day 1: turbulence, laughter, and incredible people
today started off way too early when i went to bed looking for things that i forgot to pack. a few hours later, i was up and at ‘em, eating breakfast and getting ready to fly 2000 miles.
leg one: denver to houston. incredibly bumpy ride and the first flight that i was visibly shaken… ever. my palms were sweaty and i was pretty tensed up. but all that was nothing compared to what i walked out into: texas. hot and humid.
MVP of the flight (psych): the 14 middle school girls sitting in front of me, freaking out over every bump
leg two: houston to managua. there were 7 total manna people on my flight (6 kiddos and 1 PD). but before we got on the plane, we had a barrell of laughs meeting each other. me and four girls, and then we met up one more guy and girl. flight was less bumpy but still had a few scary moments.
best dressed: guy in a pokemon hat. awesome.
best person to sit by: maddie, the PD. too funny.
so we landed in managua and everything that i love about the this place comes rushing back to me: the love the nicans have for each other, the free-for-all attitude when driving down the crowded streets, the potholes and lack of defined lanes, but most of all, manna project.
michael and nikki greeted the 8 of us and maddie, shoved our luggage in the micro (one of the two manna cars- so tight- it’s a microbus). michael met me with a HUGE hug, and i felt right at home in this country. the other students on the trip have started looking to me for the “veteran” answers to certain stuff about managua and manna- where the US embassy is, when earthquakes hit, etc. i don’t know much (and what i do know i owe mostly to emily and kyle). so that’s cool. but when we got to the house— a wall of love hit me. every PD i saw gave me a hug and warmly said “welcome back!! we’re glad to have you” in one form or another. manna project not only changes lives outside the house, but inside as well. after we unloaded the car, i sprinted to the kitchen to get some gallo pinto, which is the national food of nicaragua—spiced rice and beans (aka delicious). we had a general meeting and then we had an extensive meet and greet- full of laughter. everyone was all smiles and told funny/embarassing stories (ranging from being leashed as a kid to not being able to play outside to… having nothing interesting at all to tell).
i feel a great bond already with some of the people. everyone on my flight knows i’m in a christian fraternity, so i’m sure a few great conversations will rise out of that. one of my two roommates has already alluded to his faith, which is tight. can’t wait for church and whatnot to see who i can fellowship with.
i’m hot, sweaty, and could use a cold shower (which is all we’ve got, anway. perfect!) but i couldn’t be happier. i gotta log off so i can get some sleep. team meeting tomorrow morning. holler.
paz.
**freakin-nican fact of the day: the natives joke about eating horse meat-but some actually do it. also, there’s a verb that’s really vulgar concerning “to choose” a train or something. elders don’t mind it but the kiddos giggle at the inappropriate connotation. i don’t know what the verb is- probably all for the better. i get caught up on my spanish enough as it is.
**also, there are four or five dopplegangers here, pooling everyone from greenwood bible study (dre) to jazz camp (joy) to younglife (ben, kinda) to vandy (allie mixed with britta). crazy
