Notes, Coast to Coast

In the last weeks, our feet have traveled four different regions of Nicaragua – and still, we haven't reached our final destination.

After our week in Matagalpa, we traded the mountains for the sea and sped off to the Corn Islands off of the Caribbean coast for a week of honeymooning. There, we stuffed ourselves with lobster, snorkeled clear turquoise waters and lay in hammocks reading Game of Thrones out loud. In the vein of footNOTES, we also found a mysterious note in a juice bottle that may or may not have led to a pirate's treasure.

Years ago, the British controlled the eastern coast of Nicaragua, bringing African slaves and the English language to these isles before the Spanish kicked the English out. This makes for an interesting cultural mix of African-Latin ethnicities who speak an array of English, Spanish, indigenous, and creole languages. Apparently, there were also pirates on these islands at one point. Anyway, we were quite busy partaking in our obligatory honeymoon beach-lying, so we didn't get to truly experience much of this Caribbean culture. Someday, we will have to return.

We got back to Managua last week and promptly left for a weekend retreat with the other VMM volunteers on the opposite coast, near Leon. The Pacific coast was a little less idyllic than the Atlantic coast, but the huge, crashing waves were really fun in a different way. We spent some quality time thinking and talking about how we've been doing with this transition to Nicaragua and what it will mean to accompany or to be accompanied by the communities we'll be living in.

This week we're back in Managua, and it is HOT. So far Managua has been like a train station for us – we've stopped over here briefly in between our trips to other places – but since we're here all week, we're hoping to learn a bit more about the capitol. I still feel pretty ignorant, but here are a few notes that I've gathered:

• Managua is sticky hot – maybe the hottest place I've ever been – especially in the middle of the day.
• The city is built on fault lines. Since the huge earthquake of 1972 leveled almost all of the city, no main city center has been rebuilt. Much of Managua was built in the last 40 years, and much of it centers around neighborhoods.
• Managua seems to have a lot of cool arts things going on – e.g. the Ruben Dario National Theater, named after Nicaragua's most renowned poet.
• There are a lot of pulperias (little convenience shops) in Managua! There are also a lot of banana chips in Managua.
• Managua is built for cars. Lots of people get around via taxi here.
• Yesterday we visited the Parque Historico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa, where Nicaragua's former dictator Somoza lived and where he also had an underground torture chamber. Now it is covered with quotes and photos of Nicaragua's biggest hero, Augusto Sandino – the inspiration for the Sandinista movement.
  
  

I'm sure there are more notes we'll take on Managua – the capitol will be the place we come to replenish our supplies of chocolate chips and peanut butter, after all. Right now, we're mostly just excited to get to San Nicolas, settle into our house, and meet the people who will be the central characters in our lives for the next years.