Wow! So when I left off last, I was hoping for not too many bug bites, and had plans to go to Inan Itah. I have indeed made it to Inan Itah! It is a special place, I believe I am having an experience here that I'll look back on, later in life, as a profound one.
Inan Itah is "An Earth Based Spiritual Community". I DID NOT fully internalize this before coming here. haha! I had a feeling that there was gonna be a spiritual aspect to the place, but what I was really coming for was to volunteer on the farm. This is not anything close to what actually happened.
I arrived to Inan Itah safely. I was greeted by a gal named Vallery; I was hungry, and feeling a little stressed. She talked to me in a soft, and calm voice. She asked me what my intentions were at Inan Itah. Well! I hadn't even thought of my intentions. I came up with some "intensions on the spot, communicated them, we talked a little bit more, and then she took me for a tour of the place. As we walked around, it began to sink in that being at Inan Itah would be a different experience for me than anything I had experienced before.
It took me a couple days to settle in. I have now been here a week. I chose to title this blog post "A Changed State of Mind" because that is the most accurate description to how I feel here. Things move slower, there is a really big emphasis on community, judgement don't seem to exist, and there is a lot of hugging. If you haven't thought already "so is she living on a hippie commune?", nows your chance to. A hippie commune is definitely a label you could put on Inan Itah.
I don't really have plans of how long I will stay at Inan Itah or what my "intentions are here" but my changed state of mind feels good and that is keeping me here at the moment.
Today I spent my day walking around and interacting and communicating with people. That's basically it! Well there was also some dancing. Many people here are agreeing it's a great place to relax, and I am personally feeling a new level of relaxation than ever before.
I am glad I was able to find time to write this blog post tonight. I know there are many people - family, friends, whatever, who enjoy reading this blog! Please feel free to comment, I really enjoy getting comments. A significant number of folks have told me that they couldn't figure out how to comment, so if you have a comment and want to avoid a potentially frustrating process, please feel free to email me your comment instead. I will very much enjoy getting that as well.
Ok. Much peace to all of you reading this. I am writting this from a very peaceful state of mind, maybe you are reading this and gaining a peaceful state of mind as well.
Hmm, well I sure hope that's the case!
Chau for now :-)
Thursday, January 12
Thursday, January 5
First week jitters: gone.
So maybe it was a little ambitious traveling alone in country I didn't know the language of... I didn't want to admit it in my first post, but the first two days in Nicaragua, was the most homesick I have ever been, and I didn't even think I knew how to get home sick.
How comfortable I am feeling now has a lot to do with a local I have met named Nain. He is studying tourism, so unlike many Nicas he enjoys answering the hundreds of questions, that we, tourists asks. Typical Nicarguans, get burnt out after maybe 5 questions. If I were a Nicaraguan, I would too.
Nain also acquired a follower named Vaclav from the Czech Republic, so the 3 of us set out to San Juan del Sur on New Years Eve morning, hoping that the beach town would be a suitable place to take in the new year. On the ferry back to the main land we met a couple who was also heading to San Juan del Sur, so we were eventually able to split the cost of taxi with them so that it would only be $2 not $3. But in Nica dollars that saves you $20 cordobas.
After a struggle to find a hotel, we finally settled on one with an ocean view and an included breakfast in the morning. Nain met up with a friend from University in the city and she showed us to a good local restaurant to have lunch and then took us on an afternoon walk along the beach and onto some rock cliffs on the water, that some thought to be shaped like an indigenous man's face. AND I was able to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean for the fist time! Finally when we got back to town it was time for (don't listen mom and dad) a round of cervezas! After dinner, we went on a search for the a place to bring in the new year. We finally settled on the dance club with the cheapest cover charge. Unfortunately, due to the touristy nature of the town, the DJ played American music all night, but New Years was special none the less.
We spent one more day in San Juan del Sur, encountering too many obnoxious Americans and headed to Granada. Granada is one of the larger cities in Nicaragua, and is actually a colonial town. We found a hostel that was cheaper than any place that I have ever stayed in and nicer than any place I have ever stayed in.
We filled our 3 days there, with touristy adventures, including a boat ride through the many small islands near Granada, and a tour of the Mombacho volcano. It was sad to leave Granada and Vaclav this morning, (Vaclav is on his way north to Guatamala), but Nain had just about run out of money, and I needed to start farming. Tonight I am back at the Landing hotel, but will set out tomorrow to the other side of the Island to Inan Itah for lunch, where they will hopefully take me on board as a volunteer for a month.
Just another adventure. I hope to not get to many bug bites tonight!
How comfortable I am feeling now has a lot to do with a local I have met named Nain. He is studying tourism, so unlike many Nicas he enjoys answering the hundreds of questions, that we, tourists asks. Typical Nicarguans, get burnt out after maybe 5 questions. If I were a Nicaraguan, I would too.
Nain also acquired a follower named Vaclav from the Czech Republic, so the 3 of us set out to San Juan del Sur on New Years Eve morning, hoping that the beach town would be a suitable place to take in the new year. On the ferry back to the main land we met a couple who was also heading to San Juan del Sur, so we were eventually able to split the cost of taxi with them so that it would only be $2 not $3. But in Nica dollars that saves you $20 cordobas.
After a struggle to find a hotel, we finally settled on one with an ocean view and an included breakfast in the morning. Nain met up with a friend from University in the city and she showed us to a good local restaurant to have lunch and then took us on an afternoon walk along the beach and onto some rock cliffs on the water, that some thought to be shaped like an indigenous man's face. AND I was able to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean for the fist time! Finally when we got back to town it was time for (don't listen mom and dad) a round of cervezas! After dinner, we went on a search for the a place to bring in the new year. We finally settled on the dance club with the cheapest cover charge. Unfortunately, due to the touristy nature of the town, the DJ played American music all night, but New Years was special none the less.
We spent one more day in San Juan del Sur, encountering too many obnoxious Americans and headed to Granada. Granada is one of the larger cities in Nicaragua, and is actually a colonial town. We found a hostel that was cheaper than any place that I have ever stayed in and nicer than any place I have ever stayed in.
We filled our 3 days there, with touristy adventures, including a boat ride through the many small islands near Granada, and a tour of the Mombacho volcano. It was sad to leave Granada and Vaclav this morning, (Vaclav is on his way north to Guatamala), but Nain had just about run out of money, and I needed to start farming. Tonight I am back at the Landing hotel, but will set out tomorrow to the other side of the Island to Inan Itah for lunch, where they will hopefully take me on board as a volunteer for a month.
Just another adventure. I hope to not get to many bug bites tonight!
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