Tropical “Autumn”

Seasons in Central America aren’t defined so much by the designations familiar to North Americans of “spring”, “summer”, “autumn”, and “winter” as much as they are by the descriptions “rainy” or “dry”. Likewise, there aren’t arbitrary dates to change the seasons. For example, the rainy season doesn’t begin on March 21st (the first day of spring)—it begins when it suddenly starts to rain 5-7 days a week, which is usually towards the end of April. This is hard for me to wrap my gringo brain around, as I desperately want to call late September through early December “Fall”. My favorite month in the States has always been October, and it made me a little sad to miss it for the first time.

Ah, October: when (at least in Texas and Oklahoma) you can leave the windows open all day and the A/C or heater off. The whole month feels like a vacation. Julie usually goes crazy making pumpkin-flavored treats, and you can use the slight crispness in the evening air as an excuse to build a fire or at least make some hot chocolate. Sometimes the leaves even change color before they die.

Here, you leave the windows open all day all year round, would never build a fire even if you had a fireplace, and if your trees are changing colors, they’ve got problems.

We are now coming to the end of the rainy season. October, which historically is the rainiest month of the year, actually saw less rain this year than the months before it, and now that we’re in November, we don’t see rain more than once a week (if that).

I couldn’t tell you the meteorological reasons for it, but we’re also enjoying some cooler weather. The humidity is down, and the temperature hasn’t been getting above 90—at night it may even get below 70. For locals who are used to it here, anything below 75 is cold! And we only have more to look forward to as December is usually cooler than November.

it’s raining again

 
I sit here and listen to the rain. Pouring. And the thunder. Shouting. But I remember to be thankful. Even though I know the rain brings with it a few (frustrating) power outs and some additional mold later on.


We were talking with some friends the other day, and somehow the conversation turned towards winter. And how great it is to sit by a fire on a snowy day, drinking hot chocolate with peppermint, and enjoying the company of warm friendships, possibly even playing a game of  cards.

We reminisced. But our friend spoke about how he enjoys the rainy Nicaraguan days here in the same way as we enjoyed the cold, snowy days in Texas (yes, Texas). The rain brings a wonderful, refreshing breeze through the house, and reminds one to be thankful for a home that protects and keeps dry. Rain gives one permission to drink hot tea or hot chocolate and makes one want to lounge and get enveloped in a great story.


So Nicaraguan downpours, I am choosing to think that you are not so bad after all. But you will always only be second to a cozy, wintery December day in Texas.

Goodbye Civic (#2)!

Getting in for the last time!

Yesterday we sold our car. She was a beauty. A 2003 Honda Civic. We bought her 2 years ago after her predecessor, the 1993 Honda Civic conked out. Both Civics provided 2 quite different experiences for us. The first had many problems, among which were the constant overheating (especially at extremely inconvenient times, such as when we were trying to get Eric to Arkansas so he could propose to Nicole, or when we, along with Eric and Nicole, were trying to make it to Bethany and Paul's wedding in Kansas...), and also the occasional shut-off-in-the-middle-of-the-intersection stunt she liked to pull. Each of these times resulted in me, a sobbing mess, calling Chase, stuck at work in Shawnee or OKC, who would call an old roommate to come help, and once a policeman even rescued me by pushing me down the street with his car into the Hardee's parking lot. Her end came the day of the epic ice storm of 2007 in Norman, when I called the repairman we had her towed to after she started producing an extremely loud metal-on-metal knocking sound, and he quickly (and rudely) told me "Your engine's trash." To this blunt remark, I replied with a final bout of sobbing for my rebellious but much loved first little car. The repairman broke in between gasps to ask if I could have my husband call him later. He clearly lacked social and communication skills.

The 2003 Civic treated us much better than her older sister. We decided to play it safe and we bought her in January of 2008 from the Honda dealership. For two years, I lived in bliss trusting that this new beauty would take me all the way through each stoplight and I could ride in her for more than 30 minutes before having to blast the heater in an attempt to cool off the little engine that couldn't. I think that I felt thankful almost every day of that 2 years for how well she did her job of getting me from one place to the next. And I'm sure that Chase occasionally was appreciative for the lack of sobbing phone calls he received once we got her. Anyway, we sold her to the Frederick's and we know that she is in good hands. We will miss her greatly, as we missed her sister (both were loved equally, though they were different) though Amy promised we could come back and visit her if we want to.

Well, Nicaragua, that was our last big thing to do. She's sold. We'll see you "for good" in about a week!