Things Carried: Nica Nugget #25

He carries a mosquito fumigation gun which routinely blasts mosquito-killing chemicals into homes and businesses in town. She carries a pail full of plantains on her head. He carries upon his head fresh strawberries balanced on a full and well-cared-for box labeled Washington State Apples. Babies are carried in the crook of one arm while the bicycle is steered with the other. Grandmothers are carried, seated side saddle, on the back of son’s motorcycles. And hidden away, but just as colorful and unique, each one of us carries our hopes, dreams and fears.

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Lost in Managua: Nica Nugget #24

What do you do in a strange city when night is falling, rush-hour traffic is terrifying, it’s pouring rain, the streets are flooding, the roads Google Maps/Siri screams at you to take to your hotel are all blocked by road construction and you realize you are lost? You pull up to the nearest motorcycle taxi and hire them to lead the way. And then you hire them for the next morning to drive you through the construction maze to your nearby appointment at the US Embassy (Stop #1 in applying for our Nicaraguan residency), because you’ve always wanted to ride …

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Gatherings: Nica Nugget #23

•Wednesday Night was Writer’s Group: 6 Writers •Thursday Afternoon was Speed English’s first event: 10 English-Language Students & 10 Fluent-English Speakers •Friday Morning was Water Aerobics at Pelican Eyes: 6 of us old farts keeping in shape •Saturday was Farmer’s Market at Big Wave Dave’s: Many people •Sunday was Oscar Danilo Collado Dinarte’s church youth group at our house for a swim: 13 darling kids learning how to swim and 7 lifeguards I sweep the house. Do a load of laundry. And take a long nap.

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Moving Day. Correction: Moving Years, Part 2

Dear Reader, The day after our son, Cliff, closed on the purchase of his townhouse in Durango, Colorado, the three of us (John, Cliff and I) were on the road again, making the six-hour drive north, up and over two precarious mountain passes, to our barn in Rangely, Colorado. It would take us four 12-hr round trips, one U-Haul trailer and one U-Haul van, to get all of our stuff out of the barn and down to Durango. And it would take us two months living with Cliff in his townhouse, to sort, sell, toss, pack and store it all. …

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Independence Day: Nica Nugget #22

On September 15, 1821, The Central American provinces declared their independence from Spain, and for the past several months here the local students have been preparing for the annual celebration. You could hear drumming at all hours of the day, and some nights. It became background music, joining the steady beat of the waves. But what a grand celebration it was! This was our first year here for it. Last year our home was rented out for this long weekend, so we remained in the States until our house was free. And the year before, we’d just left Nicaragua to …

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Water Tanks 101: Nica Nugget #21

Water tanks. We see them everywhere in Nicaragua. And in Mexico too, when we lived there recently. On top of houses. On metal structures in fields by houses. And rows of huge tanks in housing developments, alongside roads. In Mexico they call them tinaques. Here in Nicaragua they’re called tanques. Their function is to hold water, which has either been pumped up to them from a well or fed directly from the town water supply. In our case, it’s a 1,100 liter (290 gallon) plastic blue tank which sits on the ground behind our house. Two water lines come on …

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Birthdays Nica-Gringa Style: Nica Nugget #20

What happens when you get Nicas and Gringas (Americans, Canadians and Germans) together for a birthday party? A face in your cake, music, dancing and on this particular day, a trip to the restaurant Gran Diamante in San Jorge, Rivas. Happy Birthday Summer Shacklette and thanks for bringing us all together!

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Lunch at the Market: Nica Nugget #19

I love having lunch at the Mercado in the center of town. Ok, I ordered breakfast and John ordered lunch. They serve both throughout the day, regardless of time. I had scrambled eggs with veggies, local cheese, avocado, gallo pinto which is rice and beans, and fried plantain. John had beef tacos which came with shredded cabbage topped with cream and ketchup. We drank fresh juices, pitaya (dragon fruit) and calala (passion fruit), which came topped with plastic bags to keep the flies off. To the right of the juices you can see a large jar with a red lid. …

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What Are You Fishing For?: Nica Nugget #18

Yesterday, when Kathleen Brugger and I took advantage of low tide to hike out around the headlands on the north side of San Juan del Sur’s gorgeous bay, we ran into a lot of fishermen. And I, in my broken, semi-fluent spanish, asked them “What are you fishing for?” (Para que estan pescando?) I was expecting to hear the names of fish I’d never heard of in spanish, and, to be honest, possibly had never even heard of in english, since I don’t fish. But it’s a common enough question to ask a fisherman, right? I am Puerto Rican and …

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The Cave: Nica Nugget #17

Today the low tide was at 1:18 pm. So at 12:40 pm Kathleen Brugger and I left the sand of Bahia San Juan del Sur below the statue of Cristo and began our hike north along the rocks. You’d think we’d have a great close-up view of Cara del Indio, the profile of an Indian’s face which can be seen clearly from the beachside restaurants, but we were too close and only saw jagged rock. When we rounded the headland we came upon a travertine-type formation along the cliffside where seeping water formed layered rivulets over the rock. The cave’s …

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