Excerpts from the Peanut Gallery

I can't believe I am about to say this

Did I leave Vancouver? Of course I did, otherwise I wouldn't miss home, family or dear friends. Also, when I walk outside, I would get drenched and the temperature would be in the early 20's. Here I get drenched but its in the 30's. I am sitting at an cafe not far from our house, watching the torrential downpour, as it darkens into night here in Managua. Rain will always mean home in my brain
Today and yesterday was Independence Day (I know, I know, I would also have called that Independence Days, but they didn't consult me either), and because of these holidays, the city is dead. Everyone is at the beach. Apparently Nicaraguans are patriotic there, but not so much here. I was sort of hoping to catch some sort of cool festivity, but honestly, there is nothing going on. That's not true, there were parades apparently, but I saw nothing of them. I did, however, get treated to the giant stilt lady and her spinning square-head mascot side-kick. She comes with an entourage of two drummers too. They just wander the streets at night in front of all the patio restaurants in our neighbourhood.
I feel a bit deflated. I think its partly the rain, partly the gradual realisation that "living and working abroad" will inevitably settle into "living and working" unless I am exceptionally pro-active about remaining a tourist. And even if I did, I am not sure that's the best thing to be. I want to get to know my new digs, but I suppose there will be times, yes even in a foreign country when rain will keep you from doing anything terribly exciting. Shock and Disbelief.
On a bright note, I went to Leon this week to do my first set of client visits there. It was really cool, a bit more like the Central America I am used to, in that the architecture was closer to Antigua's. we met Hugo, the rural loan officer at the MiCredito office and spent the day driving out on these crazy rutted dirt roads, and then back on the same roads which had the mammoth potholes kindly filled in by the rain (did I mention its the rainy season right now?) and a kid part way down, but he used his shovel a bit more constructively than the heavens used water (Rob, you would have been all over it!). The farmers were really cool to meet.
It is a funny thing, sometimes this week I was not exactly apprehensive about doing these client visits, but more that i would be apprehensive about them. Isn't that funny? Who gets worried about worrying? I guess I just knew that this opportunities of getting to meet with clients who have benefited from Microfinance was a huge part of the attraction of this job. I knew that I would enjoy them, but there is a part of us that every now and then gets very worried that this thing that you have a great feeling about, might somehow not be as magically wonderful as it is going to be. But no, so far, it actually is so good. I am so grateful, still aware of challenges and problems I have to figure out, but very thankful for this time. And, yes, its possible to be thankful to be one place while missing home as well. But it sure is a funny thing to feel.

posted by Kiki @ 4:49 p.m.