Managua, Nicaragua, day 3, with Jimmy & my parents

Today Jimmy and I took my parents to Managua and we exposed them to a variety of cultural experiences that they will never forget. First we went to the huge market in the neighborhood where Jimmy grew up, and my parents were fascinated with the local feel to that environment. We did not see any tourists in that market, especially in the “regular” products section, like fruits & vegetables, flowers, piñatas, bathroom stuff, cooking utensils, etc. We spent a couple of hours in that market and the majority of that time was spent in the art craft section, where we all bought gifts and souvenirs. The colors of the art markets in Nicaragua are vibrant and brilliant, and the crafts are absolutely beautiful. After the local market, Jimmy and I took my parents to the huge mall that resembles any kind of nice mall in the States. Extremes. Being exposed to polarized realities is shocking, because wealth and poverty are just so different. We ate a safe lunch at the food court, and then left the mall with our eyebrows raised.

Then we went to Jimmy’s neighborhood. We went to his Aunt Deisi´s house to leave our bags of gifts and souvenirs while we went on a walk around the neighborhood where Jimmy grew up. He took us to his church, to the park where he played baseball, to the location where his parent’s house was (which was abandoned during the war and then sold illegally, and torn down, and the lot was divided up, and new concrete houses were built) and to his little school where he learned to read and write. After our neighborhood tour, we returned to his Aunt’s house and we introduced my parents to so many family members, which includes cousins, second cousins, third cousins, aunts, uncles and his paternal grandmother that Jimmy had not seen in over 20 years. Now my parents have a better understanding of who Jimmy is because they have experienced his roots.

It has been totally easy to travel with my parents. They are very easy to get along with and they are not demanding. I am very proud of them because they do not complain and they are dealing with the cultural experiences that Jimmy and I are exposing them to. They hop on any kind of bus, they cram into any kind of taxi, they walk along any kind of street, and they trust us as their guides. This experience in Nicaragua with Jimmy and my parents has been very intense and has created so many unexplainable memories.

Masaya, Nicaragua with Jimmy & my parents, Day 2

Today Jimmy and I took my parents to Masaya, which is a little city that is famous for their art market because most of the crafts are made in that area. The art market is located inside an old ruin and it is the size of a city block. We spent 4 hours walking up and down the lanes and returned to many shops to buy gifts and memories. My mother went absolutely crazy and smiled the whole time. When we left the market, we took a horse carriage taxi, and both of my parents loved it. My mother was laughing and clapping because she got such a kick out of the two horse carriage. Today was a cultural experience for my parents because we traveled on a normal Nicaraguan bus, which is a US school bus that was probablly condemed there over 30 years ago. Upon arriving to the bus terminal in Masaya, we turned into a soccer field sized lote of mud that stored around 100 (school) buses. We saw some shantytowns neighborhoods with tin shacks that brought tears to my eyes. The poverty in Nicaragua is so obvious and everywhere that it never ceases to shock me. There is trash everywhere and people just throw their garbage out of the bus window. It is so different here.

Nicaragua is having electricity and water shortages, so we often are without both. I just took my first shower after arriving early yesterday, and it is 6pm right now. In Masaya, they do not have electricity or running water between 7am and 2pm, and Granada has a later schedule, so I realize what a priveledge it is to have constant electricity and running water in the sink, toilet and shower.

Costa Rica to Nicaragua with Jimmy & my parents

I am here in Granada with my Mom and Dad. Today was a huge cultural experience for Mom and Dad because we took an 8 hour bus ride and crossed the Costa Rican/Nicaraguan border. We walked around Granada a little bit today, and it is such a beautiful and poor/rich place. The rich/poor gap is astonoshing. Jimmy got really nostalgic at dinner and started to tell my parents about his family´s experience during the war. He was conceived in the year that the war started. He talked about playing as a little boy in the small bomb shelter that his parents dug in their back yard. Jimmy explained how fortunate his parents were before the war, in that they had a nice house and jobs, and then the war displaced them, so they lost EVERYthing. Jimmy said that he does not know all of his family because they have been displaced and he meets a new family member everytime he comes to Nicaragua. I am never ceased to be surprised by how much I learn about my husband when I come to Nicaragua, because his memories open up and she shares so many of his memories. Jimmy teaches me so much and I can feel his happiness when we are in his home country.