Halfway There

Two weeks ago when I was having a hard time thinking of what to write, I started making a list of things I already missed from home, countering it with a list of things I already knew I’d miss from here when I go. When I thought about it, it seemed like more of a halfway point post; it seemed soooo far away at the time, but the halfway point is today! I can’t believe it – Jenny’s going away dinner was last night, she’s leaving today and my placement starts for real on Monday. I’m so excited!

So to tie you over until I’m back from San Juan del Sur this Sunday, here are some lists:

I miss...
Some pretty wonderful people. Duh.

My bed. I usually don’t have any particular attachment to my bed, but I can’t wait to flop back onto the cool sheets of my double bed at home instead of wiggling my way under my mosquito net onto a cramped twin bed that’s still warm and humid from when I got out of it in the morning.

Peanut butter. It’s delicious, and more expensive here than it is at home so I refuse to buy it on principle.

Jeans. I wasn’t expecting to need long pants very often, and I certainly wasn’t about to bring my favourite jeans. It’s true that the weather is usually too hot for pants here, but somehow most if not all Nicaraguans wear long pants all the time! I’ll probably end up buying some in the market anyway because covering up my legs for once would make me feel like less of a tourist – and less of a target for mosquitoes.

Clean air. In Nicaragua, it’s okay to smoke indoors and burn your garbage outdoors. I’m really looking forward to taking a deep breath of Alberta air!
Straight hair. I'm getting pretty sick of the Pippy Longstocking look, but the only other options are the Hermione Granger frizz and the sad librarian bun, so I'm kind of stuck no matter what.

Greek salad. And salad in general. Though Inès does make the occasional salad – with avocados in it, even – I feel like I’m going to eat nothing but vegetables for a few days when I get home. I could also go for some salad rolls from Sweet Mango.

Making my own meals. I like cooking! I love waking up in the morning and having breakfast on the table, but I also really like coming up with an especially delicious lunch.

11 PM prairie sunsets. Then sun sets around six here, which is nice because it means that we’re usually in bed pretty early. It can get kind of annoying, though, when we want to go do something but it’s after dark and safety becomes an issue. I miss walking around at night when it isn’t actually night yet.

I know I'm going to miss...

Some pretty wonderful people. How could I not?

Fresh pineapple. And bananas. And avocados. And cantaloupe.

Guava jelly. There will definitely be at least one container of this amazing stuff in my bag when I come home.

Music all the time. It’s hard not to be in a good mood when there’s familiar American music and catchy latin tunes playing in every shop, restaurant and vehicle. I’m going to come home with a great music collection – we’re even learning the words to some of the songs.

Walking through the market. It’s full of unpleasant smells and you really have to watch your step, but I could wander around there for hours without seeing everything.

Rum and Fresca. It’s the most refreshing drink ever, beating out even Coke - which is like a completely different drink when it's actually hot out. In fact, here's the best way to describe just how wonderful Coke is when it's hot and humid.

Breathtaking views. There isn't much to say about them - that's kind of the point.

Speaking Spanish. I’m getting better! The other girls laugh at my French accent, but there’s no way sixteen years of French are going to give way to four weeks of Spanish without a fight so I’m embracing it. I’m so proud of myself for being able to communicate a little bit, albeit not eloquently.

Sandals all day errday. Rae tells me her toes get claustrophobic in socks. While I haven't really thought about it before, my toes are definitely enjoying the freedom of being in my Birks so often that I've developed a sandal tan and said Birks are cracked all the way across.
The back seat of the minibus. Jenny, Brianne, John and I take up the back seat of a minibus perfectly. It's nice to set out on our journeys the same way every time - and to only have to share sweat with people you already know!
Discovering something new every day. There are new tiendas I didn’t know were so close to BaseCamp (the rum cake place), new things from home I never expected them to have here (Canada Dry ginger ale), new customs, new words… I’m learning and it’s pretty great.

In other news, I finally added photos to the Ometepe Island post and the Week IV album is up to date.