Thank You Nicaragua

Excuse me while I get philosophical...

La Isla De Ometepe

As we prepare for our next adventure, I'm reminded of what an amazing year we leave behind us. After letting go of all we've been told we needed, all we that was expected that we should do, we headed out to see new land. Like our immigrant grandparents before us we took chance on change, on different, on the unknown. Life beyond normal was a challenge, it was at times frustrating and strange, and beautiful.

A wise man once said, "without challenge there is no growth." I believe this to be true. A small seedling must push the dirt aside to see the sun. I too, needed to push the dirt aside. This is my thank you note to Nicaragua.

Thank you Nicaragua for making my life so much more. More of the important things, more dreams, more love, more real life.

Thank you for the silence, for with silence I was able to listen. I was able to listen to the truth and drowned out the noise, the misconceptions, and the judgement. I was able to hear the truth, my truth.

Thank you for the distance....Thank you for the distance.

There are those that say that travel will change you. I say, it allows you to be who you were in the first place. Some say it is risky to take chances like this, and I suppose to some to degree it is. The thing about life is, everything is a risk. Crossing the street is a risk. One can do everything right and still, "unforeseen occurrence befalls us all." We took a risk, ( a calculated risk ) I'm not suggesting fool heartiness, and we are so much better for it.

Thank you Nicaragua for showing me so clearly that things do not make us happy. Have you ever had a conversation with that guy down the street? That one that likes to let you know how much stuff he has? Does he seem happy or does he complain about how many people don't measure up? Did he make you feel good by telling you about all his things? Probably not, you probably don't care and you probably think he's a tool for bragging. Is that real happiness? If you have to tell everyone how smart you are, how you know the most, how you have the most sought after items to make yourself feel good, you're not happy. Happy people don't need to make others feel less, they don't need to make themselves feel more. It was this kind of misconception about what's important that Nicaragua gave us distance from. It was this kind of misconception that Nicaragua gave us freedom from. Thank you Nicaragua, for the freedom.

Thank you Nicaragua, for showing me that all I need is less.

For now, we're moving on, working on yet another language, and challenging ourselves once more.

Thank you Nicaragua, until we meet again.

Things You Will Understand If You've Been to Nicaragua

I've been thinking about some of the things I'm starting to get used to after being in Nicaragua for a while. I decided to write them down before I forget that this is not really the norm where I come from. If you can think of anything I've forgotten, please leave it in the comments section below.

-Instant coffee.

-Ketchup and Mayonnaise in a bag.

-English sauce.

- The realization that salsa is sauce and Pico de Gallo is salsa.

-The world's strongest laundry soap.

 -Floral scented poop tickets, you know what I''m talking about. I could do without these.

-Fake Oreos.

-Fried cheese that squeaks against your teeth.

-Milk in a box, from the shelf.

-Unrefrigerated eggs.

-Zucaritas.

-Guava Jam in a bag.

-Pigs in sacs on a motorbike.

-Pelibueys on their backs in someones lap on a motorbike.

-Saying "Adios" as you pass someone on the street.

-Pink and white striped plastic bags used as luggage and for just about everything else.

-Sellers of bagged cotton candy that is attached to a wooden stick.

-Pink plastic bags used as rain boots.

-Plastic chairs, sore backs, and butt sweat.

-Walking, hiking, riding horseback in flip flops.

-Waking up to the sound of howler monkeys, and roosters, chickens, numerous other birds.

-If you're on Corn Island...Hog Dogs.

-Panga rides.

-Dropping the 'S', and sometimes other letters on the end of words. i.e...adio, porfa, buenas.

-Heavy loads carried on the head.

-Brightly coloured golf shirt business attire.

-Tricky Tracka, and the sound of them going off on any given day, at any given hour.

-Smiling faces looking at you from the bed of a truck, driving fast ahead and likely holding down a  load of plantains.

-3 a.m. parades.

-Pigs, chickens, cows, horses on the road at all times...in herds.

-Late night card games by candlelight, and being spoiled by the insane amount of beauty all around.

You Will Have To Pay The Tax: How to get through the airport in Managua with minimal hassle.

  How can I put this? Pack as little as possible. Then pack less.

 I've heard tales of people going through the Managua airport with ease, however, that has not been my experience. If you have anything slightly out of the ordinary someone will find some way to give you the run around. My family and I have been hauled over to what I like to call, 'The Tax Room' for a spear fishing gun, a cat, and a drone. There are spear fishing tours here in Nicaragua but never mind that. Inspectors eyes light up on sight of such an instrument, here it comes..."you don't have proper documents, you will have to pay the tax." Upon bringing in my cat with all the proper documentation, which I paid for and checked thoroughly, I was asked to come into the back room and told that I would "Need to pay the tax". They also wanted to take my original documents because they couldn't make a copy due to their copy machine being out of ink. They didn't get these docs. but it took a fair amount of time, convincing, and aggravation to finally get an, "O.K. Leigh, you can go." On our last trip in my husband tried to bring in a Go Pro drone. He had searched for information on whether or not he could bring one into Nicaragua but information was hard to find and apparently he didn't look hard enough because, guess what? Drones that fly over 30 m. are illegal in Nicaragua. Again the inspectors eyes lit up. Seriously, they get pleasure out of this, I'm sure. "You cannot bring this into the country, it is illegal. We will hold it for you until you leave" Our other option was to have it shipped back at the cost of around $400 uninsured. If they lose it, which is a 50/50 chance, you have paid someone to steal your item. We decided  my husband would fly back to the U.S. that day and ship it back to Canada from there. There is a daily holding fee at the airport for confiscated items and no guarantees it will be there when you return. Consequently, I was lectured at the hotel where I was staying about being more prepared and not booking last minute, since I needed extra nights while my husband was off to Florida. Gong show, it was a gong show. Note: calling them liars won't help your case, in the instance that you too are a mom who's had enough of peoples' crap in the middle of the night.

  Electronics are something that they love to tax so bring as little as possible, you should be ok with your cell phone but if you don't need your lap top or portable speaker, leave it at home. Pack only what you need for clothing and enjoy the beautiful beaches and rich culture, it's worth it. They tried to tax me on my camera but I think my face told them to lay off this time, and I was able to pass.

For travel photography prints go to society6.com/wanderlandstudios

The Joyful Side Effects Of A Simple Life

  Well, it's about time that I got something done around here...

I got a new double walled stainless steel water bottle and I'm pretty excited! As I mentioned before, finding a water bottle around these parts is pretty difficult. I was expecting to have to make a trip elsewhere to find one of these so when I came across one at a nearby resort I was stoked!

  The feeling I got from finding this vessel was one that took me back, way back to a time before adulthood and responsibility came up and slugged me in the face. A time when life was simpler and it got me thinking about how much we take for granted and how little we appreciate in our busy, modern lives. In most places in north America we have easy access to just about everything. If it's not available at a store around the corner Amazon can ship it to you in short order. We have instant gratification. Life should be easier but it often doesn't feel that way. When we buy something new we are happy for a moment but how quickly does that new top (that was a great deal) get pushed to the back of the closet as we stare woefully at our wardrobes lamenting "I have nothing to wear!"

 Almost everything we have can be instantly replaced. We might like our new purchase but do we appreciate it? I know I didn't, not fully at least, not the way I appreciate my water bottle. My water bottle will keep my refreshments cold in this heat and it's pretty. I will take such care with my pretty refreshment holder. I will gently place it in my bag when I am travelling so as to avoid any chips or dents. I will wash it with tender, loving care after each use so that it never gets stinky or dirty.I will value this magnificent container for beverages because it was hard to find and it can't be easily replaced!
 Learning to appreciate the little things is one of the joyful side effects of a simpler life. Who knew a water bottle could make me so happy? It does make me happy though. I like it, I like it a lot! A lesson I hope to take with me wherever I go is the appreciation for what I have and the ability to get excited over seemingly small stuff!

 Another great thing about a simple life is that I'm able to pursue projects that I never made time for previously. I'm back at making jewellery and out photographing the world. For a long time now I've been wanting to make my favourite pastimes into my job and I've finally begun that process! Prints of my photos are now available for purchase through my store, Wanderland Studios on Society 6. They have some pretty cool beach bags, coffee mugs, and pencil cases available along with other items as well, all with beautiful images of sunsets and the sea! I'm excited to try something new and being able to combine that with doing what I've always loved, maybe I'll pick up my pencil and sketchbook again soon!

One of the limited edition images available at society6.com/wanderlandstudios

I hope I never get used to this view!

Eyes Wide Open

 I've talked about some of the challenges since we got here so I wanted to share some of the good stuff. The benefits far out weigh the challenges for us and that's why we're here!
 - We get to have fresh fruit smoothies every morning if we want. Fresh from the trees sometimes and certainly more fresh than we were able to get in Canada. Yumm!

 - Our food is not modified so we can pick the seeds out of a watermelon and grow our own if we so desire.

 - We don't have to stay indoors most of the year because the weather is frigid. We've never liked the cold, and I hate dressing up in a huge parka trying to walk around like the stay puffed marshmallow man.

 - Warm wind, warm rain, warm weather, palm trees, the beach.

 - Passionfruit margaritas.

 - When the power goes out, my kids run outside to see how bright the stars look in the night sky. They've seen worlds underwater, swam in the Caribbean sea and a volcanic lake.

 - We haven't been to a mall in months.

 - Everything is new, like a child exploring for the first time, eyes wide open. Some things are scary some amazing!

 - The people. Yes, there have been some that try to take advantage but by far the majority of people that I've met have had a generous and kind spirit. I've had my neighbour bring me food and even a big bunch of bananas from the tree. So many, I couldn't eat them all! I love watching kids get inventive, playing baseball with a stick and an almond (that takes skill) or making music with nothing but their hands and feet.They are having a lot of fun and they are doing it without taking selfies that look like product placement ads.

 - Life here is about living. If you have the chance to step outside the commercialized world, for a holiday, to work abroad, or to start over I encourage you to do it! The bugs are bigger but I've lived outside of town in Saskatchewan and there are some big and biting things there too. Don't believe the hype.

- We have some cool shops run by people that have put their heart into their business. Nicaraguan made surf bikinis, you will need a sturdy bikini that is made to handle the waves, I learned this when I skinned my knees on the sand trying to stay low and get my suit back on after being tossed by a wave!

- Family run restaurants with fresh cooked food where people talk to each other...without the use of a cell phone. Kanye probably hasn't eaten here but I promise the food's still good.

- This place has a way of opening our eyes to what's real and what's real is beautiful!

Exploring volcanic rocks at low tide