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.