On To The Good Stuff...

So...my Nicaragua Family.

May 29th, we all arrived at our families´ houses. I was the last one to be dropped off, which was nice because I got to see everyone else´s houses and families waiting their arrival. I was greeted by Don Lorenzo sitting in his old iron rocker, who is 80 years old and now know that he permanently lives on the patio so that greeting wasn´t anything special. He is so funny, I barely understand half of what he says, but the other half I actually hear is about my boyfriend. Don´t worry, no new news, I don´t have one but he contantly teases me about it...very funny. Actually one of the first things he said to me what ¨when you came to Nicaragua how many men cred for you?¨ He stays on his toes for an 80 year old.

Then there is Doña Maura who greeted me next and pretty much interrogated me about everything I like right off the bat. First thing I thought, she is another Conchi (my host mom from Spain). And that she is. She asked me what foods I like, since I am still a vegetarian and about my family and myself. Then she gives me a tour of the house. She says ¨we have a poor house, a very poor house, but it is clean.¨ This is very true. So there is the patio that is enclosed with iron rods that I guess are for decoration, then there´s a tv room where four or five abuelitos (wooden ricking chairs) sit at any given time around the tv. The floors are tiled and are pretty nice. Then that front room leads to a very small hallway where the dinner table is, set up against the wall. On the other side of the wall from the table is Maura, Lorenzo and Osmar´s room. The that leads to a very small kitchen with a low ceiling, even I have to duck a little when I pass through. Then just outside the kitchen is the back yard which is dirt and a fire pit. Though one of the sons lives in the house with us, Carlos, and his room is small with a swinging wooden door and then there is the bathroom. It is open but in a stall pretty much with the toilet there and then a half wall and a curtain for the shower. The toilet is just a bowl that flushes pretty much so I have definitely strengthened my legs squatting. My room is not attached to the house. It is in the back and is actually pretty big considering. Luckily I have an armoir, a bed stand and a double bed and some funny religious decorations along with a nice big fan, which is much needed.

So Carlos, he is maybe forty and lives with his mom, although he has a girlfriend and a daughter in teh same town. I try not to pry or ask questions when things seem a litte off, but I asked Doña Maura when he doesn´t live with them and she said, well duh, he just is used to living with his mama. She does take car of him, and all families no matter how large live in the same house it seems. He is very helpful aroudn the house though and since Doña Maura or Don Lorenzo never leave the house really, he is the errand boy. It´s funny, they have a cat named Minino who loves Carlos and is like a dog. It comes running when he calls adn sits on his lap and purrs. Carlos does not really talk to me, but I think I am growing on him. We watch soccer together a lot, since the Europe cup is happening now. And I made him laugh the other day, when I came back from the docter´s and said ¨Well, I am going to live.¨ That was progress.

Then there is Osmar. The four year old. We have a great relationship. Like, last night we played soccer together on the enclosed porch for like an hour and he is so cute. He does things to make me laugh over and over and thinks he impresses me all the time. He wants to be just like the men in his life, Carlos, Oscar and Jonni (who I will talk about later). He helps out as much as he can, but he is also annoying a lot og the time. He always wants to be in my room touching things and punching numbers on my phone. On sleep mode, my Nicaraguan cell has fish floating around and he always wants to see them. Maura tries to keep him away to give me my space

It is amazing how much respect there is within the house. The men and boys are so polite, at least around me. Saying, con permiso, with permission, when they leave the table and picking up things the women drop. They always do things for Doña Maura, eithe rout of respect, fear, or debt for something she did for them in the past. She is definitely the driving force behind the whole family, close and extended.