And for the finale

After a final, long ride on the chicken busses back to Playa Gigante, I spent my last night and day catching up with the family and saying good-bye to Isolina (while procuring her address and recipes for Nacatamales and chocolate horchata). The morning of our departure, our Nicaraguan brother Maximo came to wake us up before he went to school. It was a little disheartening for me since I felt that I didn't say a proper good-bye, but thankfully we left just after he returned from school later in the afternoon. We spent the morning packing and talking with Anner, and then Maria made us a magnificent lunch (of which I have a picture....I'll post it later). We joked around with the family for a while, and when it came time to leave (our friend Omar was driving us), we took multitude of pictures, Maria gave me a beautiful purple necklace, and Maximo gave me his Popoyo Surf Zone bracelet. It started raining just as we began carrying our things to the car, so goodbyes became a little rushed. But the family was emphatic in their goodbyes, and Rufino's eyes were brimming in tears, it nearly tore my heart apart. Stayed the night in Rivas, and on the bus into Costa Rica for the flight, the woman from Leon named Brenda sitting next to me basically adopted me, feeding me, helping me understand the intercom messages, and showing me pictures of her family. And now just sitting at the hostel, eating oatmeal and drinking tea with rosquillos (little crunchy corn, cheese, and butter rings) that Brenda gave me. The trip is at an end, but I certainly have much to chew over, so now that I'm coming home I'm sure different details will come out in my conversations. My next post should be pictures and recipes collected in the trip, stay tuned!