Excerpts from the Peanut Gallery

Satisfaction is a Piece of Cake

DO you ever have one of those weeks where you get to Friday and you feel like you truly earned it. I did no great particular feat this week. But I pushed through several annual reports and an assortment of theoretically-important documents referred to only by their cryptic acronyms. I also had a heart-wrenching experience concerning a mouse. I don't want to talk about it right now- its too fresh.
So that's how I felt on Friday. 'TGIF' right?
...That phrase is ridiculous. I think you sound ridiculous when you say it. I don't like it, although I agree with the premise. But I digress.


I have that happy tired feeling right now. I am satisfied. That's what it is- satisfaction: from being with 'buena gente'- good people. People to sweat with and people to play with. I spent a wonderful Friday night around a table eating well and having good conversation. The next night I spent an hour or so with people I have barely met- doing essentially the same thing.
Here's the story: Last night I had the desire (the 'ganas' we say here) to do something, but not anything- if you say you'll do 'anything' you will invariably end up at the one place you didn't bother to stipulate against but should have. Every time.
Fortunately for me, my friends had the ganas to do what I always want to do. Sit around eating and talking. Talking and eating. Preferably followed by cake- which it was. I came home feeling very fortunate indeed for the good company and full belly.
Tonight, my friend Nicole and I came home to have a swim- considering that even after sundown it was still hot, this was a buena idea. So we jump in the pool, whilst Marshall-whom we didn't even realise was home, and apparently vice versa- leaves for the night, locking the front door, like any conscientious young house-mate would.





Now, if I had any security issues at all about my house, any preoccupations at all, they are gone. I stood outside dripping wet (and now cold- the pool is after all, unheated- sigh) and looked helplessly at the bars on my windows, with the knowledge there is a big fat padlock on the only other entrance to the house in the back of my head.
Long story short- we're dancing around the front of my house wondering what to do, meanwhile the new neighbours from the casa across from us who were sitting outside confirmed that yes, they had just watched him leave a little while ago. I am not entirely sure what happened next, but the next thing I know, Nicole and I have been sitting at their kitchen table for an hour, eating their son's birthday cake and coffee (they saw me coming a mile away...). We sat and talked with my new neighbours about where they're from (Bolivia) and swapped life-in -Nicaragua stories. Now that I think of it, its funny that we swapped "extranjero" stories with Latin Americans.
They were so kind, hospitable and fun. I am also thankful that after 7 months, I finally feel like I have a relationship with my neighbours.
The whole night just gave me a warm fuzzy.
The pictures have nothing to do with any of this. Except that in some way or another, those people were equally gracious and fun to talk to.

....I'm always weak on the conclusion part. Here's another picture.

posted by Kiki @ 10:11 p.m.