Riva, Riva, Rivas, The ring of bus boys and taxi drivers sounds the same every time. Working to convince passerby’s with the shear enthusiasm of their voice to join their journey to a different place. My quickest trip to Nicaragua was indeed well appreciated. With the passing of more than two years since I had last seen any of my friends in Nicaragua it was refreshing to see their smiles, hear their laughs and exchange comical stories of our lives moving along. Four of them have new children, Mariel has a 2 year old girl, Gonzalo a 1 year old boy, Ramon with a 5 month old boy, and Alfredo with a 2 month old boy. I am a little surprised as my life has been far from having children and now many close friends of mine are happy fathers and mothers.
No denying I noticed the standard development and spread of western progress none the less I still feel the heart of the country beating strong and shining with joy. The friends I have seen and the strangers that I passed by still have the same stress free relaxed attitude that keeps people smiling when money is scarce and responsibilities real. This constant positivism in life is a strong force as my dear friend Fermin explained to me while we sat under the shade of a tree on an, empty white sand, sea shell littered beach. We shared stories of life… losses and gains, sadness and joys, each accepting that our words have meaning and impact but life has more faces than either of us can label. Get to the root of the matter and you conclude… why label what you cant control when you have the option to stay positive about the things you can?
What is it about Yaoska that swayed me into a spontaneous trip to visit while I know very well the difficulties involved in being together. I think more than anything it was her voice fluidly expressing emotions and ideas thoroughly and without hesitation. The relaxed feeling I’m lulled into by the distant whispers of unconditional happiness spoken from a woman who is genuine and caring. Perhaps also her strong features that emphasize the power of a delicate body. Maybe I am drawn to the idea that she has yet to be distracted by a capitalistic world that deforms priories and confuses relationships. Or maybe that she can still comfortably share a room with 3 sisters and a best friend. Whatever it was that called me down there it only grew as two weeks passed without a hesitation or complication between us. Cheers to Nicaragua.
