“a place where everything I have experienced was safe to be remembered”

One of my nephews has recently spent three weeks in Nicaragua as a volunteer for Outreach360. Today he posted the first of three blog posts about his experience. As always, his writing, photos, and perspectives have brightened and enriched my day (and serve as an excellent example of a thoughtful and informative travel blog post):

“I arrived in Jinotega with a skeptical attitude, and a sort of adrift sense of orientation. But I think Jinotega is exactly what I needed. In one week the taste of coffee and honey, games with my new friends, and walking through the neighborhood with our teaching supplies to see the students all became familiar and comforting details. Normally when I listen to music, I will skip a song because it reminds me too much of a place or a time. That song will seem out of place, and will sometimes make me feel out of place. For example, listening to Clément Jacques in Arizona is sometimes too uncomfortable because it reminds me of Montréal. But in Jinotega, I could listen to anything. It was like a place where everything I have experienced was safe to be remembered. Perhaps it is because Jinoetga was so new to me and so unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. But I don’t like to analyze that too much. What I like to notice about it is that Jinotega was exactly what I needed to feel grounded in a time of transition.”

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