Mis hermanas nicaraguenses

Get to know my three lovely host sisters...

Tamara

Tamara, 21, is the youngest of the siblings and she has the strongest personality. She won't take poo from anyone and that is what I like about her. Once a thief tried to grab her purse on the bus and she elbowed him and refused and jumped off the bus at the next stop. Unfortunately he got away with her cell phone.

She has a great curiosity for the world and is always asking me questions about the way things are in the U.S. She also loves to shop! (an interest that we share) and her favorite color is pink. I would say that 90% of her clothing-including shirts, shoes, purses, hair clips, earrings, etc.- is pink.

One of my favorite memories with Tamara was when I went to the market with her to buy a new bed. Imagine a crowded, cramped market filled in every nook and cranny with furniture, electronics, food stands, clothing, etc. It's hot, noisy and dark and the walkways are narrow and muddy, littered with trash and other unidentifiable liquids that you are always trying not to step in. She decided to buy a double bed, frame and mattress included. I watched in amazement as one man grabbed the mattress and the other the bed frame, hoisted them over their heads and carried them out to a pick-up truck. All the while they were dodging people, tight corners and low ceilings and yelling for people to get out of the way. It was pretty amazing!

Eveling

Eveling, 23, is probably the most grown-up of all the sisters. At age 16 she gave birth to her daughter, Kristal, who is now quite the little dancer and actress. Eveling has a refined, sophisticated style and she is always reminding me that I need to have better posture. She walks confidently with her head up and shoulders back, whereas I tend to slump and walk like a turtle. She could be a beautician if she wanted and Norma and I often go to her for manicures, pedicures and make-up.

I love to make Eveling laugh because her laugh is loud and full of energy, especially when it bursts out. She has had a difficult life as a single mom and she has shared many of her burdens and failed relationships with me. Right now she is working as a secretary in a small office of a family friend and with the money she earns she supports herself and her daughter. Recently she started taking accounting classes.

A favorite memory with Eveling and Kristal was when we went to Catarina- a lookout point that overlooks a beautiful crater lake. On the way home we were running late and waiting along the highway for the next bus to pass. We were carrying pots of fresh flowers that we bought at one of the well-known gardens in Catarina. A cargo truck honked as it passed by and Eveling flagged it down and went running after it. I said, "No! Eveling are you crazy?!" and she just laughed and said, "It's ok Meli!". There were 2 men in the truck offering us a free ride back to Managua. One got out and Eveling asked him if he was a good person and if he had been drinking or smoking. He looked at her kind of surprised and said, "No, of course not!" So we hopped in, all shoved together with our flower pots, and off to Managua we went!

Norma

Norma, 25, has become my closest Nicaraguan friend and she is very near and dear to my heart. Norma is the only one who regularly attends church in my family and she is the sister that I stay up late at night with talking about God, faith and life and the deeper questions of the universe. She is the only person here in Nicaragua that has seen me cry, which says something about how much I trust her since I tend to keep my sadness to myself. She is also the sister that I argue with the most, probably because I am most comfortable with her and I'm not as worried about offending her. I'm always sharing my cultural frustrations with her and asking for explanations and vice versa.

Norma is a real jokster, which I love because I am a jokster myself. She is always making me laugh and calls me "vieja chancha" ('old pig', her term of endearment for me) every morning when I head to the shower. I'll always remember when she told me that she thought women in the states didn't get menstrual cramps because she thought Americans were untouchable and felt no pain. I'm pretty sure she was kidding, but at the time I wasn't sure.

Norma is in her last year of university studying computer engineering. She's a great cook and she often makes dinner for me.

One of my favorite memories with Norma was when we went to the beach and had a photo shoot jumping in the waves. I painted her foot with henna and we walked all along the beach while I collected baby hermit crabs.

Other wild memories involve killing a rat in our house in the middle of the night and dancing in the dark like crazy fools when the power went out.