I just finished reading my Uncle Pat’s journal. He’s a Fulbright scholar to the graduate program in the business school at the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana in Brazil. It’s not his first time visiting but I believe it’s his first extended stay and first opportunity to settle in and start seeing the country as home—if only for some months. I realize now from reading his journal how fun it can be to learn about another country, their practices, restaurants, traffic, transportation, churches, and more—the similarities and the grand differences. I’ve been reporting on Nicaragua, less frequently as of late, for almost 2 years now. And it’s not that I’ve become bored with it, I think it’s just normal at this point. This is where I live. This is what I do.

That said, I’ve been in total “Now I’m near” mode this past month—up close and analyzing every detail. It wasn’t until my sister, Kelli, and her two friends visited that I was able to zoom out and look with better perspective at the big picture. And in the big picture I have a great life here in the third world—including friends, a comfortable though rustic home, electricity, water, and access to vegetables and clean water. As an added bonus, my town is beautiful, the weather is mostly very agreeable, and my work is by and large quite fulfilling.

I also realized in talking to Kelli that I’m a bit removed from American culture and that I don’t mind it one bit. I hear the health care reform passed. That’s pretty huge news. I’ll try to find some good news articles about that. The Peace Corps received a 400 million dollar budget increase and all volunteers will be receiving more per month towards their readjustment (return home) allowance. Also exciting news. Being so far removed isn’t so bad. I seek what I want to know and absorb little bits instead of being constantly pounded by the advertisements, commercials, sales pitches, et al. Here, our political ads are spray painted on trees or houses. Obituaries are announced over a loud speaker by a guy in beat-up brown Toyota truck. Of course there’s radio and television but neither falls into the category of what I need to live and so I’m able to avoid quite easily the media frenzy. What we have here is a semi-reliable gossip network which brings people closer together instead of locked up in the living room watching cable. And it all seems entirely normal to me. I dare say I’m culturally adapted.