It was a week of final presentations, wrapping up our work at the school, and preparing for the big move to our new site. After visiting, I am energized to begin doing the work we have been preparing for during these past three months. But oh yes, there are the goodbyes.
Nothing could have been as hard as the goodbyes I had to endure in order to move to Nicaragua, but it continues to amaze me what it means to have a sense of community. Here we are in a big city where it took a long while to integrate and feel like we really understood its culture, the setup of its streets, and the neighbors that surrounded us. In fact, I would say that it took me almost two whole months to get to know the city fully and make it my home.
However, until this week I did not realized that I had fully adopted this city as my temporary home, even with its moto-taxis that nearly run you over and the horse poop smelling up the streets. My group began our presentation on our community integration by dressing in traditional costumes worn during Diriamba’s annual celebration. We like to call it the center of culture because it is the birthplace of various traditional dances and a play that makes fun of the Spanish conquerors. We not only impressed the staff and language facilitators, but also our fellow volunteers and even ourselves. In a matter of a few minutes we realized all that we had taken away from the city of Diriamba.
The week continued at a rapid pace as the workload did not weaken. On Thursday we made our last visit to the school in the morning to give away trees we had planted in bags to be transplanted in the ground as a part of Nicaraguas reforestation efforts. As we arrived they announced that the kids had a small program planned in our honor. Each class we had worked with had a different activity planned, some being songs and others danced. We were nearly in tears because it was so beautiful and sweet of them to prepare for us. We had not realized the impact we had made upon them until we arrived that day.
I rushed home to gather my lesson plans and return to the school to give my last science lesson. After I had completed the lesson, my teacher presented me with a lovely card and a ceramic wall ornament from the class. In addition, each student gave me kind parting words about what they had learned from my lessons and their wishes for me to have a safe journey. Again I was nearly in tears! One of the moms prepared a typical Nicaraguan dish and there was yet another program to follow. This one consisted of mostly dancing and lasted for over an hour. (The students either attend school in the morning OR the afternoon, so the students were different hence the reason for two different programs.)
Now it is time for me to say goodbye to the family that welcomed me with open arms in those first few days when I was nervous and intimidated by the two years ahead of me. This is yet another instance of how I hadn’t realized quite how much I had bonded with them until it has come time to part ways. I will miss the baseball games with my host dad, watching Brazilian soap operas with my host mom while talking about education in Nicaragua, and even the way Luis Jesús calls me Amorgan instead of Morgan. This was my home for almost three months and I will miss certain aspects, most of which I was unaware that I had appreciated so much until I was packing my bags.
And yet I cannot help but feel anticipation as I head to my new site. As my dad pointed out, I am done with around 10% of my service and even though it is an important start, I have not even begun my work. I feel motivated and prepared for the most part, as prepared as three months of training can make a person. In the Peace Corps, learning as you go is an important aspect. I learn more and more each and every day about myself, the U.S., and this beautiful country in which I currently live.
The secret to happiness, you see, is not in seeking more but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. –Socrates
This quote truly embodies the Peace Corps. I am finding a new sense of peace and accomplishment throughout every individual day. The journey has already begun, but it is about to get a lot more interesting.
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