My Top Ten Gratitudes this Holiday Season

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10. I am grateful for generators. Our Puesta del Sol neighbors rented a generator for their premier film festival. It was a good thing, too, because the electricity was out for hours that night. Over 100 people attended the premier of ten short films created by a group of Quebec film makers.

9. I am grateful for sugar…brown and powdered. Even though we had to cross the lake to buy bags of powdered and brown sugar, I couldn’t have made my Christmas cookies without them. Sweet treats for all my wonderful neighbors and friends.

8. I am grateful for cool tropical breezes. Ron and I bought kites for the neighborhood kids for Christmas. December is a windy month…just right for sailing kites over the lake.

7. I am grateful for a Miami IP address. For days, I had been unable to get access to my blog or any WordPress website. I was frantic! Fortunately, with the purchase of a Miami IP internet address, I can reach my blog, as well as Pandora and Hulu, which are blocked from other countries. Unfortunately, my speed is still too slow for streaming video.

6. I am grateful for Skype. Six years ago, communicating with family and friends in the states was difficult. We had to walk over a mile and a half along a rutted black sand beach path to town. Then, we had to call from an internet phone to reach our family. Now, we have the internet in our house, and we can make daily Skype calls to our families.

5. I am grateful to be living in a place where tolerance and respect for different lifestyles is accepted and welcomed…where drag queens provide the entertainment at Christmas celebrations and people of all races, nationalities, and cultures dance together.

4. I am grateful for running water. Our extended Nicaraguan family in Los Ramos walks over two miles, one way, to get water from a well. In six years, they have been able to save enough money to run water lines, buy a pump, and prepare for running water in their homes. Now, they need to buy a $2,000 transformer from the electric company to run the pump. They are performing historical plays about Ometepe Island and asking for donations for their plays. It will take them forever to collect enough money to buy a transformer! I am detemined to help them, so that they can have running water in their homes soon! If you would like to make a donation for the transformer, or if you know of an organization that gives money to help rural communities supply running water to their homes, please contact me.

3. I am grateful for the opportunity to experience an old-fashioned, traditional Latino Christmas. My senses are bombarded: The church bells peal, the bombas explode with acrid smells of gunpowder, parades composed of drummers and trumpets march through the streets, radios blare Jingle Bells and traditional church music throughout the community, children dress in their frilliest clothes, and colorful Christmas pinatas sway in the wind in all their glory.

2. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of my local community. Several days ago, friends walked to our house from town. They asked Marina, if she could direct them to the gringos in La Paloma. Marina pointed next door and said, “Debbie and Ron live next door, but they are not gringos. They are Nicaraguan and part of our family.”

1. Finally, and most important, I am grateful for my family and friends throughout the world sharing love, compassion, and peaceful understanding this holiday season.

Feliz Navidad

                                        Feliz Navidad

The Passion of Nicaragua

Rivers run through me

mountains bore into my body

and the geography of this country

begins forming in me

turning me into lakes, chasms, ravines,

earth for sowing love

opening like a furrow

filling me with a longing to live

to see it free, beautiful,

full of smiles

I want to explore with love……

By Gioconda Belli

       

This poem is by a Nicaraguan poet; however, everyone in Nicaragua claims to be a poet.  It shows our feelings for this wondrous country perfectly.  This holiday season Ron, Cory, and I send you gifts of tropical breezes, passionate beginnings, fulfillment of dreams once thought impossible, and peaceful understanding in a world full of smiles.

Explore with love……

Debbie, Ron, and Cory

 

The Christmas Tree: Life’s triumph over death

Our Island Christmas Tree

The winter solstice was a day of reckoning for ancient people. When the Egyptians noticed the nights getting colder, and the days getting shorter, they were afraid that the sun was disappearing and the Earth would freeze. They looked around and noticed that some of the plants and trees remained green. Believing that these evergreens had magical powers and would appease the gods, they brought them into their homes.

Not having evergreen trees, the Egyptians cut green date palm leaves and scattered them throughout their homes to symbolize life’s triumph over death. And…the Christmas tree was born! Now, living on a tropical island presents some problems trying to find a suitable Christmas tree. Like the ancient Egyptians, we have no evergreen trees either.

I was lamenting that there were no Christmas trees on the island, when I saw our young friend, Izzy, carting a strange, yet beautiful pole to our house. “You said you wanted a Christmas tree, so I made you one,” Izzy said as she handed me her amazing creation.

Delicate newspaper cranes, dried mango leaves, and an assortment of tropical bird feathers adorned the tree. “Izzy, it’s perfect!” I said, kind of teary eyed at the thoughtfulness of her gift. “Let’s make some more ornaments.”

I’ve collected Pre-Columbian pottery shards that wash up on my beach for years. With some copper wire and ribbon, we wrapped the ancient shards and hung them on the tree. I returned from the states with one wire of twinkling lights and a star from the Dollar Store. We hung the shining star above the tree, as a symbol of bringing forth the light.

Life’s triumph over death hit close to home on Sunday. A very close friend of ours was involved in a horrific motorcycle crash on the island. Robinson escaped with his life, but one of his friends wasn’t as fortunate. Robinson was transferred to a hospital in Managua, across the lake in a small ponga boat. For two days, he could only speak in English, not understanding his native language. The mind works in mysterious ways.

He’s recovering comfortably at home today. I think I’m going to keep my Christmas tree up year-round to remind me of the precious gifts life has to offer. Life is so short…it can change in an instant. Like the ancient Egyptians, my little handmade Christmas tree will be an everlasting symbol of life’s triumphs over death.

 

 

A Nacatamale Christmas

Christmas nacatamales, candy, and iguana

Six years ago, I was invited to share in the making of Christmas nacatamales, while Ron and Cory climbed Vulcan Concepcion. Grandma arrived in a green polyester suit with frayed sandals, the heart of our neighbor’s Christmas tradition.  While she was mixing the fresh pork with rice and vegetables, Luvis cleaned the pig head that had been slaughtered early in the morning.  The little kids were soaking the banana leaves that Papa gathered, Gloria was stirring a big smoky pot of pig rinds, and I was embellishing the wrapped nacatamales with big banana bows of gratefulness.

They were the most delicious treat of the holiday season, but more than that, the family accepted me as part of their family tradition.  Right there in the middle of bloody pig guts, chickens pecking on the dirt floor, a piglet eating slop from an inverted Frisbee, four bony dogs salivating at the smell of greasy pork skins, and the pallid head of a dead pig staring at me, I knew that this was Christmas at its finest.  I had been given an opportunity to be fully immersed in a foreign culture.

To honor the annual Christmas tradition of the national snack in Nicaragua, and the most lavish tamale in Latin America, I have a revised, gringo recipe below.

Pork and Marinade
2/3 cup long-grain white rice
1 cup cold water
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour orange juice or 6 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons
orange juice
1 pound lean pork loin or boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Masa
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups warm chicken broth
1 cup warm skim milk
2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3-4 1/2 cups masa harina

Filling
8 pieces banana leaves, plantain leaves (12″ X 12″ each)
or aluminum foil…your best bet if you live in the cold country
1 potato, peeled and cut into 8 slices
1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 slices
1 tomato, peeled and cut into 8 slices
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved
8 sprigs of mint
You can add prunes, raisins, too

To make the pork marinade: In a small bowl, combine the rice and water. Let soak for 4-12 hours. Drain.
In a medium bowl, stir in garlic, salt, pepper, and sour orange juice. Add the pork or chicken and turn to coat.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
To make the masa: In a large bowl, combine the onions, bell peppers, garlic, chicken broth, milk, oil, salt, and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 4 cups of the masa harina to obtain a soft, thick, pliable dough. The consistency should resemble Play-Doh; add some more masa harina, if needed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.
To assemble: Slice the pork or chicken into 8 slices, reserving the marinade.
Arrange the banana leaves, plantain leaves, or foil on a large work surface. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece in the center of each square. Pat it into a rectangle.
Tuck a slice of potato, onion, and tomato under each dough rectangle. Press the dough on top of them. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons rice, 1 slice pork or chicken, 1 olive, and 1 sprig of mint on top of the dough. Press into the dough. Drizzle the reserved marinade on top. Fold the left side and right side of the leaves or foil over the dough, then fold over the top and bottom to form a neat package. Wrap each piece in foil. Tie the bundles closed with strips of banana leaves, or string. Be sure to make a pretty bow to top off the nacatamale.
To cook: Place the packages in a large pot and set over medium heat. Pour in water to cover by 4″. Simmer for 3 hours, adding more water as needed to keep the packages submerged.
Transfer the packages to a colander and drain well. Remove the string and foil and serve in the packages.
Makes 8 nacatamales

Enjoy! If anyone makes nacatamales this holiday season, be sure to tie a bow of gratefulness and share with your neighbors.

 

 

 

 

 

My Expat Christmas List

All I want for Christmas is.....

Seven years ago, I could easily compose a list of ‘wants’ for Christmas. Ometepe Island was a primitive island with few expat novelties. There was no ATM, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, internet dongle, sufficient cell phone coverage, books in English, or rat traps. When Cory came to visit at Christmas, all we wanted were books in English, rat traps, and a squeegee mop.

Now, Ometepe Island is thriving and growing like the huge papayas in Ron’s garden. We have four ATM machines, an airport which will be completed in 2012, and two grocery stores that cater to the exotic tastes of foreigners. I can download and borrow hundreds of Kindle books from my public library in the states. With a little creative ingenuity, my homemade woktenna delivers a steady internet signal to my dongle. Sky satellite TV broadcasts world news, my washing machine spins with authoritarian control, Ron’s year-round garden supplies us with green vegetables, and Skype allows me to visit daily with my family and friends back in the states.

What more could I want? My expat Christmas list this year isn’t as tangible as it was seven years ago. After much thought, here is my 2010 list:

1. Children’s books in Spanish.
I am determined to give the gift of reading for pleasure to the children on the island. My collection is growing slowly for my mobile lending library. If you are traveling to Ometepe Island over the holidays, please consider dropping off a children’s book in Spanish at the Corner House Cafe, Mar Dulce, or the American Cafe and Hotel in Moyogalpa. Tell them the books are for the book lady in La Paloma.

2. More Time in the Day
The sun rises and sets in the tropics at 6 am and 6 pm. We are early risers, but with all of our daily chores, we seldom have time to stop and ‘smell the roses’ until the sun sets. Retirement is all about fulfilling passions and dying with no regrets. Santa, please stuff my stocking with more time this Christmas.

3. Lots of anti-itch cream
I am definitely allergic to ant bites. The only relief is the anti-itch cream with Benadryl. Santa, please fill my stocking to the brim with anti-itch cream.

4. Simplicity
I have a house full of ‘stuff and junk’ back in the states. It is an anchor in my life. When I return to the states, will you come to my yard sale? It’s time to empty my boomer nest and give it all away.

5. Fluency in Spanish
Although I can understand and respond simply to most conversations, I want to be fluent in Spanish. We are culturally immersed in an all Spanish-speaking community. Santa, please give me the gift of fluency in Spanish. It would be helpful if I could wake up one morning and speak fluently. I’ve practiced patiently for over eight years, yet I still sound like a third grader. Please?

I struggled making this expat list. Honestly, my life has changed so much that I am not tuned in to the frantic Christmas pace and capitalistic mentality of my younger years. Realistically, Santa, if you can’t deliver my expat Christmas list, it’s no big deal…there’s always manana.