Staying busy

It's amazing how busy a person that has no formal employment and few responsibilities can be.
Since my arrival in Nicaragua I have done so many different things and experienced so much already.
After getting settled in with my family we developed our routine. I get up in the morning and they have breakfast for me before I walk to the school. In the evenings we attempt conversation. During one of these talks they asked when my birthday was. When they discovered it was the day I arrived in Nica they decided to throw me a surprise birthday party. Unfortunately I got sick quickly and was out of commission for a couple days where I laid in bed and they nursed me back to health. When I was finally well the fiesta was on! We walked to another neighborhood to pick up a pinata and candy to fill it with. Back at the house the pinata was strung up and an amazing cake was brought out. On the cake was written Happy Birthday Jasmine in Spanish. A huge crowd of all the neighborhood kids came for the party. Then the music- Latin dance music- and the first little girl was blindfolded, given the baton and prepared to face the pinata. This tiny little four year old swung at the pinata as my friend yanked the rope up and down to tease her. In between swings the little girl would dance and twirl around to the music. Many little kids took turns and then it was my turn. I was blindfolded and then tried to hit it. Everyone yelling "bailar, bailar" or "arriba" to get me to dance or swing the baton up. Finally the bigger kids took a turn and the candy broke free. By tradition I made the first cut of the cake and then it was passed around. Later in the night I was brought back to my feet to attempt some dance lessons. We laughed, danced and acted silly in our house full of women and children. It was the best birthday party a girl could hope for.
My schedule consists of volunteer work at the garden in the mornings where I catch a micro bus to the neighborhood and back to the school for lunch and afternoon lessons. So far my work has included going to the beehives to see the honey (the richest, most floral sweet treat ever), watering plants by hand, raking leaves and burning them, painting signs to post for the children in the daycare. I work with Pedro, a gardener and handyman, who speaks no English and is very patient teaching me Spanish. Pedro tolerates not only my lack of English but my tedious gardening habits. As a city girl that has grown up mostly in apartments and condos I have limited gardening experience. When presented with the rake I shuffled the dirt around and got a few leaves. He showed me the efficient way to rake and I became an expert. There is a beautiful harmony that develops in my head when I work with my hands. The feeling of accomplishment coupled with my mind being free to wander bring a sense of joy.
The other day a couple young fellows wandered in and greeted me in English. Joseph is 18 and studying English. We worked on his homework together. He asked if he could be my friend and I accepted. He is now my sidekick at the garden and helps me with my work. He says surprisingly profound things. He asked me what the purpose of my life was this year. Completely caught me off guard but I thought about it and we had a great conversation. He said something about me being pretty and I tried to fend that off by saying I wasn't. Earnestly he said to me, "why would you say you are not pretty? All the people of the world are pretty". His sidekick, a small guy for 13 years old, carried a slingshot which he used to shoot at the chickens. He let me borrow it to shoot at the trees and fruit.
Last Sunday I got to go horseback riding up the hills for a view of the volcano. We rode through the dusty neighborhoods out to the fields where everything was multiple shades of green, gold and browns. Up on the vista we dismounted and looked out at the volcano and the ground below that was scarred from previous lava flows. It was spectacular.
Spanish lessons are coming along. I understand so much more than I had hoped for but the speaking is coming along slowly. I am a work in progress.
Emotionally I am touched every day. Pedro took me to meet his friends who were sorting mandarins for the market. We tried to visit and laughed more. Before I left I was given two bags of fruit as a gift.
This country grows on me more all the time. The foreign beauty I'm beginning to understand and respect. The people I have come to see as family.