused by my mom’s hearing aids and my dad’s white skin. My parents were wonderful with them – never showing any insecurities or hesitation despite the language barrier and culture shock. My mom brought some pictures of me from when I was younger to show the kids. Clearly they had a great time making fun of me.

Friday evening our friends Keren and Brad joined my parents, Lauren, and me for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. I’m glad my family could meet two of our best friends here and we could all share a special meal for Lauren’s last night in Managua. It was great.

Saturday I accompanied Lauren to the airport very early in the morning. Watching her leave was so sad! I know she’s going to enjoy spending time with family and friends though, so I am happy for her.

My parents and I then caught a bus to Granada where we enjoyed a nice lunch and spent the afternoon walking the streets and picking up some crafts from a few street vendors. I’m glad my parents were able to see a completely different side of Nicaragua in Granada. The Spanish colonial architecture was a welcomed change of scenery. Due to its much smaller size the feel of the town is quite different, too.

Saturday night we dined at a wonderful restaurant called La Plancha. In addition to the delicious steaks, I really just enjoyed my parents’ company. I’ve really missed them over the last 2+ months. I’m glad we could have a tasty, relaxing dinner to cap off their trip.

This morning I took my folks to church. We could only stay for the first hour, since we had to get to the airport, but they got to experience the festive atmosphere of Latin worship.

Although the departures of both Lauren and my parents ensured that this weekend would end on a down note, I take comfort in knowing that the wonderful times I had with both is the reason. Only because I enjoy both Lauren and my parents so much is this hard. So, in that light, it’s a good problem to have.

Ok, that’s enough for now. Thanks for reading this supersized blog. Something to look out for though - my parents will be submitting a guest blog entry sometime soon.