A Nicaraguan Night

The evening is cool and crisp, as I lay in my sleeping bag. My back feels chilled by the breeze that flows freely beneath my plastic hammock and the dirt floor. It is the second evening of my stay in this tiny village high in the Nicaraguan mountains. While I have grown surprisingly accustomed to sleeping in a hammock, having no electricity or running water, I have not settled into the noises of the jungle animals nor the other mysterious sounds that fill the evening air.
I am intrigued by the screeching of the howler-monkeys; I lay there for quite some time listening to them unable to fall asleep. The hours slowly pass by as I stare at the make shift roof and walls of the hut. This place is without a question unlike any I have ever been. It is hard to imagine that just three days ago I was asleep in my cozy dorm room bed listening to the crickets serenade outside my window.
Now I am here in Nicaragua, where the walls are composed of wood scraps and tree branches. None of the boards fit together so it is easy to see the light cast by the moon shining through the thin cracks of all the walls. The roof is simple, just large slabs of rusty old tin with small holes too many to count. Though the holes would possess a problem if it rained, tonight they look like glistening stars in a black sky. In the corner of the room there is a large stack of dried corncobs, which I can only image, serve as the family’s source of food for the whole winter. At one point I think I see a small critter run across the tops of the corn, but I try to pretend I didn’t see anything and ignore the added fact that that very corn will serve as my breakfast.
Despite the fact that I am in a completely foreign place there is some strange sense of comfort and normalcy to it. I am close to nature and a very beautifully raw human experience. I feel a connection to this simple rugged lifestyle and the people whom have welcomed me into their lives. I can’t help, but appreciate this opportunity to experience it in all its fullness.
This experience all though frightening and uncomfortable at times truly brings out a part of oneself that is rarely experienced in an age overrun by a desire for wealth, power, and the pursuit of perfect success. Although this place has its hardships to bare, there is a love for family, nature, and simplicity.