Viva Leon, Jodido!

Greetings once again! As for the title of this post, it is the title of a famous song here, and also the city that we went to visit last weekend. As for what it means, I tend to translate it as: Long live Leon, bitches! I´m sure there is a better translation, but I prefer mine :)

I am still celebrating the fact that Miguelito, my brother, came to visit me this weekend from Costa Rica. We had a good time, hitting up the beach and touring the landmarks of the famous old city. Unfortch, his bus got in a little late so we missed celebrating the Mini Purisima, or as I like to call it: ¨Trick or Treating for the Virgin Mary.¨

Now, what in the world is this, one might ask? The holiday celebrates the sacred conception of Mary by giving out candy. I´m not kidding. People put up altars to Mary in their homes, including a statue of her and lots of flowers and hoopla (of course it´s a white Mary to accompany the blond haired, blue eyed baby Jesus, because this is what Middle Easterners obviously looked like in Biblical times). Anyway, so people come around to the houses with altars, and they used to have to sing, but now there´s just a chant. Instead of saying Trick or Treat!, they say: Quien causa tanta alegria? (Who causes this much joy?) Response from people in the house: La concepcion de Maria! (The conception of Maria!). And then the people in the house proceed to give them candy, or fruit, or other small trinkets. I love NICARAGUA. Imagine if everyone getting knocked up caused that much joy--the world would be like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Also, in other news, I have a new housemate. She is from Canada and her name is Rachel, but my sister/aunt/whatever she is calls her Richie. I can´t tell if she is making a nickname for her or not, or if this is just how she says it. I think it might be a nickname tho, because Maria is very funny, plus all of the people in my house have nicknames: Abuela Josefa goes by Chepita, Maria by Chilo, Veronica by Vero, and Sarah by Negrita. Don´t ask about the last one. Anyway, I am getting lots of practice translating, because she speaks about 4 words of Spanish. I told my family that I am now working for my supper and they laughed and said, Now translate that! Or you don´t eat! Jodida! (WEll, really they just said the first sentence, but you probably already guessed that).

OK, lots of love gente. Missing you all tremendously. (But a little less because now I get to speak English with someone else lol jk).