Are those gringos family of yours?

So yesterday, I heard that in the town over from mine (one of the comarcas of Belen) there was a brigade of medical missionaries from the states!! Well to be exact, I was asked by multiple people whether the gringos in the town over were family and friends of mine, so I decided to head over there to check out what they were up to!!

Turns out there was a huge group of Baptist Medical Missionaries from Alabama and Kentucky that came down to set up a clinic for the week!  I walked into the town's elementary school to find almost seventy Americans strewn all over the campus (school was closed for the week to house them and their clinic)!  Their group consisted of doctors, nurses, medical technicians, pastors, youth group leaders, and youth group members.  The school that I had helped build a compost in two weeks ago, now had lines of Nicaraguans waiting outside of all the classrooms that they turned into vision, dental, and gynecological clinics. They even had a pharmacy and kitchen set up! They were giving out raw rice and beans to each person they examined as well as clothes and shoes as needed. It was definitely a cool experience getting to walk around for an hour meeting some of the doctors and their families. Apparently this group travels to different parts of Nicaragua every year to give free check ups, eye exams, glasses, dental work, blood work, antibiotics, vitamins etc. I spoke to a really awesome guy named Ernest who has been traveling with this group for 15 years! He's an amputee and he even traveled down here the year that he lost his leg!!

On a hunch, I asked them if I could return that night with some of my intermediate English students just so they could practice conversing with some native English speakers, and of course they said yes! So after discussing it with my students, they decided we would spend our precious class time meeting and practicing with the brigade. We all piled into the taxi of one of my students (awesome benefit of teaching the taxistas English!) and headed over to meet the “monton of gringos!”

For me it was so amazing getting to watch my seven intermediates conversing in English with these strangers! I was literally beaming with pride at their efforts and at their success! The missionaries were so impressed by them and when one of my students thanked them not only for their health efforts but also for helping them practice English, I absolutely died. The girl he was talking to was so so touched that along with nerves and struggling to think in English, he still had it in him to be grateful and appreciative. I absolutely love my students.

After meeting and talking to a few of the youth group kids that were a part of the brigade, we were invited to join the church service they had set up. We decided to stay since the whole service was going to be given in English and Spanish. The translations were really good practice for both my students and for me!!

Spending some time with the brigade made me realize how amazing it is to be a part of Peace Corps. Of course the work this group is doing here is awesome; they work all year to raise money for this trip and they come down with open hearts ready to reach out and bless all the people they come in contact with. The cool part for me though, was that to all the Nicas here, these do-gooders were "outsiders." They are only here for the week, and will be gone in the blink of an eye. Most of them couldn't speak Spanish, which meant that although their smiles and good intentions were well-received, they weren't able to communicate with the majority of their patients. I felt really special while I was walking around the school/clinic because all of my students and their families came to talk to me and ask me about the “gringos.” They wanted to know my opinions of these outsiders and wanted to know why they didn't speak Spanish like I did. My closest friends told me that I'm the only “Nica Gringa” and that even though I wasn't giving out awesome free baseball caps and chocolate bars, they appreciate me for being a part of their community – although they said it while asking me why I didn't get them some of the free baseball caps and chocolate haha. It really made me value the two year commitment I've made to Peace Corps. It took this experience to show me how at home I really do feel here, and how many connections I've made during my time here.

I remember last year when I went on the mission trip to Honduras, I was on the other side of the spectrum. We spent a week building bunk beds for some amazing kids and made some really great connections with them. We lived with them, ate with them, played with them, took them on trips, and built them beds – but at the same time, we hardly spoke Spanish at all! After our week, we all disappeared from their lives as quickly as we had entered, and even though there were lots of tears both from us and from them, I know that their lives moved on as soon as we left because they're used to strangers coming and going in the blink of an eye. Of course they were grateful and of course they will remember us (especially because they have some awesome three-tiered bunk beds now), but it's just different.  

I guess that's why Peace Corps has the two year commitment requirement.  It was the hardest part of applying for me, knowing that I'd be leaving for two whole years, but now I understand why the commitment is necessary.  To really enact sustainable changes, one has to be a part of the community - not just an outsider deciding what's best for a town they've spent no time in.  Living here and actually forming lasting relationships is pretty amazing.  Unfortunately, as I was discussing with some of my friends here the other day, leaving after two years is going to be beyond heartbreaking.  I can't imagine leaving here and knowing that I'll only be back as a visitor from time to time.  These are my students, my co-workers, my new found friends and family.  I can't imagine having to say goodbye to them all!! I've been here in my town for 7 months now (in Nicaragua for 10!) and time is absolutely flying! Of course I'm excited to return home, but I can also say that I'm in no rush to leave here.  

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**In other news...I  got peed on by the notorious "Maya" bug that thrives here during the rainy season.  It's a nasty beetle-ish bug that pees on you and leaves behind a gross group of blisters.  I didn't feel it when it happened...I just noticed the blisters on my elbow when I woke up in the morning (which suggests that it was inside my mosquito net =O ahhh!).  As instructed by all my Nica friends, I quickly popped the blisters and the burn immediately began to burn like they said it would.  Eww!! Worst bug ever!

***More importantly...I'm headed to Costa Rica tomorrow to see the Boscherts!!! Can't wait!!!!!!!