Today the new volunteers and I went on an adventure to Tobias’ house again. This time, having actually caught up on sleep, meant that I was able to ask more intelligent questions. And because this was my second visit, I knew some of the face poking around again. While I received a very warm and friendly welcome my last visit, this time I felt like some of the uncertainty had drifted away.
The conversation seemed to flow better for one. There was more of a mix of children and adults running around, not to mention animals. I saw the turkey again but this time looking more normal, but once riled up again he turned once again into this alien looking creature. With a strange trunk-like object proceeding from on top of his beak. It was fascinating to see the changing of the colours of his head as well, when he was trying to impress. We also shared a good laugh about imagining if human males’ noses changed colour when they were trying to impress the ladies. But in reality, perhaps it would make things a whole lot easier--or possibly more awkward situations. Who knows.
Things this time also seemed so much more tranquil, with nothing to impress. I watched Tobias’ daughters hang up the family’s laundry. I talked to some of Tobias’ granddaughters, some not yet four years old while others were old enough to start dreaming of boys. Once again I felt the good fortune of being able to get this wonderful welcome from Tobias’ family. Even when it came to watching the four month old grandson be shown to us. With his chubby cheeks, fingers, and limbs.
Also entertaining, slash terrifying, was watching Tobias climb a ladder to just reach some coconuts. However in order to fully access them, Tobias had to climb the rest of the plant, just where the leaves fanned out. Watching him there, seemingly suspended in air, I had a small taste of what every mother experiences watching their kid do something that seems dangerous. In actual reality, Tobias is an active 60 year old who is able to do such wonderful things as climb around coconut fronds to cut down five coconuts for us visitors and those in his family with a thirst for coconut water.
Near the end of the visit, Tobias took us down to the waters edge. This time there were no canoes, some of his sons had taken them out for fish. So the new volunteers, a couple, spent their time talking in whispers only they could hear, while I talked to Tobias about his life.
What I found most interesting was learning about the number of kids he has, and grandchildren. Learning about his time, at ten years old, working in the fields of Costa Rica. Asking him about what it was like to live during the Sandista Revolution. He too was a soldier in the Sandista movement, but his work was not to fight in some distant part of Nicaragua. He worked on the Island, bringing goods where they needed to be. Mayogalpa, Altagracia, and Balgue and back again. More importantly, I wanted to know if he felt the wounds from that time were healed.
All he would say to me is that, and I’m paraphrasing, that things here were much more calm, easy going than before. I think those tourists who wonder why the Nicaraguans are so laid back (and rarely on time), forget that in the last 20 years they have had to rebuild a country. I think their attitude toward life is a beautiful one, just to take life easy and not to serious. A lesson I feel more people I know back home, and around the world, could take to heart.
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