Las calles cantan. It means the streets sing and its something that´s been on my mind since I arrived in Nicaragua a little over a week ago. When you walk around the capital city of the Western hemisphere´s second poorest country, Managua, there is no shortage of sights and sounds to capture your attention. Roofs made of trash bags and the constant sound of honking cars come to mind. Between the taxis, the busses, the motorcyclists and the trucks packed well over capacity it´s a wonder you don´t see more of the ever present pedestrians turned into permanent fixtures of the asphalt. Somehow the Managuan locals make the transportation system work though, despite it feeling like you´re Han Solo throwing the Millenium Falcon into overdrive through an asteroid belt. 
But when I think las calles cantan I´m thinking about more than noise. The streets of Managua permeate a feeling of history and complexity that´s visceral and tough to explain. I left the United States with a fair amount of knowledge regarding Nicaragua´s revolutionary past and I hoped to catch a glance or some hint of it in the city. That hope was more than exceeded. I did not expect to see ¨Viva La Revolution,¨ and similar tags spray painted on every corner, but it´s everywhere. The vast majority of the billboards here are political. The people will readily engage you in debates over the merits of socialism and the proper role of the state. There are posters deriding prominent Nicaraguan politicians as ¨thieves¨. Bars have entire evenings dedicated to revolution, where local muscians sing songs about Augusto Sandino and Che Guevara. The monuments scattered about the capital remind you that this a country a mere three decades removed from an internal struggle for freedom that claimed the lives of 50,000 Nicaraguans. The wound is still fresh. 
I came to this complex place looking for a challenge and a challenge is what I found. All of my classes are conducted in Spanish and all of the information I need to get by here is presented to me in Spanish. As someone with extremely limited prficency in the language, it´s definitely difficult. I am getting a little taste of what it´s like for so many people who find themselves trying to make it in a culture that is not their own. But with every day I learn more and more and I speak less and less English. In just a week´s time, I´ve come to the point where it´s strange for me to use my native language for an extended period. Even my dreams are bilingual now.
There are challenges outside of the language barrier as well. For example, running water is somewhat of luxury in this part of the world. For my host family it´s a luxury that begins in the wee hours of the morning and is over before midday. As a result, I need to be up by six thirty every morning if I want to shower with running water otherwise it´s a bucket shower. The bucket showers are actually a little better though because the water sits out for most of the day and, as a result, is a little warmer than the running water, as it is not heated. Additionally, since there is no running water, the protocol for using the toilet is a little different here than it is in the states. I won´t get into the details but let´s just say it took a little bit of getting used to. The heat is another challenge. It´s generally in the mid 90´s most of the day and close to that temperature in the evenings. Luckily for me my host family provided me with an air conditioning set up for my room, unfortunately it consists of a small fan that died a couple nights ago.
All the challenges aside though, I could not be happier with my decision to come to Nicaragua. Though I obviously miss my family and friends, the experience I am having here is beyond words. The fifteen other students I am enjoying it with are all motivated, intelligent, passionate young people. We have a ton of fun together and I am hoping it´s going to result in some friendships that carry on once our time here is done. Additionally, I have been given the privilege of learning about this country and its novelesque history from a handful of the most prominent intellectuals in the region, people who not only know the story of Nicaragua but were and continue to be, major characters in it. Our academic director for example, at fourteen years of age, joined and helped to lead the revolutionary movement that overthrew the brutal dicatorship which ruled Nicaragua for roughly half a century. Behind his right ear is a thick scar left by shrapnel that is still lodged in his head. Despite having a background that may lead one to believe he is a war hardened Central American commando, Guilermo is actually one of the kindest, most compassionate, sincere people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The program he and his wife have worked to build here is truly something else. Everyday I find myself in disbelief that I am actually here, seeing the things I´m seeing and having the adventures that I´m having.
It´s hard to believe it´s only just beginning. More to come soon...
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