Queridos amigos Nicaraguenses

Queridos amigos Nicaraguenses, 

Dear Nicaraguan friends,

Well, I'm back home in the United States! My flight was good, but I miss you all! Also, I forgot a couple things, and I was wondering if maybe you guys could gather them up and ship them to me? I don't know how it slipped my mind, but it seems like I left little pieces of my heart all over Nicaragua.

There's a giant piece of my heart at my neighbor's house. Just yell for them, or just try to break into our house, and they will be out there like a pack of wolves. I don't know where Jonathan will be, but most likely Mitchi and Kailee will be chatting on the porch and Miriam and Miguel will be just inside watching a soap opera. So if you could just stop by and get the part of my heart I left with each of them, that would be great.

On the way to Miriam's you'll walk right by Merced's house. Be sure to chat with her and her mom, Gregoria. I'm pretty sure I also left a part of my heart with them.

Right before you get to Merced's though, you'll pass by a guy selling aguitas on the corner by la Iglesia de San Juan. You can recognize him by his distict "El Agua" yell- what does it sound like? I'll tell you: home. That's what it sounds like. So be sure to tell Luis we say hi.

Also, if you could round up all the English students, I think they each have a little piece of me with them. You should be able to ask them for it in English... but just in case, I would be prepared to speak Spanish too.

I also need you to stop by the church, and get the pieces of my heart from those members. Don't worry, once you step in the door they'll come and great you with open arms and smiles. But while you're on your way there, you'll pass by a fairly poor neighborhood, and there will most likely be a half a dozen kids playing with a torn up soccer ball, or spending hours racing 5 cent plastic toys that their parents saved up for. Their names are Jordan, Jeremy, Ashley, Justin, Raymond, Isa, and sometimes Ana will be there too. They might try to chase you, but it's okay, because once they catch you (and they will catch you) they just want to give you a hug and ask you for the hundreth time how to pronounce their name in English.

Also if you have time, just wander over by the Cathedral, and there will be some schoolboys playing soccer. If you have a couple seconds, just jump in and play with them for a bit. They might have some of my heart, and if you're playing for long enough Freddy will show up, he for sure has some of my heart. Freddy is ten years old; he lives on the streets. Tell him to go back to his parents- and that I know he's lying to me when he says they live in Managua- but check really quick to make sure he's been practicing the break dancing moves that he learned from Charlie.

You'll also have to hike out to the finca, stop by the pupusas place, and Erika's, swing by la Isla de Ometepe, San Jacinto, Ceiba, Tamarindo, and every other community we worked in and every single crowded bus. It seems like there are pieces of my heart scattered all over Nicaragua, and it will probably take awhile for you to gather them up and send them back to me. I need them back because without them I just miss you guys too much, so I'll wait...

In the meantime, I'm gonna blast Dom Omar and string up my hammock in a sauna and pretend I'm still in Nicaragua.

Love,

Amanda

Con amor,

Amanda (la que manda)