Gratitude For What I Once Took for Granted: Nica Nugget #81

There is a Thanksgiving/Christmas-inspired commercial which is virally being shared via FB right now. It’s of a family in their Suburban home in the United States going about their morning as they get ready for work and school. As they turn on the lights, or the shower or their car, a large holiday bow suddenly appears on the item. As if each modern convenience were a holiday gift. Which indeed of course each is. It reminds me of one aspect I truly love about living in Nicaragua: It’s really hard to take modern conveniences and comforts for granted. Practically every …

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Day of the Dead, Rivas, Nicaragua: Nica Nugget #80

For years, while living in Mexico and now Nicaragua, I’ve wanted to visit one of the local cemeteries on the Day of the Dead. This year I was able to talk my friends Eve and Nathalie into going with me. I’d been told that the cemetery in the larger, neighboring town of Rivas was the one to visit, so that’s where we went. Outside of the cemetery, flower vendors had set up shop. We bought some flowers and headed into the cemetery itself. There we saw people gathered around tombstones, painting, sweeping, eating, chatting, laying down flowers. I felt shy, …

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Vibe Cafe and Making Dreams Come True: Nica Nugget #79

I first met Summer Shacklette over two years ago through a mutual friend. The three of us jumped into her truck to explore some of the northern beaches around Tola and ended up having lunch at the then-beachside restaurant of Mukul. Over drinks there we shared a bit about ourselves, as expats first meeting each other are known to do. Back in Dallas, Texas, Summer had been an Art teacher, a vendor of wines, had gone to culinary school, had worked as a pastry chef in a 5-star restaurant and in a 5-star hotel, and had opened and run her …

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