Mr. T and me

We have been packing a lot lately...an endless amount of boxes from our apartment, bags for the cruise and suitcases for Nica. Although packing is tedious, it can be an adventure because of the odds and ends you (re) discover. This afternoon, as I was unpacking from the cruise and repacking for my next two weeks of wandering, I re-organized Brad's closet at his parent's house. I missed Brad in Nicaragua, so it was fun to look through some of his childhood treasures. One of the gems I found was Brad's old sticker collection (ha!)...an photo album filled with stickers (the joys of childhood). Flipping through pages of scratch n' sniff and ET images, I was surprised to find an entire page filled with stickers of Mr. T from the A Team and the Super Friends! Brad has always said he loved the A Team and Mr. T, and this was a testament to that devotion. Finding the page of stickers sketched into my mind a little piece of Brad's life long before we met in college. It was nice to feel like I was learning more about Brad despite the distance (US-Nica). As I gear up for the next round of packing (my stuff for Nica) and round of goodbyes, it's nice to know that, sometimes, you can learn a lot about the people you love even when you are far away from each other...geographically. Thanks Mr. T!

Ya estoy en Nicaragua...

There are smells for every occasion. During the holidays it's warm ginger bread, cookies and spices. During the summer it's the bay and sea spray. In my mother-in-laws house it's gormeh sabzi, rice, and garlic. During the spring it's cut grass and cherry blossoms. Home smells like musty basements and your best friends house smells like a dog.

When I got off of my flight 985 to Managua on August 26th at 6:20 p.m. I inhaled my Nica memories through the pungent reak of Pine Sol. I could smell the recent, attentive cleaning given to the tarmac and the baggage claim. My feet hit the ground and I was in Nicaragua again. The slow motion flight and the holding pattern I have found myself flying for the past three years was over. I landed. And here I am in Nicaragua again. The smell of floor cleaner pierced my mind like a diver into a placid, clorine rich pool.

In Nicaragua everyone cleans their floors each day, sometimes multiple times during the day. So its not odd that this smell brought me back to the memories of my life here in 1999-2000 and for those few weeks in 2003.

Well I'm here in Managua on the morning of my second day in Nicaragua. I'm sitting in the Hotel Las Mercedes a high class joint across from the Aeropuerto Sandino anticipating a fun day traveling to San Ramon, Matagalpa a small town just north of the city of Matagalpa where Cynthia and I plan to set up camp for the year.

Entonces - Well Then...

It's hard to say goodbye...

The Wilson Family came together tonight to wish us well on our move. Bradley leaves for Nicaragua on the 26th and Cynthia is soon to follow. We're both joining Cynthia's Mom (Fahimeh) and step-dad (Reza) for a week-long cruise on the Caribbean Princess before our year-long sojourn. Newly engaged Cyrus and Laura (Cyn's brother and fiancee) are coming along for the cruise too.

Farewell's are always tough. Especially when there are kids involved. Tonight's family dinner was no exception. Wesley, Sander and Matthew kept all of us howling with their innovative dance moves to Shakira. Kids grow up so fast. Who knows how much they'll grow up by the time we return. sniffle sniffle.