It is a surreal experience sitting here in my bedroom at home
in SoDak, reading over some of my past blog posts nearly a month after
finishing the Somos Hermanos program in Guatemala. Some things have returned
back to normal as I work on settling back into life in the States, and other
things remind me that a part of my life (and heart) will always be in the
mountains of Guatemala.
The last month has flown by with a nearly 50-hour bus ride throughout
Central America to visit Mike, a great friend from Creighton, followed by the
holidays at home and a family vacation down to St. Maarten. It has been a lot
of traveling, a lot of eating, and a lot of family time: all great things in my
book.
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| Adyson and I have been working hard to stay in shape after all of those Christmas cookies... |
The trip down to Ecuador was…eventful. I am proud to say I
actually made the bus ride from Guatemala to Panama before flying down to
Ecuador, and I met some great people along the way. We had a nine-hour layover
in El Salvador, where I was able to meet up with the girl who coordinated our
group trip there, and we had a great time (including karaoke, español style!).
The bus had some issues in Costa Rica, and so we ended up getting to Panama
only an hour before my flight. Bags flying and totally stressed out, I found a great taxi driver who tried to help me make it
to the airport in time any way he could (I'll leave it at that). After a little begging, I was able to get on the flight
to Ecuador that left only 25 minutes after I got to the airport. Whew!
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| Scuba diving in Ayangue, Ecuador -- Merry Christmas from under-water Jesus and me! |
Once I got to Ecuador, I spent a day on the coast at Ayangue
to go scuba diving and relax before heading to Guayaquil to see Mike. It was a
great time to unwind! And, seeing Mike – and his girlfriend Emily, who was
visiting at the same time – was incredible. It was great to meet the people he
works with and spend time in the community where he is volunteering this year.
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| Reunited in Guayaquil! |
I made the flight back home and surprised my parents by
getting back a little early. It was really surreal being back with my family, and
it was great to be home for the holidays! I’m sure they have seen more pictures
and heard more stories from my last few months than they were expecting, but they
have been great listeners and I love sharing.
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| The family at Christmas, finally all together again. |
Two weeks later, I packed my bags again for a family
vacation to St. Maarten in the Caribbean. Honestly, it almost felt more like
‘going home’ than going on vacation in a way – and it was great to speak a
little Spanish and enjoy the sun! We came back on Saturday night to freezing
temperatures, snow, and ice. All I can say is…brrrr.
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| Enjoying the relaxing isolation of Shoal Bay. I could have stayed here a while longer! |
So there you have it – a long-overdue update on where things
are at post-Guate! If I had to pick one word to describe my life over the past
six months, I think it would be ‘packing’. And, it continues. I am packing now
and getting ready to head out on my next adventure by moving to Colorado to
live with a great friend, Kelsey, and get my first ‘real job’ (and hopefully
keep traveling a little bit!) until I head out to D.C. in the summer to start med school. I’ll be
making a short stop by Omaha to see friends on my way and absolutely cannot
wait.
Every day continues to amaze me, and I am loving the
adventure. It’s time for another chapter and another change. One of the biggest
things this year has done for me so far is help me realize that change is what
you make it, and adaptability is vital. With that in mind, I am going to
continue trying to make my entire life (keyboard included) fit into my car and
make the long trek to the Rocky Mountains.
Te extraño, te quiero, and if I haven’t seen you yet, I hope
to see you soon!
Paz,
Nico
