Life as late has been a lot of work, but I've been taking care of a little dog Chele quite a bit, and he's really to thank for the neighborhood meet and greets and sense of community I have down here. Every afternoon walk for him is a new adventure of escape from his captivity in the back patio, and he's just so darn excited to walk the same route. We pass by Luz, who sells chocobananos, and Chele visits her similarly amber colored dog Muneco (Spanish for "doll"). He's an old-timer but he patiently tolerates Chele's hyperactivity. We pass by the park, and the crabby security guard says I can't walk my dog there (it's a sidewalk, hombre) and happily carry on. Occasionally, Chele walks himself and carries his leash in his mouth, or races after the Eskimo ice cream man. My neighbor Luis, who looks like Super Mario, flirts a bit and inquires after my day. He is both a dentist and a futbol commentator, and occasionally I see him flying around town in his red jeep.
My 28th birthday was on Monday, and I got this ditty in my head that "I'm 28 and feelin' great!", which I actually kind of am. Maybe I'm just exhausted and delirious, but I feel thankful for the gifts I've been given so far, and the chance I've had to overcome obstacles. My mom got married at 28, so I've always looked at it is a big age, but you know what? I'm doing a-okay! And I hope you are too.
Though things started a bit rough here, and I felt I quite possibly had entered the true portal to hell, things be jammin' now. That is Bob Marley for everything is much better. I've tried on many different sombreros here, and the latest is motorcycle chica. My new work partner (who is great), has a moto he takes around town, and though I was originally terrified at the prospect of this mode of transportation, it's made running errands about 100 times more fun (sorry, Dad). We had to go up into the Tisey nature reserve outside of town this week, which is becoming more green with each day, and it was pretty liberating to zip around and not have to ride in the back of some farmer's truck. God bless their patience, because the last farmers who I asked concerned questions to about their "pregnant cows" politely told me they were bulls. One of my favorite things in Esteli is the small (organic) farmers' market in town every Friday morning, which lines the north side of Parque Central and sits east of the cathedral. It's a lovely little place with fresh flowers, coffee, pupusas, and plenty of veggies. There's also a goat cheese master chef, but she has sadly been out of town for the past month.
Thankfully, I've had some great outdoor adventures recently, and I also just feel like I'm taking the time to enjoy life a little more. Even though I was robbed again a week ago, getting off the bus to visit a friend (cash, my keys and earrings were taken), I'm trying to embrace the positive moments, and let go of unhappy events. Over the past few weeks, I've floated and hiked along the Coco River through Somoto Canyon and went rappelling off of a waterfall outside of Esteli. Right now, I'm in Leon on the coast for a week, and it's a beautiful city with Spanish colonial architecture, and a lot of restaurants and culture in general. It's amazing how your perspective can change in such a short time. When I first got here, most of what I noticed was negative, but being back a few months later, there's so much to enjoy (i.e. salsa dancing with friends).
There are 1,000 little details in the day that can make such a difference in how that time is spent within one place, as an active observer of the world. Whether it's just the colors of buildings (both vibrant and aging), or the man on my corner who walks like James Brown, I'm happy I'm able to stop and look around.
