this world is where i breathe; let it never be called home.: I have returned from the land of no S's.

Yes, it is true. I have returned (He regresado - gotta love those past participle) from Nicaragua, the land of no S's. "No 'S's'?" you ask? Yes, they do not pronounce the S's at the end of most of their words. In the Spanish language, the days of the week, Lunes, Martes, Miercoles (and so on), all have S's on the end of them. In Nicaragua, however, it seems like they have all disappeared. Martes (or Tuesday) is pronounced 'Marte' (or Mar-tay, for you non-Spanish speakers who have difficulty with pronunciation). And to be quite honest, I loved it. I loved everything about the way that they spoke and the way that my new Nicaraguan friends and family took interest in me, a silly norteamericana. I loved their intentionality and their hospitality, and even if they didn't have much to give me, they gave me all of their time, which, as I have come to learn, is far more precious nowadays than one realizes.

Our 12-day sojourn to Nicaragua wasn't life-changing, as many trips are expected to be, but it was life-augmenting. It has filled and enriched my life in a way I had not yet experienced prior to this trip. So much happened in such a short time, and I wish I could write it all down! Perhaps another day I will write about some experiences, but I have done so much thinking and writing for the past 12 days (our homework/project for the week, as far as school goes, was to write - a lot - in our study journals) - and my brain is fried. If you would like to know more, please, let me know. I'll be more than happy to fill you in on the great people and places I witnessed.