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Have you ever gone on vacation and thought, “Wow! This place is amazing, it’s so different from home.” When we go on vacation we usually only see the positive side of the place and don’t see the day to day struggles like we do when we’re at home. At home we see the dishes that have to be done, the bills that need to be paid, the laundry that needs to be cleaned, all that on top of our work and family. At home we see the cracks in the wall, or get frustrated with the people around us who just don’t get “it”, whatever it may be. On vacation we get to relax, spend more time with our family, spend more time with God, we can enjoy the view.

When I first moved to Nicaragua it was a little like going on vacation. It was something new, everything was different and exciting. Maybe it wasn’t always so relaxing, but it had that vacation feel. Now that I’ve been here for a few years I’m starting to see the cracks in the walls and sometimes I get a little (or a lot) frustrated with the people who just don’t get “it”.

Yesterday I was driving and I was feeling a little bad about this because I was thinking how sad it was that I didn’t love Nicaragua like I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not thinking about leaving anytime soon, but I don’t have that same feeling of excitement that I once had. It used to be easy for me to say “I love Nicaragua”, now it’s a little harder. Then it hit me: Nicaragua is my home. I know it’s streets (and all the wholes that are in them), I know it’s people (good and bad), I know that it’s processes are always changing so there’s no point in really learning them. I can see the good and the bad, and I know that just because there are things that are frustrating for me, that doesn’t mean I can’t love the country as a whole. I am where God has called me to be and I am doing what He has called me to do. I absolutely love my job, and I couldn’t do this specific job anywhere else. I am home.