The family in the waiting room
I have discovered here in Nica the majority of babies are born via c-section instead of by the natural method. The doctors always seem to jump to the conclusion that a c-section is necessary when in reality that is not the case. This continuously frustrates my site mate Lindsey who works with pregnant women and in the Casa Materna here in Chinandega. The lack of education and a perpetual fear around delivering a baby naturally drives most women to beg for a c-section. Apparently this causes more risks for the mothers, but the doctors continue to perform c-section after c-section with out batting an eye. Lindsey has recently become as much a part of my family as I have and no one flinched when the Chela(white girl) and Morenita(black girl) patiently waited with my host family. What's more is no one hesitated to let us in to the private room to see my sister and her new baby. Clearly we were not related by blood, but no one seemed to care. This is the first time that I have seen a new born, let alone with in the hour of birth. I've never been a"baby person", in fact I think newborns look rather scary when first born. I'm working on that, but Thais is actually pretty cute. She doesn't do a whole lot right now, poop, eat, sleep, and poop some more.
Uncle Jose and Thais right after she was born
At home all dressed up in one of her many outfits!
My family continues to be amazing. When I got back from the U.S. we spent hours swapping photos and stories of my family and friends back home and the festivities I missed here. I could tell that they were excited to have me back and they absolutely loved the gifts that I brought them. The start of February marks six months in our respective cities and the first chance to move out of the house we were assigned with a Nica family to live solo. I have opted to stay put. I can't actually imagine leaving this house. I think my family would be so hurt and I would honestly really miss them. I love coming home to a house full of loving people.
My site mate Lindsey, morenita, moved in to her own place three blocks away from me a few months ago. She finally just had her house warming party last night, which was awesome! We invited all of our local Nica friends and volunteers, including my host bro and friends of course. We got gigantic speakers donated by a her friend which pumped Nica music down the block as we danced the night away. The party was complete with some chicken on the grill and a bonfire to cook smores over. This fiesta made me realize how integrated we are in our community. Not only was my host family there, but several volunteers have Nica boyfriends/girlfriends. We also had co-workers show up of all ages and have a great time. This morning we all woke up and headed to a day of recovery at the beach. My host mom told me that she wants a prescription to whatever drug I'm taking so she can have as much energy as I do ha ha. Little does she know it doesn't take that much energy to chill beachside and then head to a sports bar for the NFL Semi-finals.
Work is slow right now, but still gratifying. I'm working with small business owners to identify areas where I can help them improve their business. School will be picking up in February, but for now I'm taking advantage of this time to travel to rural communities, especially Coco Loco to help out. I've been getting some great surfing days in, although severely bruised my ribs last weekend and its been a rough recovery. Too bad surfing is just too much fun!
