I wear shoes all the time. I brush my teeth using a water bottle. I use the toilet with other people in the bathroom. My feet are always dirty – I’m not sure they will ever be clean again. I walk through mud on a daily basis. I’ve eaten enough rice and beans to last me a lifetime. I’m living out of a suitcase. My clothes don’t smell fresh. My showers are cold. I’m never by myself. Our room and bathroom are a mess – I’m always organized. Yes sometimes these things bother me, yet, I wouldn’t change anything here. It’s only been 3 weeks so after 2 months I’m not sure how it will feel to be home. How will I be able to leave this place and the amazing Nicaraguans that live in the compound with us? We have a huge language barrier but we have a great time together. We laugh, we smile, we dance. We play, we joke, we share. I’m living in a world in which things I normally have almost don’t exist – or at least where we’re staying they don’t. I’m living in a foreign world in which I feel like I belong perfectly. I’ve never felt so perfectly fit to anything I’ve ever done. The fact that I can handle all these changes and things that would normally drive me insane just confirms my feelings that I’m meant to be here and that I’m here for a purpose.
