Que buen suerte (what good luck)! The morning after I arrived in Granada and posted my last entry, I just got the feeling that this was the kind of place I’d like to stay a little longer, and somewhere where, as mentioned, I would like to spend a bit more time revising and refreshing my Spanish. The hostel where I was staying had a notice-board with details of many different Spanish schools and teachers. One caught my eye, however, and it was an advertisement for lessons with a guy called Bayardo Corea Cuadra – a self-professed lover of Latin-American literature and poetry, with much experience in teaching Spanish, and a string of positive references to his name. I decided to pop along to the address given on the leaflet and was warmly greeted by Bayardo’s sister, Christina, and brother-in-law, Roberto. In next to no time Bayardo had been contacted on the phone, and a deal had been cinched. I fixed up just the kind of package that I wanted - 8 hours of fairly intensive ‘revision’ lessons spread out over 2 days (9.00am to 1.00pm both mornings), also with accommodation and breakfast in Christina and Robertos’ welcoming and very typically ‘Granadino’ home. Perfecto! Bayardo agreed to meet me at my hostel half an hour after our phone conversation just to chat with me in person about my needs and requirements for the lessons. This all went well, so I felt very contented, and as if I was going to get some focus and purpose back into my travelling routine.
I had actually paid for another night’s accommodation in the hostel that night, but it suited my plans to move over to Christina and Roberto’s the next morning, prior to my lesson. That left me with an afternoon to spend exploring Granada a bit more, and I decided to take an excursion to Catarina – one of the ‘pueblos blancos’ (white villages) that I think I mentioned. As is so often the case in places like Nicaragua, getting there and back was half of the fun of it - on a succession of rickety yellow ‘chicken buses’ (the old-style US ‘Bluebird’ school buses that constitute public transport over so much of Latin America). I made it in the end, though, and Catarina was a pretty, if slightly sleepy, little village with several arts, crafts and flower stalls, and a spectacular view over Lago Apoyo, which is actually a volcanic crater).
My knowledge of ‘Nicas’ and their culture and lifestyle is growing gradually, thanks to my three days here now, my classes with Bayardo, and my time spent with his family. As with Antigua in Guatemala (which it bears more than a passing resemblance to), Granada is a picturesque colonial town that has, no doubt, been prettified and ‘Europeanised’ to a certain extent to reign in the tourist bucks. However, it doesn’t feel as if its Nicaraguan identity has been totally lost in this process, and I get the feeling it always was a beautiful place even before it became a popular holiday destination. Calle La Calzada, where I am currently staying, is a street of spotlessly clean traditional homes that have been passed down throughout the families of their owners for generations. Come evening-time, all these families tend to open their doors and sit out on their spotlessly clean (domesticity and house-pride reign supreme here) and elegant tiled courtyards, creating a pleasant community atmosphere. Around the ‘Parque Central’ kiosks vend ‘vigaron’ (a local speciality of boiled up yucca topped with spicy cabbage salad and crispy pork crackling served on a banana leaf – delicious!) and lovers smooch on benches under the trees. Nicas seem to be incredibly romantic people and this doesn’t seem to be contingent on their youth and flightiness. They seem to ride bicycles everywhere and one of my favourite things in Granada has been seeing so many middle-aged, and even quite elderly, men cycling around town with their arms wrapped lovingly around the wives or girlfriends perched roundly upon their handlebars!
Of course, the love-struck nature of the ‘Nicaraguense’ does have a slightly more annoying flip-side – this being the return, for me, of the unwanted Latino admirer (something I thought I’d had a bit of a break from since leaving Mexico)! I guess I should be flattered and pleased to have men practically crashing head over handlebars on their bikes to tell me they love me, and also to have teenage boys unsubtly taking pictures of me on their mobile phones on the bus. The truth is it can all be a bit much, though, and a bit confusing in the message it sends out. As has been the case in some of the other countries I’ve visited recently, I’m never entirely sure if people are genuinely pleased to see me, or if perhaps there’s a degree of resentment or bitterness about a supposedly wealthy foreigner trampling all over their terrain. In general local folk have been very courteous and welcoming – if a little curious and perplexed by my presence (especially in smaller less visited places). However, in a couple of places in El Salvador and Nicaragua I have been met with a definitely discernible frostiness (for example, being ignored or responded to plain rudely in restaurants and cafes). I wonder to myself if this is to do with people assuming I’m American (things typically warm up if I make it known that I’m not). Learning more about the history these two countries, it has become particularly clear that the US’s meddling and scaremongering with regard to their political, financial, and trade-status situations towards the end of the Cold War was not very helpful, to say the least. I won’t pretend to know any more about it than that, and nor will I make out that Britain’s slate is any cleaner when it comes to similarly questionable foreign policy. However, I think being a Brit rather than a Yank definitely works in my favour travelling in this part of the world.
So, what can I say of my Spanish lessons? Well, they’ve gone pretty well and it almost feels wrong writing this in English (I really am trying to think, speak and communicate solely in Spanish at present). Of course I’m still making lots of mistakes, and I still have a long way to go when it comes to feeling confident with some of the more complicated grammatical structures. However, this little ‘refresher’ has done me the world of good. Bayardo has given me some interesting ‘tareas’ (homework) and varied lessons based on, amongst other things, discussing the ‘rosa nautica’ (navigational flower?) of my life and reading the works of Ruben Darios (a poet who is considered an absolute national hero in Nicaragua). The final hour of both of our lessons has been spent walking along the ‘malecon’, and around the town, stopping off in the sweltering heat for a coconut milk or a beer to refresh ourselves and regain our strength (it really is so humid and sticky here as to almost be unbearable – sorry, I know anyone reading this while freezing in Britain won’t want to hear that!). The Ruben Darios homework in particular has taught me a lot of great new vocab – very much in keeping with my surroundings, and with the general romantic ambiance here in Granada (I now, for example, know the words for ‘soul’, ‘caress’, ‘cherish’, ‘sob’ and ‘sigh’!)
Staying with Christina and Roberto has also been great – for cultural and liguistic purposes, and for general comfort. Last night I joined them, their extended family, and Imelda and Loni (a Canadian mother-daughter combo who are also staying with them – lovely people with lotsof very helpful travel tips to share), and we all sat together on rocking chairs, chatting over a glass of wine until bedtime. Then, this morning, after a good night’s sleep in my cosy little ‘cuarto’, Christina cooked me a very substantial breakfast of more ‘gallo pinto’, fried eggs and cheese – proper sustaining brain food prior to my lesson!
Tomorrow I’ll be moving on to San Juan Del Sur – a more beachy destination that is apparently popular with both Nicaraguense families and foreign holiday makers. Then it will be Isla de Ometepe where I hope to do some more hiking and biking before moving on to Costa Rica. The great news is that Simon and Esme now have my debit card and are going to forward it on to the British Embassy in San Jose for me to collect next week (as it has arrived sooner than expected I now think this will be better than me waiting until I get to Bogota). Fingers crossed this will work – if it does I will feel well back on track and will certainly not be leaving it in any more ATMs!
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