a walk in the park

so every morning, i've been getting my daily dose of exercise by walking around the park with Gladys for about 45 minutes. and what a blessing that time has been. it gives us a chance to start our day off on a good note and to spend time in fellowship, talking about anything and everything. her and Emilio have been so blessed in their lives and i am blessed in turn by hearing about their stories. i am reminded that in the US, family is not valued all that much. once people hit their 60's, they are immediately discarded as useless and a drain on society, and put away to live in retirement homes. here, family is of utmost importance and children would never let their parents be treated in such a manner, even if it means giving them a room in their own house. those generations that have gone before us have so much wisdom and insight and my listening skills are coming in handy. i am learning so much from them about their lives and what it means to live faithfully devoted to the Lord. i only hope that when i'm their age, i have half as many stories to tell someone who's willing to listen.

the rain has stopped finally. and the heat is back upon us. i'm telling you- i'm sweating from places that i didn't know i could sweat. and once i return to the States, i don't know if i'll have any more sweat left in me. it's so hot that my pack of gum melted in my bag (that's a mess, let me tell you!). the humidity is so bad that the adhesive on my envelopes is sticking without me even licking it and i have to pull open the envelopes in order to stick in a letter. ridiculous.

walked to the post office and so much life was happening. men sitting in a plastic chair outside their tin shack watching the day pass them by. stray dogs ambling down the street in search of a scrap to eat. a radio blasting the news from behind a stand where a man is selling oranges. teenage boys sitting inside the "video game cafe" playing playstation (what's new?). a man walking in front of me suddenly decides he needs to relieve himself and proceeds to "water" a tree. i cross to the other side of the street. taxis speed by- honking to announce their presence. bicycles and motos provide an easy way to get aroun. whistles and "mamacitas" surround me on all sides. ladies, if you want to instantly boost your self esteem, any latin american country is a great place to start... the profesoras back at the house tell me that i'm brave to walk to the post office by myself. i love it- it's a chance to get out, explore a little and observe a little how the people here live their daily lives.

i also got the chance to do that when riding on one of the "city buses". now before you start envisioning the comfortable buses that you're used to, think instead of an old school bus that has been painted and given a name, somehow relating to Christianity. we paid 12 cents to ride as far as we wanted. the first leg of the journey to the market was comfortable- i had my own seat. but after that, i was squished up against all the other commuters, praying that my deodorant was still working... it felt like a sauna on wheels. but i wouldn't have traded it for anything else. now, will i ever get to the point where i feel comfortable riding one of them by myself? we'll see and i'll let you know...

today, the parents of the girls can come visit if the want- they only get the chance once a month. it should be interesting.

here are a few pics...

una calle en las palmas...

me and angie, one of the girls here!


my new "home" en las palmas- a neighborhood of managua, nicaragua.

this kat is being domesticated...

so, i realize how ridiculous that sounds. but it's true!

in the last week, i have spent several hours in the kitchen with a little nicaraguan woman, named Maria, beginning my lessons in nicaraguan cooking. i am well on my way to mastering the art of tortilla making- finding the perfect mixture of maza and water, and then shaping them in the perfect round shape. of course, she thinks i'm nuts because it takes me twice as long to make one tortilla and it looks half as good.

i'm getting etiquette lessons from gladys. last night, we spent a long time learning about silverware and knowing which fork/spoon to use. i also learned how rude it was to use my finger to push the last few pieces of rice onto my fork... oops.

the girls are teaching me traditional (and not so traditional) nicaraguan dances. when the team was here, we spent more than two hours on friday with them, shaking, twisting, bumping, sweating, and looking like fools, nonetheless. man, can my nicaraguan sisters dance! and they love it too. oh and can i mention the song of the day... all i can remember is that is says, "that girl is hot like a tamale". ridiculous, but i love it!

and this morning, i come into the laundry room (i use that term loosely. imagine wire hanging from the walls to dry clothes, a sink to wash clothes and one washing machine that i get to use along with the abuelitos) to find isabel, a woman who does some cleaning and irons clothes, telling me how much my bathing suit smells. i gave it a cursory rinse when we got back from the ocean and called that good, hanging it up to dry. apparently, that just did not cut it. she took it down and told me to wash it. now, keep in mind, i don't think i've had to wash anything by hand in my life, except... ok, so never. and i as i look at the sink quizzingly, she comes over and tells me to wash it. my blank look must have shown that i didn't know what to do, so she took it from me and starting rubbing it hard against the built in washboard of the sink. and then she turns to me, telling me to try. so, i do, probably not doing a very good job. isabel runs to get maria (the cook) and starts jabbering away in spanish, thinking i can't understand, but man i can. and she's laughing and going on and on about how i don't know how to wash clothes. and before i know it, maria and isabel are both standing there watching my feeble attempt to wash my bathing suit. now, i don't get embarassed easily, but that was just humiliating. i told them that we use washing machines all the time in the States, but that didn't seem to appease them. i got out of there as fast as i could... but at least i now know, right?


oh man, so much to learn, so little time...

god help us...

Last Friday, I traveled out with the short term trip to Jinotepe, the other property that Arms of Love has out in the jungle a little over an hour out of Managua, to help paint some rooms in the team house that will house future short term teams that come to volunteer. Sunday morning, after breakfast, we all (all = the girls and boys, young and old, the short term team, all the staff that lives in the homes, and me) loaded up to head out. There were probably about 50-60 of us on one dilapidated school bus now referred to affectionately as Maltez. We are on an adventure to San Juan del Sur, a beach on the southern coast of Nicaragua, close to Costa Rica for a day of fun. Yet, we get not even three minutes out of the gate and find ourselves stuck. Keep in mind that it’s been raining for the past week straight and not just raining, but pouring (kind of like a Bellingham downpour). The dirt road leading to the houses is completely thrashed and flooded. It looks like one giant mud pit. The tires have found themselves in a losing battle against the mud and there is no way we will make it to the paved road. So, all of us adults jump out in an attempt to lighten the load, but that’s just the beginning. We all end up pushing, pulling, tugging and leaning every which way in attempts to free our only mode of transportation. Meanwhile, all of us are slipping around in the mud, our shoes, clothes and bodies covered in the liquefied mess. The men take over, and tell us ladies to stand back. So, as I’m watching, I can’t help but laugh and realize how ridiculous we must look to ever passersby. I also can’t help but think how something like this would never happen anywhere in the States. At this time, on a Sunday morning, most everyone is sitting comfortably in their church somewhere listening to a pastor speak or singing some worship song. And yet here I am out in the middle of the Nicaraguan jungle worshiping the sovereign Lord in a completely different way. I send up a prayer asking the Lord to please help us and provide some way for us to get out of the mud because the kids have been looking forward to this trip forever and would have been crushed if anything had happened to stop it. And before I know it, a car drives down the road, complete with 4 Wheel Drive. We explain to him our predicament, but I have a feeling our words were not necessary with the sight we were! The Nicaraguan man driving says he’ll help pull us out w/ his hitch. So, we get positioned correctly and 1…2…3… PUSH! Before I know it, we have the bus rolling and in the right direction! The Lord is good and faithful to answer prayers! We made it safely to the beach and enjoyed a great day of fun, food, sand, and lots of salt water. it had been a long time since i'd frolicked in the waves... and contrary to beaches in oregon, the water was actually warm enough to swim in!

On the return trip, we were stopped by a police block and detained for a while. After our driver disappeared out to the back of the bus and was not seen for a while, I was told the police were looking for a bribe. The policia got on the bus and Emilio went to negotiate. During the absence of our driver, all I could do was pray that we would get out of there somehow and as soon as the police started talking to Emilio, Emilio explained that we were just from a children’s home and were just going home from the beach. And the police said ok and got off! We didn’t have to bribe anyone!

I’m telling you… this weekend was a reminder that men make plans and the Lord sometimes has other ideas. But He is faithful to reply when you ask and petition.

a kiss never tasted so good.

now before you get some fantasy in your head about me meeting the nicaraguan man of my dreams, hold your horses... i was referring to a hershey's kiss. yesterday, i went to this store called Price Smart and it is exactly like Costco, samples and everything. and one of them was a hershey's kiss. let me tell you, one thing they do not believe in here is dessert and you know me, that is one of my biggest vices. so, chocolate was welcomed with open arms.

one week in a new country. a lot of things have changed for me:
* my wake up time: 5AM with the bell that wakes up the girls, but then i manage to drift back to sleep until 5:45, where i lay in bed until i can drag myself out at 6AM to take a cold shower. and yet i never thought i would enjoy a cold shower. it is the ten minutes in my day that i feel clean and refreshed. the second i step out, i'm covered in a humid sweat again. and yeah, and i think i scare the girls with my singing in the shower.
* bed time: somewhere around 9PM after we have devotional and the girls all say, "buenas noches"
* my typical dinner: gallo pinto (a mixture of rice and beans cooked together) with crema y tortillas
* my eau de toilette: Off insect repellent (a lot different than the Clinique Happy i'm used to wearing). i swear, every time i look at my leg, another five bug bites have shown up no matter how many times i reapply or how well i tuck in my mosquito net during the night.
* mode of transportation: one of the numerous taxis in the city of Managua. (funny story- yesterday, we were going out and abuelita stopped a cab to ask them how much. they quoted her an extremely high price, most likely because i, the american, was standing right there. so, abuelita had me stand inside the fence where i was hidden from people on the street, hailed another taxi, and after receiving the price quote, had me hurry out to join her. so they quoted her a decent price and much to their surprise, i came along for the ride!)
* my family: 18 rowdy, crazy girls who seem bipolar to me sometimes. when i'm with them one on one, they are so kind and loving. and then later that same day, they are running around being catty and saying mean things to each other. i guess that's girls for you, no matter what country you're in. mis abuelitos- a couple named emilio and gladys who are 70 and 68 respectively. they live here in the house with the girls and are their parents now. emilio is also the national director of arms of love here in nica. there are also some women that come everyday to the house. dona myra lives here and does everything for the girls. noah is the profesora. isabel does the laundry and cleans. maria cooks and no matter how many times i offer to help, she never finds me when it's time to cook. (but yesterday, i helped wash dishes and i think that scored me some brownie points in her eyes). oh yeah, and i must not forget the little lizard gecko thing that lives on my wall and eats the mosquitos that would otherwise be eating me all night long...
* my money: they use the cordoba here and there are about 19 to $1 USD. great for me! i can get pretty much anything super cheap.
* my self esteem: it's on the rise because of all the compliments i'm getting here. everyone loves my eyes and i can't go anywhere without hearing this. (another funny story: yesterday when i was at the market with abuelita, this man said, "que bonitos son sus ojos". he was talking to gladys and obviously assumed i couldn't speak spanish. i turned to him and said, "gracias". he looked surprised and then asked gladys if i was from germany or america because he spoke a little bit of german. i turned to him once again and said, "soy americana." that quieted him quickly... so although, i may not be fluent by any means, i know enough to get by!)
* my feelings about rain: ahora, me encanta la lluvia. now, i love the rain. at home, it symbolizes the onset of a dreary, bleak winter season. but here, it is a refreshing change that calms down the heat and humidity. and seeing as i'm in the middle of the rainy season (it gets over mid- november), it seems like we'll be getting much more rain!

i've had the chance to go to two separate markets in the last few days. and what an overwhelming blow to the senses. the assorted goods strewn about in kiosks filling the streets and abandoned buildings that are now dedicated to this mercanary endeavor. fruits that i've never seen or heard of , let alone pronounce the names of. avocados the size of mangos. bad rap music blaring from some speaker- you know the type, like the "me encanta la gasolina" song. being harassed by people on all sides, "que buscas senora?". they are all vying for my attention. some of the most intricate crafts that i have ever seen. right alongside, the handiwork that all tourists to visit nicaragua will leave tucked away in their suitcase as a momento of their good time in nica. the smells, both good and bad. the various refrescos sold in plastic sandwich bags with a straw tucked in the top. underwear, bras, fabrics, wrangler jeans, adidas (who knows whether they're real or knock offs?), every type of shampoo imagineable. they have EVERYTHING! what a difference from running to the neighborhood Fred Meyer to do your grocery shopping...

up to this point, i have had a really hard time figuring out my place and where i belong here, what my role is as a volunteer here in this organization. the role is not clearly defined and for the last week, my main job has been to entertain the girls and play with them. let me tell you, i have become professional at monopolio (learning all the tricks of the game and all the key phrases that you need to play in spanish), have played countless games of guerra (war) and lost a high percentage of those, and have forced myself to play volleyball with the girls because that seems to be one of the only ways i can win affection (despite my extreme dislike for volleyball and the bruises covering my forearms...). i called my parents in tears, demanding to come home, but have since then, spent a lot of time reading the Bible and in prayer. as uncomfortable as this is for me to be here and as useless as i feel, i cannot justify leaving. God definitely called me here, as seen in the whole process from this past abril to now, beginning with me deciding to take some time off to finding out my email wasn't working and then finally getting ahold of Arms of Love two weeks before i came. he has orchestrated his plan perfectly and i am beginning to realize that right now, He does have something for me to do here. Even if it's rest and spend time with Him. I might cut my time short and come home beginning of January, instead of March, but i'm not making any rash decisions. please continue to pray for me, that i might find a purpose in being here and get some sort of affirmation that i am supposed to be here now in this very time of my life.

right now, we have a short term team here- a group of 13 mennonites and what a blessing they are, just in being here. last night, they sang worship songs (in english!) and one of them handed me a snickers bar. gracias a Dios! instead of falling asleep by myself, i fell asleep surrounded by 7 beautiful young women who came down here to serve these girls and Jesus. such an encouragement to me. i think i'll get to work alongside them when they are doing their work projects!

i leave you with this... habakkuk 1:5 says,

"Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told."

now, if you're like me, you had to look up habakkuk in your table of contents to remember where that was in the bible, but after stumbling on these words recorded by the prophet Habakkuk, i am encouraged that God is going to do something in my days here, that i could never believe. that is my reason for staying and persevering, despite my flesh calling me back to the states...

estoy aqui!

I made it finally. Or I made it yesterday night- all went well, but the power was out for a scheduled outage when I got here and it surprisingly went out earlier today because someone was trying to steal power (sound familiar? makes me feel like i'm in Africa with erin), so this is the first time i've been able to get internet. emilio met me at the airport. the guy stamping my passport asked for my phone number, so i have to be careful who i smile at. After we got to the house, all the girls were called together for a meeting where I introduced myself and they all quickly said their names, all by kerosene lantern. They asked me tons of questions and I feebly tried to answer them in my broken Spanish. So much for having so much Spanish knowledge- my five years makes me sound like an infant here, but all the girls are willing to help me and are patient so far trying to help me understand. I am in a room with four bunk beds, where groups will stay when they come, so it's not much of a personal space, but i'm trying to make do- i am blessed to have a bed. It's so hot here and humid like nothing I've ever experienced. I took a shower this morning and the second I got out, I was drenched in sweat again. All the girls tell me it's not hot though. Hopefully I'll adjust. But you know me and how hot I am normally- I just need to remember to drink twice as much water as usual. There are 18 girls here. They are so funny. They go to school from 7am-1pm and then do homework for a few hours. Now, they're outside playing volleyball in the courtyard. Lunch is the big meal here- I am going to have the cook, Maria, start giving me lessons, so I can whip up a feast Nicaragua style when I get back. We have a short term team coming in on Wednesday and they'll be here through the weekend. I heard rumor that we're going to go around Managua and maybe even to the beach with them. I'm dying to get outside of the fence and see Managua, but it is not safe for me to go by myself, so I will wait until someone else is going and see if I can tag along. I have just been trying to get to know the girls (starting with names) and playing with them. Most are excited to have una americana here with them. I'm just waiting for them to start pulling tricks on me because they realize how little Spanish I actually understand. Most of them are studying English in school, so I need to push them to speak in English. I'm getting settled in. It seems like I will have to tell the house parents very much what I want my role to be while I'm here, or else I'll end up just playing with the girls and helping with lunch, which would be ok. But for now, I'm just trying to get a feel for the house, girls, and organization and see how I can be of the most help. One of the girls is crying outside. I should go check on her. I wonder when it's time to eat. I'm hungry already. Can't wait for my gallo pinto (rice and beans cooked together!).

vaya con dios,
katarine (that's how they say my name) they just cannot figure out kat...

mi direccion en nicaragua

here's my address while i'm going to be down in nicaragua. apparently mail takes like three weeks to get there, so email's better if you want a quick response, but if you write me snail mail, i'll do my best to write you back!

kat sandor
c/o Emilio Padilla
Apartado Posta LV-2
Correos Monseñor Lezcano
Managua, Nicaragua