August 12, 2015 By Jenna Reid 643 Views

15 Things I’m Glad I Packed for our move to Nicaragua

I asked a lot of questions on Facebook about what we should pack and what was available in Nicaragua. Here’s my top 15 items I’m glad we have.

Nutribullet, Kids Favorite Things, International Phones, Kids’ Books

15. Good Tweezers

I’ve seen tweezers sold here, but if you’ve ever used a cheap pair then you know good set is invaluable.

14. Cream Tartar

This was mentioned as an item by another mom in my article; 12 Things I wish I had Packed. Before we moved I had made play dough for all of our friends’ kids for Christmas presents so I knew the value of this obscure substance. It has come in handy a few times when a toy is needed that crosses language barriers.

13. Affordable Sunblock

We use this stuff like lotion, everyone gets a daily application at least once a day. We sent ourselves a huge box that had no weight limit so I put about 6 large bottles of sunblock in it. I’m glad because this stuff is not cheap down here and its essential.

12. Sheets

When we asked people what we should pack, everyone consistently said, “sheets”. I’m not a thread counter, but we followed the advise and brought a couple twin sized pink patterned sets for Azalea and one queen sized white set for ourselves. It wasn’t until we moved into our second house that we realized what all the fuss was about. The sheets here not only are stiff, but they don’t fit a regular mattress. Our new house came with one pair of sheets and I purchased another set because Azalea now has queen sized bed. Without fail if the “Nica sheets” are used then we all wake up on top of our mattresses, not the intended fitted sheet.

11. Back Up Makeup

Not sure why I even thought to pack this since I spent many weekends without makeup when I lived in the States, but I had heard good makeup was hard to come by and since it doesn’t take up much space, I packed it. For some reason, maybe its because my hair lives in a messy bun or ponytail, but I wear makeup here pretty much every day. Also with a baby in the house, sleep is a luxury and I’m already on my second tube of under eye concealer.

10. Princess Dresses

Not a day has gone by that Azalea hasn’t worn one of her princess dresses. I haven’t seen them sold here, but I also haven’t had to look. She’s worn them so often that they are now looking a little tattered and is on my list of things we need to bring back with us when we go home for a visit.

9. Next Size Clothes & Shoes for Kids

Titus is growing fast and I’m so glad I packed the next size up in clothes for him. I only brought size T3 & T4 for Azalea which were a little big when we left, but she’s fitting in them now. She’s slowly growing out of her shoes so we’ll be picking up on our next trip as well.

8. Baby Carrier

Anyone with more than one kid knows that keeping up can be difficult. If you can strap one to you, your odds get a little bit better. I purchased the ERGObaby 360 right before we moved because I didn’t want to have to lug several carriers around in case Titus fell asleep or woke up while out. I’m so glad I did! Although we sweat like crazy, it has allowed me to take both kids shopping at the mercado, the beach, to watch parades, and strolling around the town.

7. Tablet

We’re not a plug-in family, but in my family screen time is sometimes necessary to keep the sanity. Since we don’t have a TV, Azalea uses her tablet to watch her morning cartoons. The kids both wake up between 5:30-6am, and the tablet allows time for my brain to wake up while the coffee is brewing. She also plays games and we troll for her favorite songs on YouTube. The tablet has been great for long drives to Managua and I’m sure will be very handy on our first trip back to the States.

6. Men’s Clippers

My husband is his own barber and I’ve heard these are expensive and poorly made here, so I’m glad we haven’t had to make this purchase in Nicaragua.

5. BOB Stroller

This was a big dilemma for me before we moved. I wasn’t sure whether a double or single stroller, umbrella or 3-wheeler would be better. I was so torn that we now have 2 strollers I purchased prior to leaving taking up space in our storage unit back in California. I’m SO glad I made the choice to bring the single BOB stroller. Its small enough to fit through doors and into the trunk of a cab. Its great for street, off-roading, and beach trips. I taught Azalea that the “big girl spot” is the front triangle so now its her favorite place to ride while Titus lives large in the main area. Titus’ car seat fits into the BOB too so if he falls asleep in the car I can easily take him without waking him up.

4. Nutribullet

I planned on making all of Titus’ food, so I packed the Nutribullet since I find it very easy to use and the clean up is simple. I also make smoothies a lot of mornings, so this fantastic device gets used at least twice a day. For some reason I also have a sudden interest in making hummus too!

3. Kid’s Books

We shipped most of our book collection in the box we mailed ourselves. Since books are so heavy and the box had no weight limit, this was the perfect way to get a lot of them down here. I read at least one book to Azalea for nap and at bedtime. She also loves bringing books to school. Titus is just starting to play with the sensory books. I’m thankful every day we have such a variety.

2. International Phones

I didn’t realize this would be at the top of my list of essential items until I lost mine. Having a good phone here helped me navigate Nicaragua using Google Maps, and the Waze app, stay in touch with friends back home using WhatApp and TextNow apps, use Facebook to connect with people here and keep up with what’s happening at home, listen to music via Spotify, take great pictures where ever we went, translate using Google Translate Spanish downloaded, and Skype for international calls. My “Nica phone” often doesn’t work, the camera is terrible, and the memory is too small to download or update many applications.

1. Kids’ Favorite Things

Bringing a few of the kids’ favorite things is priceless. I love wrapping Titus up after bath every night in the same ducky towel I used when Azalea was a baby. It melts my heart to watch Azalea cuddle with her huge stuffed pink frog every night and cart her blankies around the house. I didn’t bring a lot of toys, but watching her play with a toy I bought when we went with all her friends to Disney On Ice makes me smile. Maybe the kids don’t notice, but having a pieces of “home” with us makes this adventure less challenging. It gives us a history, every item has a story behind it and when I miss home I can go back to that moment and cherish it.

What other moms say:

I asked other moms living in Nicaragua what they are glad they packed, here are their answers that weren’t already on my list: underwear & bras, Tampax, bathing suits, toys, Crayola products, painters tape, kids party gifts, computer, extra pair of favorite flip flops, good quality floatie for kids, quality cookware & utensils, good quality speaker, spices, UV shirts, organic sugar-free baby cereal, Chicco portable highchair (attaches to just about any table), spring or half wet suit, printed vaccine record, and health insurance for emergencies.

July 15, 2015 By Jenna Reid 34 Views

Exorcising the North American Mindset

When I first moved to Nicaragua I felt myself getting frustrated easily. I’d put my hands up & mumble obscenities to myself when the the drivers around me did something “stupid”. I’d rush around people strolling aimlessly in the streets and wonder how people could be so self-centered to not notice that someone behind them wanted to walk at a normal pace. I would get impatient with waiters, secretly calculating their low tip in my head. I’d rush my kids through their daily routines, hurry to start the next game, or rush out the gate after dropping off my daughter at school. My husband even told me I seemed angry a lot. Of course I was mad, why was everyone moving so damn slow?!

It hit me one day as I drove my daughter Azalea to school, passing fields of horses and sheep and hearing her shout out “Caballo!” with glee. Why was I in such a hurry?? Did I really need to be anywhere at a certain time? The drop off at San Juan del Sur Day School is anywhere from 8am-9am, this leaves me plenty of time to go at the natural pace of each morning.

Its taken some mental forcing to change my American mindset from the go-go-go of the North to the more chill pace of Nicaragua. I had to take some deep breaths at times and remind myself that 99% of the time in reality, I am in no hurry. There are only a few times a week that I need to be somewhere at an exact time and that includes the twice a week I volunteer at Barrio La Planta Project. Even there, class usually starts late because the parents of the students are not in a rush.

So now when I drive Azalea to school I enjoy the drive. We sing about the day of the week or practice Spanish words for the animals we pass. I play the songs she requests and listen to her sweet voice stumbling over the lyrics. When I drop her off I stay awhile. I have causal chats with the teachers or other parents. I go for a pleasureful run on the beach before leisurely doing my grocery shopping, knowing I have plenty of time to visit the many shops needed to complete a meal. If my 9 month old, Titus is still asleep when I get home I do some yoga…or not. I read, prepare lunch, or sit on the floor with my baby and savor his delicious giggle. I talk to our house cleaner, Juanita, my Spanish lesson for the day.

If Titus cries when I put him down to sleep, I don’t mind picking him back up. What’s another five minutes? In Nicaragua, I have five more minutes. Five more minutes to hold my precious boy who is growing up so fast. Five more minutes to imprint his puffy baby cheeks, soft lips, and ridiculously long lashes into the memory of my eyes. Five more minutes for deep breaths of baby skin. I get in bed with Azalea every night and read her 3 books. I switch off the light and we discuss our favorite things that happened that day. I ask her when she felt sad or frustrated. She opens up to me in ways she never expressed before. I scratch her back, massage her legs, run my fingers through her hair. I cuddle with my ever-in-motion 3 year old, devouring the sensation.

After the kids are asleep I’m usually tired, but we don’t have a TV so the urge to force myself to stay up late isn’t there. I got to bed early and wake up very early. I spend time with my husband over breakfast, lunch, & dinner every day instead of blanking out in front of a TV at night and calling that quality time. With domestic help we are also able to enjoy a date night almost every week.

Exorcising the American mindset did take some time, which means unfortunately, those who visit on a vacation will not enjoy this benefit of living in Nicaragua. To those I say, please do not honk at me when I forget to turn on my blinker because I am in the middle of an epic version of “Let It Go” and be patient when you encounter me aimlessly walking in town. I live in paradise now, where demons go to chill.

June 25, 2015 By Jenna Reid 21 Views

First Visit from Friends

I’m writing this post the afternoon of the morning my friends departed…perhaps not enough time to reflect on their trip, but with events still fresh I’m going to give it a go.

First off, I must mention the overwhelming emotion that invaded my body at first sight of my friend Carly and her youngest daughter, Willow, skipping towards me outside their hotel. I knew I missed my friends, but it wasn’t until the echos of my sobs rang through my ears and I felt my body involuntarily convulsing with each out take of breath, that I realized how much I need my friends. Our daughters too ran for each other and embraced in a heartfelt, tender hug.

The first afternoon my husband and I decided we’d take them to lunch at a beautiful restaurant, El Timón, on the bay. Its a great restaurant to showcase the beauty of San Juan del Sur. Azalea was a great hostess and after lunch showed the girls just how we do it in Nicaragua.

After skipping naps we ended the evening by ordering pizza from Don Mochis for delivery and enjoying their air conditioned hotel. Azalea was already comfortable again with old friends so she got to have her first friend sleep over. I’m so proud of her for sleeping through the night and not crying for “Mommy” in the morning. She’s growing up so fast!

The next day was Friday and Kharron had to work, so after a relaxing morning I packed everyone into our car and headed to the beach. I decided Romanzo would be a good choice since it is fairly close to my house. I had asked Juanita to cook arroz con pollo for lunch, a cheap, but delicious dish that the whole family enjoys. We had a great time enjoying the beach, but the waves weren’t big enough to try surfing. After lunch it was nap time for all!

Our friend, Sean, has a home up on the hill overlooking the bay so we decided to watch the sunset from there while introducing street food to our friends. We got a selection of meat: chicken, pork, and beef with sides of fried plantains, frijoles molida (mashed black beans), and gallo pinto (beans and rice). Sean also has a pool of course, so the kids did some more swimming.

On Saturday my husband, Kharron, was off work, so after a traditional breakfast in the mercardo, we all got to enjoy the pool at Villas de Palermo, where our friends were staying. That night we had arranged for two nannies to come and babysit the kids while the adults enjoyed full-sentenced conversations. We barely made it to sunset at HulaKai Hotel, but as usual were stunned by the beauty of Nicaragua. Next we took them to a restaurant we recently discovered called El Jardin. The food and wine selection is fabulous there. It is not traditional Nicaraguan food, but the change of menu is welcomed. Of course we ended the night in town at Republika Bar for one last night cap. I hope our friends enjoyed the evening together as much as we did!

Date night with the Anderson's — Date night with the Anderson’s

On Monday Willow went to school with Azalea at San Juan del Sur Day School for the morning and the rest of their family had fun zip lining at Parque de Aventuras. Then after naps that afternoon we all went to Surf Ranch for a swim, drinks, and a snack.

Tuesday was Nicaragua’s Father’s Day and Kharron took the day off work. We decided to be a little more adventurous and go see Laguna de Apoyo. It’s an imploded volcano that created a crater and has filled with water. The pictures are breathtaking and we’ve been wanting to go. The men used this opportunity to go on a motorcycle ride and the women & kids followed in our car. Unfortunately we made the mistake of inputting “Laguna de Apoyo” in Google Maps instead of one of the hotels along one section of the shore. We ended up over shooting our turn off the highway and caravaning through the busy streets of Granada‘s mercado. We asked locals how to get to “Laguna de Apoyo” and found ourselves at its edge on the opposite side of the hotels. Foolishly, we took the dirt roads around the lake to finally reach our destination tired, dirty, & grumpy. The kids were starving, moms were fed up with wining, and the dad’s bottoms hurt. BUT the views were striking!

On the last full day of their trip we went to what I think is the most beautiful beach in San Juan del Sur, Playa Hermosa. It costs US $3 to enter, but once through the long dirt road there are bathrooms, fresh water showers, palapas with hammocks, and a restaurant that doesn’t completely gouge you on prices. It is always very tranquil at Playa Hermosa. It was a great day spent relaxing, collecting shells, and enjoying the warm ocean water. We also rented a couple boogie boards for $8 each for the kids to try. We got home that late afternoon and cleaned off in Villas de Palermo pool (shhh…) Kharron met us after work and we spent the evening ordering room service and letting the kids play.

It was great having our friends here and we feel so lucky to have friends willing to make the long trek just to see us. I know Nicaragua was never on their radar of places to visit, but I hope they found it as beautiful and interesting as we do.

Char asked me while driving someplace, “Before you moved, did you know people wouldn’t have doors and stuff?” I tried to explain to her that yes, I did. That Kharron and I had chosen to move here because America was very expensive and in this country I didn’t have to work to afford to live.

I think travel is so important (obviously) for everyone and especially as children. If nothing else, a “first world” country kid can get a glimpse of how other people live. Maybe they see the smile on kid’s face as he peaks through the doorway while standing on a dirt floor or hears the roar of laughter coming out of a group of children playing with sticks, a little girls giggle of delight while dressed up in a torn and dirty princess dress, or a little boy’s confidence as he herds a pack of sheep down the road, the laughter from a family sitting outside their shack of a home as they enjoy the evening and each other. Maybe that child just for a second can see that life is not about all the gadgets and screen time, it’s about the love we have for each other and this one life we have to live. I am glad our friends are among the parents that get the importance of these lessons.

June 15, 2015 By Jenna Reid 43 Views

The Sight of a Machete

This has had to take some getting used to. You see this or a similar image all day, every day. Men (or women) walking down the street with machete swinging in the hand. The reality is that machetes are very useful here…and I’m starting to think maybe everywhere.

Cutting Grass & Weeds: I see men every day manicuring their yards with a machete.
Harvesting: Bananas, mangoes, plantains, coconuts all are easily harvested with the use of a machete.
Hearding: A grotesque image may come to mind, but the Nicaraguans just use the wide, flat side to tap the ox or other herded animal in the desired direction.
Pruning: Juanita‘s husband recently helped us prune a neem tree’s branches back from our yard so the fruit doesn’t fall on our patio. I have also used a machete to prune the branches of the palm trees along the sidewalk of our new home.

You never know when a machete might be useful, so might as well carry one when you bring your kid to school

June 11, 2015 By Jenna Reid 1 comment 179 Views

Moving In Nicaragua

On the move

Although our house was priced well at $1,000 per month for a North American style residential home with a pool, we were surprised to see our first month’s utilities equate to almost $650. This was an unexpected, unbudgeted for cost. We did what we could to lower the payables in the next months by cancelling cable, raising our air conditioners to 30°C (86° F) and being aware of the amount of time they were on. Our son Titus, took most of his naps without A/C except for the hottest days. We also unplugged our hot water heater and stopped using the clothes dryer. We asked the gardener only to water 2 days a week instead of 5 and explained that the pool didn’t need to be filled to the edge. We were able to cut our initial $340 electricity bill down to about $260 and our water bill from $114 to $107, but the bills still added up to more than we were willing to spend.

The higher cost of living was causing us to have to restrict our spending in ways that weren’t in line with the goals of our move. One of the reasons for our move to Central America was that it would be easy to visit the surrounding countries, so we had planned on spending three days in Costa Rica over Memorial Day weekend. This was about the time that we needed to renew our 90 day tourist VISAs so we’d be getting that taken care of and enjoying a neighboring country. Sadly, because of a depleted savings account, we opted to do a quick in & out of Costa Rica so that some money would remain in our savings account. It became clear that we couldn’t afford our beautiful home if we wanted to accomplish all the things we desired while living abroad.

We started putting feelers out for other housing options, hoping to find a place with a pool that was priced unusually low. We signed a 6 month lease and were prepared to stay in our home until it was up, but thought we might be able to find someone to take it over if we found a new place. I saw something posted for only $550 on one of the Facebook pages. It included all utilities except electricity, we jumped at the chance to have a look if for no other reason but to see what other options looked like. It was a beautiful home with lots of windows to open up and take advantage of the breezes. Every room had a ceiling fan and every door and window had a screen. The home was available immediately and at such a low price we knew we didn’t have much time.

We started searching for someone to take over our lease right away, but the task was harder than expected. This time of year (the start of the rainy season) there seems to be more available than people to rent. The next night the owner of our house called to just chat and my husband, Kharron mentioned that we were looking for someone to take over the lease because of the utility bills being so high. The landlord is a nice man and said he wanted us to enjoy our time in Nicaragua and not to worry about it. Kharron hung up and we smiled at the possibility that we’d get to move sooner than the 6 month lease. We wanted to make sure that the owner was serious about letting us out of the lease and that he was agreeing to letting us move in 4 days. He told Kharron yes and we immediately contacted the owner of the new home.

The owner surprisingly said the place was still available and unlike in the US, we saw and home and planned a move in 4 days. Luckily we had Juanita to help us pack up and thoroughly clean the home after our move! She is the only reason this quick move was possible without much stress.

The new place is furnished, but did not come with linens, dishes, towels, or cleaning supplies. The first day in the home, Juanita and I (and a friend) took an expensive trip to Rivas to buy all our household items. Unfortunately, as is always true in Nicaragua, basic items can be harder to find than you ever thought possible so little things like pot holders and ice trays remain on my To-Buy list. It was kind of fun picking out our own dishes, bath mats, and beach towels!

So now we’ve officially been in our new home for 4 nights and it already feels like home. I feel very safe knowing we have a cuiador (person who watches the home or property). The property is completely fenced in so the dogs and Azalea are able to roam without any worry of cars. There are only 3 homes built and 26 empty lots so its very quiet & peaceful. I do already miss having a pool to dunk my feet & body into on the hot afternoons, but for what we expect to be more than a $1,000 monthly savings, it is worth instead visiting the local restaurants that have public pools.

Titus enjoying some cantaloupe juice in his walker.

April 20, 2015 By Jenna Reid 44 Views

A Typical Day – After 6 weeks of living in San Juan del Sur

We’re starting to feel pretty settled in our routine here, so I thought I’d write about what a typical week day is like for us living in San Juan del Sur.

The kids have both been waking up pretty early and there aren’t many roosters around our home to blame it on. It seems Azalea or Titus wake up between 5:30-6am every day. It only takes minutes after one rises, for the other to wake as well. If Titus is the first, I like to enjoy a little bit of quiet play with him in our bed. He sleeps in a Pack ‘n Play in our room so I let him wrestle around for a while before picking him up and bringing him in bed. We usually only get about 5 minutes of quiet time before Azalea comes knocking on the bedroom door. If Azalea is the first to rise, her loud knock will usually wake up Titus, but if not, it is her morning mission to make sure everyone else is awake in the house. Kharron is an early riser and uses the quiet mornings to get work done, so he can be found at the kitchen table on his computer every morning, including weekends.

I’m not sure what to do with kids this early in the morning and before I’ve had my coffee so I fumble with blurry, sleepy eyes to start a show on the TV. Some of Azalea’s favorites right now are Annie, Finding Nemo, Curious George, Horton Hears a Who, and Dora the Explorer. Once I have her crazy morning energy lassoed to the TV I open up the home’s accordion patio doors so the dogs can go outside and Tasha can go visit her “friends”. Rigley with his broken arm, gets leashed to the large wood picnic-style table on our patio so he doesn’t go too far and re-injure himself…again.

Rigley leashed to the picnic table in the morning.

I either hand Titus off to Kharron or put him in his jumpy that came in our box. The dogs water usually needs to be refilled, coffee gets made, Titus’ diaper gets changed, and Azalea’s initial hurricane gets cleaned. With a cup of coffee in my hand I nestle on the couch next to Azalea, nurse Titus, and enjoy the slow trickle of caffeine processing in my body.

On a typical day the family all has breakfast together. We may not all eat the same thing, but everyone sits at the table at the same time. Azalea has been eating A LOT of watermelon as well as peanut butter (with no jelly) sandwiches. Eggs are also popular for breakfast. I like to make a smoothie with all the fresh cut fruit Juanita has prepared or have fruit with yogurt and granola. Titus usually has some sort of fruit or ground oatmeal (avena molida) with yogurt. At breakfast Kharron and I discuss the plans for the day or things that need to get done, while Azalea continuously interjects with silly behavior.

After everyone has eaten and gotten their pjs dirty, it is time to dress for the day. I distract Azalea by letting her pick out what she wants to wear to school while I choose my own outfit. I’ve learned a trick of putting Titus on a towel in the bathroom sink while I do my hair and make-up. The toothpaste is usually distraction enough for a quick application. My hair lives in a ponytail because its too hot for anything else and my creativity runs low in the morning.

Kharron departs for work during this part of the morning routine. He has an office in town where there is less distraction and he can focus on his job… our only source of income. We all give Daddy kisses and watch him climb on his moto and zoom away. Its about this time too that our pool/gardener arrives. We all acknowledge him with an, “Hola Chilo” and carry on with our morning tasks.

Once I am dressed I focus on Azalea, helping her put on the outfit she’s chosen or trying to steer her in a different direction. She really only wants to wear three things right now – a brick orange flowered long sleeve dress, her long sleeved Elsa princess dress, or her long sleeve white cotton dress. Juanita is so efficient that at least two of these options is always clean, but its hot and I don’t want her wearing the same thing everyday so this usually becomes our first battle. After the tears have dried, I manage to style Azalea’s beautiful curly hair in front of the TV while Titus is on the floor next to me playing with some toys.

As I’m just finishing my hair masterpiece, I hear the single beep of Juanita’s family moto notifying us of her arrival and Juanita comes through the front door with a, “Buenos dias.” She picks up Titus and I’m able to race around the house putting Azalea’s second storm away, applying sunblock to everyone, and making sure Azalea has a change of clothes, hat, and extra sunblock (and nothing else) in her backpack. Juanita keeps Titus while I drive Azalea to school. She likes the music blasting and all windows down except her’s because it blows her hair too much. Azalea’s school starts between 8-8:30am and I take my time dropping her off. Its nice to have this time with her without juggling Titus on my hip. We say hello to the teachers and Julie, the director.

I go straight home and if Titus isn’t already asleep by the time I get there, then I nurse him to sleep for his first nap. Juanita has been making him a bottle or juice from an orange mixed with water. She rocks him in the hammock to try to get him down for his nap while I am driving Azalea to school. After he is down I am free to try to converse with Juanita via my crutch, Google Translate. If we didn’t shop for the week on Monday, then we talk about whether I’d like her to cook lunch and/or dinner that day and if we need anything from the store. I’m just starting to feel more comfortable with opening our conversations up to topics of life outside our home. Kharron and I have been trying to learn past tense and these moments with Juanita are like a daily Spanish lesson. She is very patient with us – politely correcting the pronunciation, accent, or gender of a word when necessary. She also gives a kind nod when we have said something correctly.

While Titus has his long morning nap I spend my time blogging, researching hotels, what is necessary for VISA renewal, scrolling Facebook for what’s happening in our home town, San Juan del Sur, or Nicaragua, text with friends, or do all those little computer busy work I didn’t have time to do while living in the States. When we first moved in we had cable, but it never really worked so we cancelled Claro and were going to use a new company called Sky, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’m not sure that I want to add it. I’m sure I would be much less productive during these nap times if I had the option to space out in front of the TV.

Once Titus is awake I nurse him again while reading my latest book on my Kindle. Then we usually head out to town to go buy bread at the paneria, fresh fish at the acopia, eggs or water at a pulperia, or say hello to our friends at one of the shops. Its nice to stroll around the town with Titus happily dangling in the Ergo carrier. Azalea gets out of school at noon, so Titus and I head over there from town.

We are always greeted by Azalea with a shrill of happiness. We take our time collecting her art work, backpack, and shoes and say “Hasta luego” to her teachers and friends. On the way home we talk about what her favorite part of school was. She doesn’t quite get this conversation and she usually says something that doesn’t really make sense or happened on a different day, but I figure its good practice.

Once home, Juanita is finishing up lunch and daddy is home sitting at the kitchen table. We all enjoy lunch together (chicken, fish, or pork with cabbage salad, beans, rice, or plantains. If she doesn’t have too much to do, Juanita will feed Titus so I am free to eat lunch and enjoy the conversation with my family. We’ve come to realize that Juanita is very funny, so there’s a lot of really bad Spanish and big laughs during lunch.

After lunch Azalea gets to watch a show on TV and Daddy goes back to the office. Azalea’s been pretty good about her naps so after about 20-30 minutes of TV she’s ready for bed. She likes to get in pjs for naps and that is always a process. I turn on the A/C and if Titus allows for it, I read her a quick book. Once she’s down I nurse Titus and hope for the simultaneous nap. I’ve been pretty lucky these last couple weeks!

Azalea asleep in her "Princess bed" — Azalea asleep in her “Princess bed”

On Tuesday & Thursdays I volunteer at Barrio La Planta Project 2-4:30pm with the Kindergartner classes. If all goes well, I leave 2 sleeping kids in Juanita’s care. I have to admit, on the other days of the week I usually read myself into a nap. I don’t know if its the heat or the the energy it takes to live and communicate in a foreign land, but I am really tired here. If Titus doesn’t nap when Azalea does, we dip our feet in the pool or go for a swim.

Once everyone is awake we relax a little, go for a swim, go to the park, get some ice cream, or meet up with friends.

My favorite part of the day is when Daddy gets home from work. Juanita makes dinner for us about 3-4 times per week, so the early evenings aren’t spent with one of us preparing dinner while the other entertains the kids. Azalea has been loving an early evening swim with her daddy or some days we take Tasha & the kids to the beach for sunset. On the nights Juanita hasn’t cooked, Kharron will cook, or we pick up “street food”, or meet friends at a restaurant.

After dinner I shower with Azalea and bathe Titus in his little tub. Everyone gets in their pjs and sprayed with bug spray. We put on one of Azalea’s programs and I nurse Titus to sleep. Titus has been going to bed around 6:30/7pm. We spend some time alone with Azalea before corralling her to her room for 3 books and some cuddles. Her bedtime is about 8pm. Lately after books and I’ve switched off the lights, we’ve been discussing our favorite part of the day. Its been really fun to hear what she has to say and share with her what made me happy that day.

Its not long after the kids are in bed that I too retreat to our air conditioned bedroom to read and fall asleep. Titus has been only waking up once to eat in the middle of the night, so my sleep has recently gotten less interrupted. Someday soon we will probably move his Pack ‘n Play into Azalea’s bedroom. Kharron again uses the quiet nights to get work done and enjoy the solitude.

We have a peaceful life here in Nicaragua.

April 11, 2015 By Jenna Reid 31 Views

Bala the Cat

Soon after we moved in we discovered that we had mice. Not just one mouse, “who didn’t eat anything” according to our landlord, but at least three. Being the pet lover I am, I used this opportunity to convince my husband that we needed a cat. I was very persuasive and that day I posted on the San Juan del Sur Friends and Neighbors Facebook page that we were looking for a kitten or junior cat. I was worried that a mature cat might not be a fan of Azalea and her 3 year old behavior.

A nice retired couple, Diana & Jeremy, from Canada commented that they had a sweet cat they couldn’t take back home with them. Bala (Bullet in Spanish) was a stray who wouldn’t take no for an answer and finally sick, emaciated, and hungry they started feeding Bala and letting him in the house during the day. They were kind enough to take him to one of the local vets and you would never know it today how rough he once had it.

The family went to go see Bala that day. Azalea instantly fell in love and even though he’s not a kitten he is very patient with her. Diana & Jeremy moved with two of their own cats, who weren’t very excited about their new sibling. Now that they had decided to temporary move back to Canada before traveling the world as pet sitters, they couldn’t ask their family to care for a third cat.

We took Bala home and by night time he was acting like one of the family. He is a very loving and sweet boy. We are happy to have this addition in our home…but we still have at least one mouse.

April 10, 2015 By Jenna Reid 29 Views

Cómo se dice?

I was ignorantly under the impression that this is a term to be used often when you didn’t know how to say something in Spanish. You could just ask the Spanish speaker you were trying to converse with, “Cómo se dice (insert English word or phrase here)?” and they would leap at the chance to tell you what you were trying to say in their native tongue. Well, this only works if the person you’re speaking with speaks English as well, and if that were the case, you probably wouldn’t be speaking Spanish to them in the first place!

“Do you have a …cómo se dice cucumber?” I want to say in the mercado. “Where is the…. cómo se dice jelly?” I want to say at the supermarket. “Cómo se dice I want you to make whatever for dinner, I don’t care.” I want to say to our maid, Juanita. All instances where I would and have gotten the sideways turn of the head, not in the least bit understanding what I am trying to communicate.

The more useful, but less practiced is “Que es esto?” meaning “What is this?” but only works if you have the object in the vicinity of pointing ability. This is more used when you are trying to increase your Spanish vocabulary, which my family is doing on a daily basis. Otherwise by grunting and pointing you would attain the same outcome. No language of any sort needed.

Recently, while driving to the Maxi Palí in Rivas with my maid and stumbling over my Spanish words because I couldn’t access Google Translate (and because my Spanish is extremely limited), my maid corrected me by saying, “No tengo palabras en Español.” Yes! Exactly! I don’t have the words in Spanish! So help an amiga out and give them to me!

Rigley and Tasha in the airline purchased crates.

March 8, 2015 By Jenna Reid 2 comments 302 Views

Moving to Nicaragua With Dogs

2 Large Dogs, Will Travel

Getting the dogs to Nicaragua was a task. Probably more our fault than anything. We made several mistakes which ended up costing us time and money, but at least we made the rabies vaccine appointment on time!

1. Booked our flight to Nicaragua to arrive during the weekend. – Dogs are not shipped via United Airlines PetSafe program on the weekend.

When I was looking at the flight options and deciding when and from which airport it was best to depart from, I noticed that all the flights out of San Diego arrived into Managua at 9:30pm. I had read conflicting information about whether customs was open after 5pm, so I didn’t want the dogs and us arriving that late. I also thought we had so much baggage, etc that I’d rather hassle with it in the light of day. Flights out of Los Angeles had a red eye option arriving at about 12:30pm. Los Angeles was more of a drive, but I didn’t feel like we had another option.

I finally booked our tickets and then right away called the PetSafe department to book the dogs on the same flight. I was told right away that dogs aren’t transported on the weekends and that they could fly out the next Monday morning departing at 8:30am, arriving in Managua at…9:30pm!!! Having already booked non refundable tickets for the family, I went ahead and booked the dogs.
2. Not understand the importance of the check-in time frame. – Must be 3 hours before flight (unless military), but for an early morning flight, no more than 3 hours

Kharron’s brother, Kevin, graciously agreed to take the dogs for the couple days after we left and get them to the airport 3 hours prior to their flight. Yikes, that’s early! It was set, problem solved. We boarded our plane on a red eye at 12:30 Saturday morning with a plan to spend a couple nights in Managua until the dogs came in, then go to stay at a friend’s surf camp until we could move into our home in San Juan del Sur.

We woke up Monday morning excited that we would be seeing our pooches that night. Kharron and his brother were texting that Kevin was on his way to the airport with his dad, Baylee, and everything was going as planned. Things turned bad quickly. Once Kevin found the cargo area it quickly became clear that he had missed the 30 minute window between when the cargo department opened at 5am and 3 hours before the flight. Dogs were not going to fly that day.
3. Book dogs on their own flight arriving at night. – Managua will not allow animals to arrive after 5pm unaccompanied by a passenger.

Kevin had to make a new reservation for the following morning. The dogs were going to need to spend the night in Houston (more money) so that they could be on the first flight out of Houston on Wednesday morning and arrive in Managua during the daytime.
4. Send someone who doesn’t own a credit card to drop off the dogs at the airport. – United only takes credit cards, no cash allowed.

We decided to go to the surf camp anyway and Kharron could drive the 1 and a half hours back to Managua to pick them up on Wednesday. Again, Tuesday morning we were excited to get the process underway. Kevin was on his way to the airport and targeted to arrive within the allotted window. Kharron was giving me the play-by-play as I chased Azalea around paradise. Kevin and dad arrived on time…dogs are out of the truck…they are getting checked in…paperwork is missing…wait, no it isn’t… It was tense! My interpretation to the story is when Kevin pulled out the wad of cash we had wired him to pay with the ticketing office then told him they only took credit cards. NO!!!

Let’s do this again. Dogs are booked for Thursday morning flight, staying in Houston, arriving on Friday. We were quickly approaching the 10 day expiration date of the Certificate of Health the vet filled out and USDA stamped. This was going to get really messy and expensive if we didn’t manage to work this out by no later than a Friday arrival.
5. Didn’t pay enough attention to recent changes in crate regulations. – I couldn’t even tell you the rules. Allow yourself enough time to buy another one if needed.

image-2015-03-24-15-19-08 — Dogs on the dolly in the incorrect crates

We called in for back up. My friend Kelly recently became a stay at home mom. She’s fierce, smart, gorgeous, and owns a credit card…she was just the person for the job! We wake up Wednesday morning now with a feeling of doom. Again, Kharron on his phone now with Kelly. Kharron’s dad again there for support. Everything is going good. We are texted the above picture. Dogs were on the dolly! They must be in, all is clear… wait, no, there’s a problem. Rigley’s crate is too small and Tasha’s doesn’t have the correct bolts holding it together. They are given one new crate and BayLee goes to another airline and is able to buy another crate.

Finally, dogs are cleared and the crowd goes wild!

I get this email a couple hours later and the stress pours out of me like frozen margaritas from a blender.

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The Road Not Taken

the 1 less traveled by

A move to Nicaragua

Living in San Juan del Sur