Retiro

Sweet nature. The R and R that I longed for when I went to Trujillo which didn't seem to really happened, certainly came around this weekend in the form of a trip with my youth group to a placed called Panacam. It is actually a tourist site with cabins equipped with real toilets and toilet paper, snickers bars for sale, and Economist magazines to read. Only about an hour away from Sigua, this is my new favorite place. On Saturday we went on a four hour hike up a mountain (see the foto below)and then back down the mountain. On the way was a few lookout sites as well as beautiful waterfall. However my camera decided not to work well when I attempted to take pictures of the cascada. GRRR. Regardless, the hike was beautiful and I saw a lot of plants only found in rain forest-like areas. They kept asking me if I was tired, everyone was tired except me and one of the leaders who often goes on long hikes. I was ready to go again at the end, and they all said I was crazy. I dont know if I really would have gone for another 4 hour hike, but I definitely wanted to hang out with the flora and fauna some more. We passed through a section where there was supposed to be a lot of cobras, but we saw none. I really wanted to see one, but it was better that God protected us from venimous snakes. However, on Sunday we took a short hike to another waterfall, and on the way we saw a little baby cobra. I was happy to have seen one.

The retreat was great in a lot of ways. It was a good little get away from Sigua and all that can stress me out here. I didn't have to translate for anyone, in fact, there were two boys on the retreat who attend bilingual schools and I had them translate a word each for me. The rest I dealt with by explaining what I was trying to say with other words. It was sooo sweet to see the beauty of nature and feel a part of it, and surprisingly enough I returned home with less mosquito bites than I have fingers, which is a first.

There are certain moments in my life where I feel the peace of God so strong. I had the chance to sit and contemplate life and God, and write about it while looking at a beautiful view of the lake. That is what I call rest. I felt at peace.

I made a lot of new friends as well, quite a few really awesome ones that I plan to hang out with more here in Sigua.

During the retreat, they have this mail box that you can write little notes to someone else and the leaders will read them during the breaks or inbetween speakers and such. One little boy wrote two to me, saying that I was guapa (beautiful). On the way home we sang songs on the school bus. One of the songs goes like this... The person sings the first part, the audience repeats it all.

Beeyay yay (beeyay yay)
Beeyay yay yaya (beeyay yay yay)
Yo tengo un amigo (I have a friend)
Quien se llama _____________ (Whose name is __________place name in there)
A esa si (or no) lo quiero (And I love him/her or I dont love him/her)
Porque __________________ (give a reason here)

Then the person who was called out has to do the same to someone else.

So I said, I have a friend named JeanCarlos who I love because he tells me I'm guapa. The whole bus started laughing and then poor JeanCarlos had everyone going "ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" to him, as they often did during the mail box time when someone told someone else of the opposite sex that they thought they were pretty. Now I have a 9 year old boyfriend in Nicaragua, a 12 year old one here, and a creepy old man named Stefano somewhere in Italy. Hey life is good.

Today we had off from school because tomorrow is Fransisco Morazán (1792-1842)day. He was President of Central America, who enacted idealistic liberal reforms, then unsuccessfully fought to maintain the unity of that nation as it fell apart into separate states in civil war. (thanks Wikipedia, for that)

Last night I hung out with some other gringa girls and made chocolate chip cookies. We attempted to watch a movie but ended up discussing the sociologic aspect of hondurans, which I'm sure I will write soon about all that I am discovering in this culture.

Hasta Luego.