Greetings from Bellevue, Washington!

It's true, I'm officially back in the United States! It had been a difficult few days back in Managua, and now I am home in the loving arms of my estadounidense family.

I had an especially hard time saying goodbye to my mamá, and I still don't really know how I feel. The transition back in the life in the United States has been incredibly easy and absurdly difficult in many ways, and I still need some time to adjust to everything.

The Gritería on Sunday night was absolutely insane - at 6PM, the firecrackers started going off everywhere, and everyone started going around to different houses and singing to their altars of the Virgin Mary. The louder we sang, the better the gifts were, so we screamed, and I ending up with about three pounds of sugar, a bag of rice, Nicaraguan candies, orange juice, apple juice, and some tupperware after only three houses. This was by far the best trick-or-treating experience of my 20 years!

On our last night in Managua, we had the closing presentation for our Nicaraguan families, and my mamá and I finally did our dance in our insane costumes. It was slightly embarrassing because I didn't know what I was doing, but it was absolutely worth it to be able to be on stage with her.

And now? It is time to move myself slowly back into my old way of life. For example, I couldn't BELIEVE the price of gas when I was coming home last night...$1.83? I think the last time I saw that price on a gas billboard was when I was 13 years old. It is also really cold, so I am definitely not looking forward to skin-melting-Maine weather in January. But these are the least of my worries...I miss my Nicaraguan family!

Here are some pictures of us from the last night...

With my family. My mamá and I are in the traditional dance costumes that we made, and check out Eduber's sweet shirt that he wore just for the occasion!
with my hermanitos! Eduber and Heyling
My fabulous mama!


Most importantly, I would like to thank all of you for reading my blog and engaging with me during this experience. Your support, encouragement, and thoughts really helped me keep going and I really appreciate all of your interest in my life.

Until next time...¡cuídense y les amo!

Love,
Nicole