Nicaragua

I find it incredibly difficult to describe the places I live. Never would I've thought that Costa Rica would be included in the category of "places I've lived," but here we are. I say this because I know I haven't really described the cities I've been. San José is just.....a big city. With busses and buildings and people. Although it's different from any other big city I've been in, I can't quite tell you why. Maybe it's the Catholic churches everywhere, or the lack of skyscrapers, or the sound walk signals make, or the fruit stands on every street. 

It’s all going by too fast. It normally doesn’t feel like that, but for the last four days I’ve been in Nicaragua with the other students in my program, as we had to leave the country to get our visas renewed. We’ve had jam-packed days. Interesting, but exhausting. Beaches, Lake Nicaragua, tour of Granada, horse-drawn buggies, volcanoes, lava, lava tubes, artisan market, old churches, tile roofs, beautiful views. I wanted to sit down and write at the end of each day, just to try and remember it all. But by the time we get dinner for 22 people and hang out and talk and work on our mid-semester presentations, I’m out for the day.

It’s ungodly hot, making me grateful for the relatively cooler temperatures in Costa Rica from the higher elevation. I’m ready to go back to home-cooked meals. Restaurants just aren’t the same. It’s nice to see the other students and swap stories about our rural sites and research. Nice to know I’m not the only one struggling a bit. But it’s also more of a reminder that they aren’t my real friends and definitely cannot replace them.

The first day we climbed a bell tower and got a gorgeous overview of the city. The whole time I was remembering climbing the minaret in Delhi and what a wonderful moment that was.

I’m currently in an old lodge in a private reserve near (I think) the capital of Nicaragua. Everyone is on a hike, but I needed some downtime. It’s beautiful, but I can’t quite appreciate it all as I’m tired and ready to get back to my new version of normal. 

It was nice to go somewhere new, break the routine a bit. Getting out of Costa Rica allowed me a little more perspective on the whole experience. I enjoyed seeing a different Central American country, feeling the small differences from the place that has come to feel a bit like home. But I'm ready for cooler temperatures, home-cooked meals, return to my routine, fewer things to do and places to see each day, less time spent on that bus. And I'm excited to be able to say that I have seven weeks left here, less than half. Because while Costa Rica is certainly more home than Nicaragua, it cannot compete with Colorado and Iowa and people I know and love.