Tiempo en el campo (homestays in Ramon Garcia)

Laying on my cot, still wearing the same clothes I had worn that day, I pulled my sheet cover over my head to keep out the huge bugs that buzzed around the room. The sweat, sunscreen, and bugspray caked to my body failed to keep me warm that first night in the campo, but the "sonidos de la noche" (sounds of the night) seemed to make up for my lack of sleep: the crickets sang their sweet melody, the frogs croaked, the neighbors were talking in their homes, the bugs buzzed around the room. The early wake-up call by the roosters' cock-a-doodle-doo got us up in time to help our host-mom make corn tortillas. While getting ready for the day and trying not to wake up the three hermanos on the other side of the fabric wall, we walked out of the 30x20 ft one-room house into the kitchen/dining area/living room. Our shy host mom, Maria, showed us how the corn is first mixed with meat, put into a machine that is cranked to a mush, formed like a pancake with your hands, and placed in a pan on the woodstove in the corner. We ate corn tortillas, beans, and rice for almost every meal. It was great, though, no complaining!
Our group had the absolute honor and privilege of staying with the rural community of Ramon Garcia, who graciously welcomed us into their community for two and a half days. After learning about the struggles this community had gone through in keeping their land and their pride, it was evident that this was a strong and community-oriented group of people.
My host-dad, Fausto, is one of the most humble and inspiring people I have ever met. He was so open and loving in allowing us to stay with his family for two nights and in sharing about his life and dreams. He brought us down to the river behind their house to show us the pipe that he had engineered to pump water up to their house. His gaunt face was gleaming as he showed us how it worked and how he had taught others in the community how to build one. Later that afternoon, he took us to his parcel of land, which I was not expecting to be much, because of how poor their family was... We walked through the coffee plants, he pointed out a mango tree or two, and we started walking up the hill. We walked and walked all the way up the hill, through palm, mango, and banana trees until we got to the very top with one of the most breath-taking views I had ever seen in my life! Surrounding us and the valley was a wall of mountains that were of a lush green, the tops disappearing into the clouds. We saw a rainbow off to the right, which made the scene complete. It was absolutely majestic. The profound tranquility I felt seemed to open my heart to hear the wisdom that this simple man had to offer.
Fausto began to tell us his dreams for his children and for his land. He realizes the richness of the land and wishes for his children to appreciate and take care of it after his is gone. He wishes that his children could get a good education, but he seems to realize that it is not likely because of the fact that his family has little to no money. His dream for the land is to build a small home where we were sitting for one of his children and their family, but they would need a well up there also, because it is too far away from the river. He has all of these dreams, but because they are extremely poor, they might not ever happen. Fausto seemed very aware of this fact, and yet he still has these dreams. Amazing.
The way they live is incredible as well. Using the river as a place to bathe, do laundry, and take a swim, they seem to fair just fine. They carry their drinking and cooking water to their home from a well by the school. They have electricity, but the only thing my family used it for was the one lightbulb in the house and the radio. Their bathroom consisted of a latrine (like an outhouse, but with no toilet paper) located about twenty feet from the house. It felt like camping, and although most of the comforts I am used to were not there, the shack was made into a home with the love, laughter, and simplicity of their humble lives.
We had great coversations about his time serving in the war during the revolution, their daily lives now; we shared pictures of our own families; talked about our lives in America and the struggles and problems of Nicaragua; played cards and hacky sack with the kids; and laughed about Nicaraguan sayings and how they just do not quite translate well into English.
After only two and a half days, I felt like part of the family and did not want to leave! It would be difficult to physically live the way they do, but it seems like the more simply one lives, the richer their life becomes, especially when one values God, family, and community.