Why Moving is a Good Idea

A few weeks back I decided to move into a new flat. My three weeks studying Spanish at the Casa de Cultura had come to a close. Although I was enjoying both my course and my time with my homestay family, I felt that I needed a change. I think it takes a bit of courage for me to make a change like this. (I remember how I did this when I was living in India, and what a wise decision it proved to be: But it was also quite an upheaval at first.)

I was content with how things were going here in León, but I also looked around and realized that I wanted something more than I was getting out of the experience at the time. But making changes like this can be difficult because it means shifting from something known and comfortable to something unknown. It was a bit like starting over in the same city: finding places to eat, shop, go to the Internet, buy fruit, etc.

So I moved into a another house in a different barrio, a couple blocks from the center of town. Now I have an English flatmate, Harry. (He´s 24 year-old volunteers at Quetzal Trekkers, an organization that guides hikes to nearby volcanoes and donates the proceeds to the organization Las Tias, where I work.) Harry and I live in the two adjacent rooms on the second floor of a house on a active residential road. We share a balcony that overlooks the street.

The house is owned by a Nicaraguan family: My friend Jackson, age 21, along with his grandmother Señora Albertina, his mother Aura, and younger brother (incredibly named Michael... yep, they are brothers named Michael and Jackson!). We share the kitchen, a simple bathroom, and living area with them; they´ve also got about half the house to themselves. And praise the Lord: we´ve got a washing machine. They are quite hospitable and we get along quite well. (Interestingly, they know Harry´s name because he´s been there longer. But they´ve resorted to calling me ¨El Otro¨ meaning ¨The Other One.¨)

When I moved I also started making more friends, both Nicaraguans and foreigners who live in León. This was good because I didn´t have a lot of lasting friendships during my first few weeks here. And I was originally a bit uncertain about how much I wanted to associate with other foreigners. But from my places of work, from my classes, and from going out at night, I began to meet people. I hang out with the volunteers at Quetzal Trekkers a fair amount too. Several times a week we go to listen to live music at bars in the evenings. And I´ve also become friendly with some Peace Corps volunteers working in Nicaragua: I meet them at the beach on weekends.

At this same time, I also set out to find more volunteer work in the city. I also purchased a bicycle and a hammock. I run every morning before work and go to the beach on Saturdays. I now have four keys on my keyring: Basically, I´m pleased with the decision to move because I now feel like I have more ownership over my life here in this city. I´m enjoying my day-to-day life and learning a lot.