It´s almost 9am. I have been up since 6 and at work since 7:30, but it´s never too early to have a completely fulfilling conversation with a co-worker. I am sitting in the computer lab of the project typing this, when I really should be working on the survey for the gimnasio (gym). I´m not sure why I so desire to share this conversation with you... but here it is...
Mariela is about 32 years old and has been working in the proyecto at El recreo for some years. She has 3 kids... 17,15, and 5, the youngest is named ¨Vida Luz¨ (life light). So far she has struck me as one of those hip, enthusiastic, sorta-hard working, opinionated, and super fun to be around people. She teaches the computacion (computer) class at the project where people who have passed 6th grade can come to learn how to use Word, Excel, etc. (I should probably take an Excel class while I´m here)
So I came into the lab to use the computer, to make a survey, and I asked her how she was... ¨muy muy feliz!¨ (so so happy!)... Mariela, you are so happy today and you were so happy yesterday. Why are you so happy? (If this were the States I would have askd her if there is a new romance in her life... but unfortuantely I knew that this probably wasn´t an option). She said ¨well, there are so many things to be happy about. Everything in my life is well. So why should I not be happy!!¨
I totally agreed... I enjoy happiness and happy people! I responed with ¨Sure, there are always many things to be happy about¨ (Thinking to myself, ¨Marg, look around, you know there are always things to be sad about too... but I didn´t say this...)
She agreed. Saying of course. Why should I not be happy. I have no reason to not be happy. For example, she said, there is a woman that walks up and down her street, every morning at 6am selling ¨cosos de orno¨... which means ¨things of the oven¨... bread and baked goods. Mariela said that every morning this woman walks up and down the block smiling. She is always ¨feliz¨ (happy)... So why should Mariela not be happy ¨Every morning, this woman leaves her home in the campo to come to Managua to sell cosos de orno... she has been doing this since she was 14 years old... and about 3 times a week I buy the cosos de orno... not because I need them or because I want them. But they are 2.50 cords (about 18 US cents) and I can help her work. And there are so many woman like this! They sell torillas and bread and other things, up and down the streets, it is a very difficult life! And they are always happy. ¨Siempre feliz¨... I responed something like ¨yeah that´s really beautiful¨... thought for a moment about how much further I was ready to go with this conversation, and then continued... ¨and for this, this is an important reason of why I am here. Because this happiness is something you dont find often in the States, but very often here. And I have so much more to learn about these woman, the ones that work in the streets, and the women like you and the others here that work in the project. And even the men here who work in other places. This deep appreciation of basic things¨
And then Mariela responded with an answer that is so embedded in me but that I sometimes slip and lose grip of...
She said ¨well the thing is, I have family in the US. My aunt is In Miami with her family. And they know of the reality here and they send me things that help me to do my work her. They help so that my children can go to school and so that I can work here in the project. They send things that don´t serve them or function there, that they know we can use here. And this is why I can get up every morning and make breakfast for my children and come here to work in the project, because I love this work. I think it is so important. And I enjoy it. And I can still have lunch with my kids and then come back and work in the project. And for this, for the help of my family, I am able to do those things that I want and have to do. And for this, I am happy¨...
And I just stood there and smiled and said ¨... me too.. ¨
Because ¨la cosa es que¨ (the thing is that)... why should I not be always happy?
(My cyncial friends, insert your answer here...)
I am here, in Nicaragua, doing whatever it is I am doing... and loving it... But I am only able to do it because of my family in the states. All because of you, I am. Family and friends supporting me with loving encouragement. And delicious sustinence in the form of email, mail, and packages.
I am happy because Mariela is happy. And appreciates this same thing that I do. And we are so equal in this way, despite what some days I see as extreme differences.
And I am happy because I know my Mom and Dad would say this same thing that Mariela did. I am happy because this is a conversation I have had before, with many other people... probably you...
So I can too be ¨siempre feliz¨ ... ¨always happy¨ ...because this type of conversation and appreciation happens!
How happy we are, How happy we are, How happy we are! =)
I hope you´re happy in the end, I hope YOU´RE happy, my friend...
Mariela is about 32 years old and has been working in the proyecto at El recreo for some years. She has 3 kids... 17,15, and 5, the youngest is named ¨Vida Luz¨ (life light). So far she has struck me as one of those hip, enthusiastic, sorta-hard working, opinionated, and super fun to be around people. She teaches the computacion (computer) class at the project where people who have passed 6th grade can come to learn how to use Word, Excel, etc. (I should probably take an Excel class while I´m here)
So I came into the lab to use the computer, to make a survey, and I asked her how she was... ¨muy muy feliz!¨ (so so happy!)... Mariela, you are so happy today and you were so happy yesterday. Why are you so happy? (If this were the States I would have askd her if there is a new romance in her life... but unfortuantely I knew that this probably wasn´t an option). She said ¨well, there are so many things to be happy about. Everything in my life is well. So why should I not be happy!!¨
I totally agreed... I enjoy happiness and happy people! I responed with ¨Sure, there are always many things to be happy about¨ (Thinking to myself, ¨Marg, look around, you know there are always things to be sad about too... but I didn´t say this...)
She agreed. Saying of course. Why should I not be happy. I have no reason to not be happy. For example, she said, there is a woman that walks up and down her street, every morning at 6am selling ¨cosos de orno¨... which means ¨things of the oven¨... bread and baked goods. Mariela said that every morning this woman walks up and down the block smiling. She is always ¨feliz¨ (happy)... So why should Mariela not be happy ¨Every morning, this woman leaves her home in the campo to come to Managua to sell cosos de orno... she has been doing this since she was 14 years old... and about 3 times a week I buy the cosos de orno... not because I need them or because I want them. But they are 2.50 cords (about 18 US cents) and I can help her work. And there are so many woman like this! They sell torillas and bread and other things, up and down the streets, it is a very difficult life! And they are always happy. ¨Siempre feliz¨... I responed something like ¨yeah that´s really beautiful¨... thought for a moment about how much further I was ready to go with this conversation, and then continued... ¨and for this, this is an important reason of why I am here. Because this happiness is something you dont find often in the States, but very often here. And I have so much more to learn about these woman, the ones that work in the streets, and the women like you and the others here that work in the project. And even the men here who work in other places. This deep appreciation of basic things¨
And then Mariela responded with an answer that is so embedded in me but that I sometimes slip and lose grip of...
She said ¨well the thing is, I have family in the US. My aunt is In Miami with her family. And they know of the reality here and they send me things that help me to do my work her. They help so that my children can go to school and so that I can work here in the project. They send things that don´t serve them or function there, that they know we can use here. And this is why I can get up every morning and make breakfast for my children and come here to work in the project, because I love this work. I think it is so important. And I enjoy it. And I can still have lunch with my kids and then come back and work in the project. And for this, for the help of my family, I am able to do those things that I want and have to do. And for this, I am happy¨...
And I just stood there and smiled and said ¨... me too.. ¨
Because ¨la cosa es que¨ (the thing is that)... why should I not be always happy?
(My cyncial friends, insert your answer here...)
I am here, in Nicaragua, doing whatever it is I am doing... and loving it... But I am only able to do it because of my family in the states. All because of you, I am. Family and friends supporting me with loving encouragement. And delicious sustinence in the form of email, mail, and packages.
I am happy because Mariela is happy. And appreciates this same thing that I do. And we are so equal in this way, despite what some days I see as extreme differences.
And I am happy because I know my Mom and Dad would say this same thing that Mariela did. I am happy because this is a conversation I have had before, with many other people... probably you...
So I can too be ¨siempre feliz¨ ... ¨always happy¨ ...because this type of conversation and appreciation happens!
How happy we are, How happy we are, How happy we are! =)
I hope you´re happy in the end, I hope YOU´RE happy, my friend...
1 comment:
hii!!! well i am sara and i saw this on collen's profile.. and i remembered i met you at youthgroup once and she has told me how much she misses you.. sooo i decided to write this to you and i just want to tell you that based on what i read here i admire you soo much... you know sometimes we do think why we are not happy and then we look at people who live in such poverty but then we look at our selves and might actually find out that we have poverty but that is because we lack of so many things, like love and appreciation for what we have. i was born and grew up in colombia and i can totally say i expirienced this when i went there this summer.. well i just wanted to tell you that youre a great person and i hope you have a good time there because i know god appreciates what you are doing too =] sorry i know this is random but i followed my heart and did it... thank you for doing what you are doing!!!
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