Yes, it’s been two months since my last post. What can I say, nica time (island time’s close amigo) is a part of my life now. Read on for my ramblings about time, travel (this would be a much more exciting blog if it weren’t for that comma) and even a top tip for learning Spanish.
This weekend we farewelled the last of the international volunteers, just leaving myself, the other long termer Meg, and of course our compañeros Nicaragüense. While it is far from over, this made me reflect on my time here so far. The last seven months here in Nicaragua have been a roller coaster of cultural experiences, travels, professional and personal development, but I think most importantly meeting some great people. Not just our colleagues, friends and adopted families in the community but also the eclectic assortment of international visitors who pass though. On top of the dozens of participants of our solar courses, and the odd person who just pops in to check out what we are up to, there have been 21 volunteers, each here for at least 2 months. That’s a lot of new friends, but also a lot of sometimes difficult goodbyes.
Starting off my time here at Grupo Fenix way back at the start of February with 5 others, we formed a close group quickly, but at the same time knowing that this wasn’t forever, far from it. Now these 5 are long gone, so long gone that the most recent groups to pass though only know of them from Meg and I reminiscing of past adventures. I remember those first couple of months, so many adventures and new experiences, the earlier periods especially seem like a distant memory, I think in part because so much has happened in between now and then.
It’s a strange thing, the perception of time. I once heard a theory, that fewer new experiences and more routine, leads to the appearance of time passing faster. That’s why – as the theory goes – that we insist every year of our life passes quicker than the last. I don’t know how much substance is behind this, but it certainly resonates with me, and I think is a big part of why I can never stay in one place for too long, that and an immense aversion to boredom. But anyway, I digress. The point I was getting at, is that every passing month here seems to pass more and more rapidly as the new experiences are slowly overcome by routine and familiarity. This has been highlighted recently by the number of volunteers who have had a two month stint come and go while I have been here. Their whole experience at Grupo Fenix, a period of time which was significant for me, and I’m sure them as well, now passes by in a flash. Well maybe not a flash, but you get what I mean.
Now it may seem like I’m advocating for living life on the road… no, well not all of the time. While travelling, and hopping from place to place every few days is great, and I love it, I feel like it’s not sustainable long-term. Firstly it’s exhausting, and living out of a backpack for weeks on end will try anyones patience, but more importantly you need time to stop, reflect and really get under the skin of a place. That takes time, not just a couple of weeks, but months. That along with the professional development I am getting, and the impact I am making within Grupo Fenix is why I’m here. And that is what I remind myself of, as I stand by the side of the highway waving goodbye as another friend disappears on a bus bound for Managua, and that thought creeps into my head “What if I was on that bus?”
That, and I am yet to achieve one of my main goals for my time here, to become fluent in Spanish. Don’t get me wrong, I have made great progress considering less than a year ago my Spanish vocabulary consisted of hola and amigo. This month I had another success, I stumbled upon a great learning tool, which I sure will be familiar to many who have tried to learn a language through immersion. Booze, preferably in large quantities, and here in Sabana Grande, this is in the form of Toña, by the litre of course! I’m sure that my comprehension and ability to form cohesive sentences doubles (well at least that’s how it feels at the time).
And on that note; adios, ¡hasta luego!
Want to read about more adventures from Nicaragua? Click here!
