Super tranquila

If you know me, you know I'm a little high strung. Well, that fact has come into stark relief being in a country like Nicaragua. Costa Rica has "pura vida", but Nicaragua's motto should be "tranquilo."  And perhaps the official superlative should be "super."

If it isn't obvious, tranquilo means quiet, calm, relaxed, or unconcerned.  Not words usually applied to me. But that word is directed at me more than most others. It is an adjective, but it is issued like a command. Tranquila.

It's isn't just that I'm a little "ansiosa", as I've heard myself described. I like to be on top of things and get things done. I like to know what's what.

There is no way this gringa is going to know what's what.  The conversations fly by me without sinking in. I stumble around like a child, answering questions not asked and ignoring those directed at me.

At first I tried to follow them all, asking when I didn't understand.  I tried to direct the poorly understood chaos around me, or at least understand it.

I hear "tranquila" a little less often now than I did before. I think it is because I'm letting it all flow by. Sure, there's a heck of a lot going on that I don't understand.  But I realized I can't know it all and do it all.

A meal I enjoyed very much: beans and veggies and catsup on a fried corn-based flatbread, with fried slices of tamales and plantains

Today I was feeling tired after lunch from trying to wrestle Microsoft Sharepoint into submission and understand my conversations with my co-workers.  I snuck out back to the hammock hung under a little traditional tile roof.  I watched the social flycatchers and white-winged doves until my eyes closed.  I actually took a bona fide siesta.

Gringos messing around with chickens

I'm trying to accomplish a lot here for EOS during my time in Nicaragua.  I'm setting up a system for evaluating our impact, I'm trying to integrate our accounting systems, I'm taking videos of beneficiaries of our technologies, I'm investigating potential homestays for engineering students this summer, I'm organizing a fundraising event in Minneapolis for immediately after my return, and I'm doing my normal old job on top of it!

And I'm trying to do it while communicating in Spanish.

So, I'm doing a lot but I'm not working as hard.  I'm trying to be super tranquila.