Dear everyone,
I am here.
Arrived yesterday without much ado
Spanish keyboards will take getting used to.
The details of my transport are a bit bland
Suffice it to say in Nicaragua I stand (lit. sit).
I promise I won´t write this whole email in rhyme
to do so would take really far to much time.
Basically I arrived, got through customs, got into a taxi then onto a
minibus bound for Leon. A few choice words in Spanish, most of which
were ¨"autobus", "Leon", and "expresso" and many blank,
noncomprehending looks and I arrived there without incident. There was
a very nice and importantly patient man seated next to me on the bus
who kindly wrote out questions for me which I translated and attempted
to respond to. I believe he was a police officer, but he also must
have worked for some sort of childrens charity organization in Managua
because he was very interested in whether I wanted to work (travajer)
in Nicaragua for an N.G.O (O.N.G) in perhaps human rights (derechos
humanos). He gave me his phone number for in case I wanted a job which
was very polite considering I could hardly have a conversation with
him. He also saw me to the front of my hostel which was most certainly
out of his way because I did manage to ascertain that he did not live
in Leon. The universe is kind, and I was clearly lost and out of my
element.
I rewarded myself today by spending almost the entire day (the bit
after I slept in very late) lounging in a hammock in the shade at the
hostel and reading fairy tale a la Tom Robbins (Villa Incognito).
Probably a poor choice for a novel to bring because I very nearly
finished in one go. I also did manage to make it around the corner to
the supermercado and bought some proper dorm living food, bread,
peanut butter, mango jelly, bananas and water. More on adventures as
they commence. I might visit museums tommorrow... oooohhh. I know
you´re all jealous. Aparantly there are several revolutionary museusm
about. It is unclear at this time whether the museums themselves are
revolutionary, or about the past revolutions this country has seen.
(Probably the latter but I´m holding out hope for an entirely unique
way to expereince art).
I have great expectations at this time for the outcome of this Central
and South American sojourn. Before I left a very dear friend Emily
(not the Emily you would know folks in Canada) sponsored a sweat lodge
to pray for the safety of Aviv and I on this trip and to ask that we
find what it is we were looking for. It was very powerful, very
moving, and very hot but it felt fantastic. Of course it´s true that I
am looking for something and perhaps it would be more likely found in
the sweatlodge itself and the beautiful community that held it and so
kindly welcomed me, because it seems the rule that quests, as it were,
tend to result in the quester finding their solution back at home.
There´s the rub, where´s home? I´ve spent equal portions of my life
nearly in two distinctly different locales and the concept of home is
about as an ash filled sky. The sweatlodge, prepared me spiritually
for what is to come. What is to come, according to the Tarot, is major
transformation (the tower) in the area of self and possibly a new
service project (the page of pentacles and the hanged man) or at least
some clarity and where to direct my efforts next. And my trip is
bathed in the energy of love, awww, (ace of cups), I am surrounded by
happiness and good luck (the sun) and fueled by nostalgia (6 of cups).
The nostalgia bit is interesting, perhaps hinting that Canada is home?
Anyway, it was all quite the send of and coupled with the incredible
kindess and generosity that sent me on my way (we raised in the end
$1,168 to support our trip).
This is getting very long for saying very little (I did warn you) so
I´ll be brief now. For now I am staying at the Via Via hostel near the
center of Leon, Nicaragua. Here I will remain until my traveling
companion graces me with her arrival and probably a few days after
that (the 10th). Then, though we have no set plans, we hope to spend a
few days on the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua then take the Rio
San Juan (by boat) all the way out to the Atlantic coast and attend a
week or so of Spanish clasess in San Juan del Sur (thanks entirely to
the money we were able to raise we will be able to afford actual
spanish lessons). So thank you thank you thank you to everyone who
supported me and contributed to our adventure, I aim to give back in
kind more than I received (a general mission in life).
Now this note is probably costing me on the order of a dollar by now
so I must say adios. I´ll write again when I have something more
philosophical to say.
Buenos Noches,
Morgan
I am here.
Arrived yesterday without much ado
Spanish keyboards will take getting used to.
The details of my transport are a bit bland
Suffice it to say in Nicaragua I stand (lit. sit).
I promise I won´t write this whole email in rhyme
to do so would take really far to much time.
Basically I arrived, got through customs, got into a taxi then onto a
minibus bound for Leon. A few choice words in Spanish, most of which
were ¨"autobus", "Leon", and "expresso" and many blank,
noncomprehending looks and I arrived there without incident. There was
a very nice and importantly patient man seated next to me on the bus
who kindly wrote out questions for me which I translated and attempted
to respond to. I believe he was a police officer, but he also must
have worked for some sort of childrens charity organization in Managua
because he was very interested in whether I wanted to work (travajer)
in Nicaragua for an N.G.O (O.N.G) in perhaps human rights (derechos
humanos). He gave me his phone number for in case I wanted a job which
was very polite considering I could hardly have a conversation with
him. He also saw me to the front of my hostel which was most certainly
out of his way because I did manage to ascertain that he did not live
in Leon. The universe is kind, and I was clearly lost and out of my
element.
I rewarded myself today by spending almost the entire day (the bit
after I slept in very late) lounging in a hammock in the shade at the
hostel and reading fairy tale a la Tom Robbins (Villa Incognito).
Probably a poor choice for a novel to bring because I very nearly
finished in one go. I also did manage to make it around the corner to
the supermercado and bought some proper dorm living food, bread,
peanut butter, mango jelly, bananas and water. More on adventures as
they commence. I might visit museums tommorrow... oooohhh. I know
you´re all jealous. Aparantly there are several revolutionary museusm
about. It is unclear at this time whether the museums themselves are
revolutionary, or about the past revolutions this country has seen.
(Probably the latter but I´m holding out hope for an entirely unique
way to expereince art).
I have great expectations at this time for the outcome of this Central
and South American sojourn. Before I left a very dear friend Emily
(not the Emily you would know folks in Canada) sponsored a sweat lodge
to pray for the safety of Aviv and I on this trip and to ask that we
find what it is we were looking for. It was very powerful, very
moving, and very hot but it felt fantastic. Of course it´s true that I
am looking for something and perhaps it would be more likely found in
the sweatlodge itself and the beautiful community that held it and so
kindly welcomed me, because it seems the rule that quests, as it were,
tend to result in the quester finding their solution back at home.
There´s the rub, where´s home? I´ve spent equal portions of my life
nearly in two distinctly different locales and the concept of home is
about as an ash filled sky. The sweatlodge, prepared me spiritually
for what is to come. What is to come, according to the Tarot, is major
transformation (the tower) in the area of self and possibly a new
service project (the page of pentacles and the hanged man) or at least
some clarity and where to direct my efforts next. And my trip is
bathed in the energy of love, awww, (ace of cups), I am surrounded by
happiness and good luck (the sun) and fueled by nostalgia (6 of cups).
The nostalgia bit is interesting, perhaps hinting that Canada is home?
Anyway, it was all quite the send of and coupled with the incredible
kindess and generosity that sent me on my way (we raised in the end
$1,168 to support our trip).
This is getting very long for saying very little (I did warn you) so
I´ll be brief now. For now I am staying at the Via Via hostel near the
center of Leon, Nicaragua. Here I will remain until my traveling
companion graces me with her arrival and probably a few days after
that (the 10th). Then, though we have no set plans, we hope to spend a
few days on the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua then take the Rio
San Juan (by boat) all the way out to the Atlantic coast and attend a
week or so of Spanish clasess in San Juan del Sur (thanks entirely to
the money we were able to raise we will be able to afford actual
spanish lessons). So thank you thank you thank you to everyone who
supported me and contributed to our adventure, I aim to give back in
kind more than I received (a general mission in life).
Now this note is probably costing me on the order of a dollar by now
so I must say adios. I´ll write again when I have something more
philosophical to say.
Buenos Noches,
Morgan
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