Day 2 - Granada

It's almost 8:30pm here and I think the firecrackers have mostly stopped....it's amazing, they sound like they are going off right outside our door....of course they are not because our room is deep in the hostal, but wow...get's me most of the time....shocker. It's Friday, I think someone said they are finishing off the fireworks leftover from the holidays, which carries some big time fireworks.  It was only the second day today but of course I was already cursing myself about how many sucking books I brought with me did I really need that 3rd piece of luggage?.....it's funny, do you know which ones I don't regret?...the handful of Bearnstein Bears books, we typically read two books a night before bed and it's been a nice routine to maintain here, especially being in such a new element.

Morning started off great with more offers for coffee and even an added piece of toasted bread... that Manuel, he's getting a great review from me!  Over breakfast I told him I'm looking for apartments and he said he knows of one and do I want him to take me now and show it to me?  Well, yes, I never turn down an offer for an introduction and personal escort to a new place so off we went as soon as I could tear Sammy away from his 3DS and get some comfy shoes on him (mandatory I've found out). We walked about 5 blocks and Manuel lead us to  Vista Mombacho Apartments....one apartment definitely targeting the American expat crowd looking for something nice, mid range (about what an apartment in Hilliard Ohio might cost for a month). I had emailed with the owner of this place before arriving but had already decided it was beyond our price range for this trip. However, I did drool a little over their website, pool, and comfy homey places and had wanted to at least get a sense for where it is located. Manuel checked with the manger when we arrived and they did not have any long term apartments available. Which was ok with me....nice walk, got to see where it is located and more of the town.

We had an appointment with Jerry (a nice expat from Florida) who owns a few places and had made arrangements for him to come pick us up and show us the house around 9am.  Well he arrived and then told us he'd wanted to call (but didn't have my number) because the previous tenant had left the house in poor shape and he wanted to postpone our showing until the afternoon.... fine with us... I mean fine with Sam....it took him all of 10 seconds to go get his swim trunks on and be waiting at the edge of the pool for my ok to go in. He liked Jerry and engaged with him right away in various conversations....maybe already missing the opportunity to have many people who he can speak English with freely. 

So we got in some more swimming before attempting to shower up and head over to meet some kids from his soon to be new school at the local park over recess.....damn, I do not have our timing down yet....well, by the time we cleaned up and I realized I was starving, surely Sam was too we needed to leave to go and I knew we just couldn't go out at the hottest hour of the day on empty stomachs.  So I started asking around to some of the staff and settled on a place a block down that sells some food. Turned out to be an old Nicaraguan woman who sells two things, Vigorón and enchiladas....I still suck at numbers in Spanish so I've been faking it when I can't hear and just hand them a bill (in Cordobas) about what I guess it costs and they give me change. I had no idea what I had just ordered (yes, I was that hungry) besides the enchilada....but surely that would be nothing like the Americanized enchilada and for sure I was right.  Turns out I had picked up for us a very traditional Nicaraguan meal, it was basically fried pig skin...pork rinds with yucca wrapped in banana? leaves.  The enchilada was more like a soft taco shaped like a pita pocket with rice and some kind of tiny bits of meat in it.  It was good. It might have had cheese in it too....I don't know....cheese here is not as flowing as it is in the U.S....when Americans order cheese it comes big and obvious and probably dripping, here its like hidden and you take their word for it that it's in there.  I was glad to see Sam try the yucca that came with the Vigorón, I told him it was potato because that was the closest thing it tasted like to me...he did not care for it and looked at me as he was about to spit it back on the plate (we had a conversation about that the other day about it being rude to spit food out that you don't like on the plate) so instead he carefully excused himself to the bathroom to get rid of it. He was hungry enough to try the enchilada and that managed to curb his appetite. We had shared the meal and I was still a little unsure if it had meet my appetite or if I was going to be hungry again in 45 minutes...so when Manuel offered a piece of chicken and some rice that the staff had cooked up for lunch I jumped on it. Sam ate a little more rice a few bites of chicken which was delicious and we were set. Great lunch.

We hung out in the room and I took a mini siesta (about 15 minutes...I think i actually slept) until Jerry picked us up to see the house. Jerry's little red pickup drove us through the streets of downtown market area street and he pointed out important places we should know about and details about life there while he carefully avoided pedestrians, bikes, horse carts, you name it on the market street. It's a major event to drive down a street like that you must be alert or someone will die or be maimed.  Anyway, he showed us that way so we could see that what seemed like a long drive was actually a direct route from the main market street and how easy it was to find.  The house was so lovely....Nicaraguan style home.....first room entry way, second room is for sitting and tv watching, third room is the kitchen, fourth is half empty with a wash basin, water basin (for holding extra water in case the city water goes out, which is normal to happen for some time now and then), the bathroom, just past that room there is a tiny courtyard, complete with stone table and benches, hammock and then the two bedrooms, one double and one single. So nice and that place and a good price, I guess because it is a bit further of a walk than  other places closer to town.  Some major things to think about....it would be about 30 minute walk to Sam's school, what are my options....I was feeling so torn. Jerry and his wife live just next door to the house and have two other cottage houses that share a courtyard with them, it would be nice to have friendly folks who we can ask anything to so close....another bonus.

I had a little freak out after we got back to the hostal....it was the Oh Shit what have I gotten us into?....this is a commitment renting a place, we would be in a neighborhood with major income and living disparities and we would see a different way of life just outside our front door....a good thing, but when it was staring me in the face and I'd just come from the pool it made me feel like Oh shit...What am I doing? can I do this? This is serious? Can I manage the distance? ...the feeling of living across the street from someone who probably experiences major suffering everyday, or who I perceive to experience that...but likely struggles in many ways.

Well, I took a swim again....we played together in the pool a bit, we chatted with some of the house staff which was nice and relaxed....I reminded myself that it was only the second day we were here and ya, a little freak out now and then is probably normal....just breathe.

I was sure we should go to the park again that evening/late afternoon....it's the perfect time, after the major sun has passed and before it's to get dark....the temperature is perfect, people are out and enjoying the park, the trees the benches and each other and the kids are plentiful.  Before we left Sam said, "They didn't understand me that I wanted to have a race because I don't talk Spanish"....he thoroughly enjoyed the kids we meet at the park the night before but he had been dying to get them to have a race with him but I didn't know the word in Spanish for "race" and I wasn't much help.

So after a gentle walk around the park taking in everyone we settled in a spot and he starting eying a boy and girl doing some climbing on a twisty trunk vine like tree and before long was joining them after a few attempted exchanges he was a bit disappointed that he couldn't speak Spanish to him and that the boy didn't know English (the boy even came over and asked me in Spanish if my boy spoke Spanish)....still he kept at it and before long they were running around together...and meeting up with more boys and running....Having my head in a book I peaked up after a few minutes and noticed that they'd joined some other boys dad who was speaking both English and Spanish perfectly and translating between them all....I slowly made my way over as he began their race, Ready, Set, GO!...off they went speeding around the park...I  was soon introduced to Carlos, his wife, and two sons....and he was engaging all the people around us in the park, introducing them all to each other, and then had the boys doing different team relay races and capture the flag like games...it was incredible! Turns out he lived in New Orleans for many years and at the end of the evening I found out he managed some rental studios and apartments in town.  Bing!....I need an apartment....let's talk... we have a showing scheduled for tomorrow morning....it's always good to have options. I sure love that park and the people we keep meeting.

Good night. (I think I'm starting to feel like Mr. Belvedere?)

M