Nicarag-Blog: My Life as an Intern: Tell the world, I'm coming home :)

Hey there,

So I guess I never checked in after the meeting...my bad. But, it went wonderfully well! My supervisor (who came down from Oregon) told me that they were very proud of the work I did and they couldn't have done it without me. So I'm very glad with how that all turned out.

And now I'm heading home. In exactly 6 hours I will be on a plane bound for Atlanta. I can't believe I'm leaving- I really can't. This experience has been so incredible- and so unforgettable. The bright side is that just because I leave, it doesn't mean that my experience is over. I'm hoping to stay in contact with the people I've met here for a very long time.

They had a going away party for me last night. Pedro is a friend I've made here in Jinotepe, and he teaches dance classes. He and some of his students performed a few dances as a goodbye gift. It was really awesome. The generosity is amazing to see in people- people who have nothing will give you everything- it's just really unlike what I've seen before...

Saying goodbyes has been hard. When I was saying goodbye to Guillermo in the elderly home he first told me that I wasn't leaving because he was locking the door so I couldn't get out. But then he told me to sit down so he could give me some parting advice...I was expecting some deep final words of wisdom, perhaps something about following your dreams or living life to the fullest. This was his final advice to me: "Rachel, If you're ever cooking, and you get burned, with hot oil, or water, or anything- here's what you have to do: find a potato, cut it in half. Pour lots and lots of salt on it, and rub it wherever you were burned...that way you won't get a blister. Don't forget! POTATO.SALT.!!!" The funny thing is, I probably never will forget. There's a lot that's happened here that I will never ever forget.