Nicaragua: Site Placement

If home is where the heart is, then I'm in a confused state. I'm not sure if: 

1. I have at least five homes scattered across three countries...and counting.

-OR-

2. I have not yet found my true home, and am therefore currently homeless.

I bring myself to this reflection after spending a week visiting what will be my newest home. Yes, once again I find myself in a state of transition, wrapping up duties in my training town and making preparations to move across the country to my new community for the next two years. At this point one could just call me a home-collector.

Once upon a time when I was 11 years old my family went on a road trip from Minnesota to Seattle, Washington to visit some family friends. I believe that was the first time my youngest brother (4 years old at the time) met these friends of ours. Our two families, both consisting of a mom, a dad, and four children, spent a week doing fun Seattle things, for lack of a better description. Anyway, upon returning back to Minnesota my little bro thought it would be a great idea to take another family road trip. According to him it would be easy: we just all get in the van, drive somewhere, knock on the door of somebody's house that we don't know, stay with them for a week, become friends, and then leave and live happily ever after knowing that we made new friends in a different place. He had it all figured out.

Although I wouldn't exactly recommend going to a foreign place and asking any random person for a place to crash, I feel like that is what my life has been for the past while. Okay, of course study abroad programs and organizations such as the Peace Corps do a great job of screening and preparing host families beforehand. Let's establish that first. However, it still feels a bit strange, introducing myself to my new "families" and taking over a bedroom in their house. This happened last year in Mexico, two months ago in Nicaragua, and once again this week in my new Nicaraguan community. A little bit awkward, nerve-wracking, and exciting. It's all part of the fun. 

I may be torn that once again I have to say "see you later" to my current family and go settle in with my new one. It's bittersweet, this whole home-collecting adventure I'm on, and sometimes unsettling. Not to worry, though. My newest home gave me good vibes during my initial visit. I will be making the move there at the end of May when I officially swear-in as a Peace Corps volunteer. Here are a few pictures of my new green, jungle, river community:

And because I feel the need to share more of Nicaragua's natural beauty, I leave you with a few snapshots taken while on other Nicaraguan adventures.