I’m writing this from a dark, warm room in a hotel where one generator is supplying the minimal amount of power. We’ve been without power on the Nicaraguan coast for over 3 hours now. These rolling blackouts are normal, unannounced and often last several hours. When the power went out, we were on our way to our host’s lodge to enjoy more tide pool swimming and a homemade dinner. Fortunately, we were able to do both, just without any power.

The day started as usual with yoga (Kevin joined today) and fruit for breakfast. Kevin and I took a leisurely walk around town to talk to residents and learn more about daily life here. I took lots of pictures of the beautifully colored homes and businesses. This is not my first time visiting a developing country. I vividly remember visiting rural towns in Mexico during my first visit. On first glance, it might appear to be a very dysfunctional, dilapidated, undesirable community. However, with patience and an open mind, you can often find the most beautiful homes, businesses, gardens, schools and people. We are so used to everything having to look clean, organized, modern and functional. These gravel roads may not be smooth, but they have paved the way toward a simple and symbiotic community.

After a leisurely morning, we joined the rest of our group for an afternoon of crafts and activities at the local arts center. Kevin shared his jump rope skills while the rest of us helped the local school children with painting rocks, making bracelets and drawing. The children were so enthusiastic and polite. Many of the kids were drawn to Kevin for his charismatic teaching style. The activity of jumping rope is such an incredibly simple way for people to connect. We even got some of the adults to help us. The event was held at the pueblo’s community arts center which also happens to be its local public library. I was able to read a few books to a couple of kids who arrived early for our program. All books have been donated by schools or libraries in the US. It’s sad to me that there aren’t any new books. It’s also sad that there is no art class. Having this programming every few months is about all they get.

After the arts center, we went to the Craft for Community Lodge where our hosts and their house managers invited us to enjoy tide pools and dinner. No photos of the tide pools, but suffice it to say their backyard beats any backyard I’ve ever seen. The tide creates both a warm shallow pool and a deeper cool water pool each day. It’s like having an Olympic sized swimming pool and a hot tub that you don’t have to maintain just outside the back door. True paradise! We swam for a while and then enjoyed the company of our hosts Jared/Carlos and his wife Jennifer and their two boys. We were in the dark, but the air was cool and the conversation was nice. Their house managers Fran and Emir made us a fabulous pork roast with yucca and slaw. We hadn’t eaten since lunch so were gobbled it down quickly. Emir brought us back to our hotel where the generator was running (thankfully!). I rode back to the hotel in the back of the pick up truck. Can’t remember the last time I did that. Today was simple, life-giving and full of joy. We are exhausted.