Excerpts from the Peanut Gallery

Top Ten Things that Are Fun in My Life in Nicaragua

10. I get to facebook for my work. SERIOUSLY! The Medatrust.org facebook group is where it is at, add me and join the group if you haven’t already!

9. Lunch is always a surprise and an adventure. Most days Marta, the receptionist comes in and tells us what the three options are and I choose whichever one has ‘pollo’ in the name, but really, I have NO IDEA what these foods are that they bring in from the comedor. But they sure are yummy.

8. Viva la musica! There is always something funny and upbeat being played. And while I am not yet a true raggaeton fan like my roommate Shannon, I am starting to broaden my horizons. The recreation club across the street, Motestepe, has a giant party every Saturday. That isn’t really the fun part, its actually loud and annoying that they are still thumping out music into the wee hours. The fun part is that I am really starting to appreciate Sean Paul, and he has them to thank. Also, this is a place where my heart can sigh for joy over Enrique Iglesias and no one really looks down on me (Come ON, don’t even try to tell me you don’t get a little jazzed by “Don’t Turn Out The Lights”).

7. Its always an adventure to figure out within the first .26 seconds that you meet someone what language you should address them in. And then it gets even more entertaining when they assume you don’t understand them, but lo and behold, you do. (Cackles with glee).

6. FINALLY, an entire country on my time schedule- late for everything! If it doesn’t happen today, no te preoccupes! Mañana!!

5. The Marachi pub was seriously the highlight of my weekend last weekend. There is something about plump jolly mustached men in pants with bells on them that just makes my little heart happy.

4. I already mentioned in an earlier post about the address system here, and I am really starting to jive with it. Its so much easier to just say “oh you know where this is? Yeah, four blocks down and to the left” and EVERYONE understands you!!

3. Every time I get out of a cab the driver gallantly says “a la orden, siempre, a la orden!” (‘At your service, always at your service!’). You know, chivalry isn’t dead, its almost dead, but that’s not quite dead.

2. In one sense there is a lot of red-tape in the developing world, but in a lot of other things, they really know how to get it done. Don’t want to wait to turn right at a red? Just cut through the gas station at 50km/hr! In fact that red light is really more of a suggestion than a command after 7pm anyways, so apply that only when convenient. And they don’t have change smaller than 25cents, so if you owe 13, you are big winner!!

1. I live in Paradise. I was having this rant the other morning; it was one of those mornings that I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was mad before I could even make it past the alarm clock. It’s a common syndrome in a foreign country to blame all the different things or frustrations of the life working abroad. But then my roommate told me to go sit outside to the pool (please see photo) and suck it up because I live in, ahem and I quote “a freaking paradise!” And you know, I went out there (sulking, after she left for work… without me, because I had to wait for the bleeding internet company, which in the end was not as bad as I expected) and read Nehemiah and was SO blessed. I do live in a freaking paradise, in so many ways,

I have no excuse to take this all for granted.

posted by Kiki @ 3:59 p.m.