Feelin’ good and bad…

The last few days have been awesome and terrible at the same time.

It’s been terrible because my stomach is still not better. I’ve figured out that it hurts whenever I eat, and for several hours after. Which, if I want to eat 3 times a day, this means my stomach is basically hurting all the time. I haven’t been eating much the last few days because it hurts too bad, but I also need to stay hydrated and nourished. I can tell I’ve lost weight because I look super skinny, which I know is a problem that many people would love to have, but I just want to be able to eat normal again without having to feel consequences afterwards. I’m going to see the doctor tomorrow (the one I work with), and we’re gunna do some tests to see if it is a parasite. I ate some food from the mountains the other day, which I now realize was probably not a good idea, but at the time it looked to “cultural” to resist! That was on Thursday, and I’ve been feeling sick since last Tuesday, so maybe it was something else, or maybe my body was just adjusting at 1st and then I got a parasite. IDK. I’m just praying that tomorrow we figure out what it is so we can fix the issue. It’s been affecting my mood and ability to connect with students. It requires concentration for me to understand Spanish, but I can’t concentrate when my stomach is causing so much pain. So I’ve found myself being more quiet, and not experimenting with my Spanish as much because it’s hard to have a conversation when I’m so distracted. I want to be happy and outgoing like I usually am, but I just can’t when I feel like this.

Okay, that’s why it’s been terrible but there are many more reasons to talk about why it’s been awesome!

First of all, through all this, I realize what an awesome host family I have; they have been so kind to me. They’re doing everything they can to help me and make me feel right at home. They’ve been very patient and understanding this whole time that I haven’t felt good, and I feel like I have a great support here. They told me on Thursday night when we read the Bible together, that they know that I will be missing my family, so they want to do whatever they can to make me feel comfortable and “at home”. I’ve also been very blessed by everyone who has been praying for me and sending me encouraging messages.

Some of the students that came to the English Bible Study!

Last Friday we had our 1st English Bible Study! Nadia basically introduced me to the students and said “okay! Here ya go”. We went outside to sit at the tables in the back of the Chi Alpha house. I asked the students to tell me their names, age, what they’re studying, and why they are interested in learning English. Most of them said because in order to get a good job, it’s good to know English. They asked about myself, so I told them about me and what I was doing in Nicaragua. I told them that my hope for this Bible study was that they would grow closer to God and become more confident in their English. And that if I helped them with English, they could help me with my Spanish 😛 They were all so interested in learning, so I’m thinking God will really use this Bible study to help them grow deeper. After the “official” meeting was over, most of them stayed around to ask questions, hang out, and play games for several hours.

Then I got a very exciting phone call. Nadia said that she was busy and could not take me home, so Odulio was on his way to the XA house and would take me home on the motorcycle!!! Eeeep! I almost burst out of my skin I was so excited. Ahhh it was so AWESOME! (No worries, Mom,..and all the other mom’s who may be concerned, Odulio is a very careful driver, and I held on to the back of the bike). It’s a lot different riding thru the city on a bike compared to a car. Everything’s just “right there”. Odulio asked if I wanted to learn…hehe, I’ll let you guess my response. Needless to say, it just increased my desire to invest in a small motorcycle someday when I’m back in the States and have a job. 😀 😀

Friday night was AWESOME! We went to Nadia’s dad’s church (he is also a pastor), and they had a “vigilia” that night, which is when they get together to have worship, preaching, and skits allll night into the next morning. It started at 7:30 PM and went until 6 AM! We got there around 8, and made it until 2 AM, but by then I was about to collapse because I was so tired since I woke up early that day. If you do the math, that was 6 hours of straight-up Spanish, which was mentally exhausting. I didn’t feel well either, BUT it was still so awesome to be around all these people worshiping God and seeing their charisma for Jesus! I hope they do another one sometime so I can enjoy it more when I’m not tired or in pain.

Sunday was Father’s day so we celebrated with Nadia’s dad by going out for breakfast at a nice hotel. Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to my dad on Father’s day last Sunday in the States, but I was thinking of you yesterday! Nadia’s dad has been very kind to me also. He’s very sweet and patient with me to help me learn Spanish.

My host family celebrating Father’s day!

Today was “Teacher’s Day”, so the school that the doctor goes to on Monday’s was closed. I was thankful since I’m still not feeling well. Resting today and probably tomorrow, and hoping that the tests show what’s going on so I can be fixed and back to normal! Getting excited that Katie, a girl from the States, is flying in tonight to intern with Chi Alpha for a month, and will also be my new roomie!

Ohhhh and PS. I CAN’T forget to tell you about this. Possibly one of my favorite things down here is riding to work in the morning! The doctor picks me up at a bank/pharmacy that is on her way into the medical ministry base, but it is about a mile or 2 away from my house, so each morning that I work, I get to ride in this fun little motorcycle/taxi thing that picks me up from my house and drops me off at the bank. I was beaming and Nadia found it so funny how excited I was. It’s so cool! Wouldn’t you want to ride in one of these?!?!?