Nicaragua: Wake up and find

It's been said that each man (or woman) thinks his (or her) burden is the heaviest.

In Nicaragua our current burden is the heat. Each region of the country is experiencing a different kid of heat, but the one common factor across the board is that it is currently hotter than "normal" no matter where one is geographically located within Nicaragua. 

Numerically speaking (referring to the temperature) I do not live in the hottest area of Nicaragua. However, in my neck of the woods (or should I say sub-tropic jungle?) our specific burden has been the heat plus humidity. You've heard the old debate of "Which is worse: dry heat or humid heat?" I would argue that 88 degrees and humid is far worse than a dry 97 degrees. Let's be honest, who enjoys living in a constant state of sticky moisture?

I was recently invited back to the "training towns" on the Pacific side of the country to help facilitate a training session for the newest group of volunteers. Remembering what it was like to be a trainee a year ago, I sympathized with their comments about the heat. Having lived in both the breezy, dry Pacific and the muggy, wet Caribbean, it took a great deal of self-control not to confess to them, "Actually, where you guys live is relatively cool. If you knew what it was like where I live, you would appreciate your current climate a lot more." It's like comparing the Arizona desert to the Florida Everglades.

Perhaps I think that my current heat-plus-humidity burden is the toughest to bear compared to what volunteers are facing in the rest of the country. Maybe my argument is valid, or maybe it's just me being over-dramatic. One thing is certain: we are all anxious for April to end.