2004 - Is it possible to live a lifetime in 10 days?

This morning Lucrecia, her husband Eddy and their three kids took Mom and me to the beach. We borrowed one of the base's trucks and piled in. It was about a 40 minute drive through the countryside to reach the Pacific Ocean.

And oh so beautiful! The waves were extremely rough so we walked up to an inlet where the water was calmer, although there was still quite a strong current. The water was so warm, almost like swimming in your bathtub. I had lived in Hawaii for a year in my early 20's and had lived at the beach, but I had forgotten how salty salt water was (duh, Marie, it's the ocean!). Lucrecia and I took a walk up the beach looking in the tide pools and trying to catch these little crabs.

Lucrecia's kids were a hoot to watch as they ran in and out of the water splashing and playing. The two younger ones (ages 9 and 12) especially loved the water and building sand castles. We had to literally drag them out of the water when it was time to go.



We only stayed about three hours, but that was enough. Despite slathering on tons of sunscreen, my shoulders are mighty tender tonight. On the way home, we picked up two girls, one from New York City and the other from the Netherlands, who were enrolled in a Spanish Immersion course in a neighboring city. We dropped the girls off at a youth hostel where they were to spend the night in Leon.

Today was my last day in Leon. It has been bittersweet as I bade goodbye to my Nicaraguan sister, Lucrecia, and her lovely family. It is amazing to realize that eventhough we have a language barrier, it was surpassed by our connection as women and our shared Christianity.

The people of Leon and Villa Soberana, eventhough they live practically on top of one another, have such a feeling of community and ownership of what little they have. The Nicaraguans are a very resourceful people.

I am glad I had these 10 days to sample just a bit of Nicaragua.

Tomorrow it's off to Manangua! We will swing by the site of the old Leon ruins (destroyed by volcano in the 1600's I think - I don't have my guide book in front of me). I will be dropped off at the hotel Las Mercedes and catch my plane out of here on Monday.

I probably will not have an opportunity to post again until I return home. So until then...

Vaya con Dios