Play Ball!

For you, my beloved followers (my blog has reached 2500 page views!), who are not experts on Nicaraguan diversions, baseball is huge here.  Ever since the US Marines introduced it decades ago, baseball may be the most popular sport (and much to my chagrin may I add.  Seriously, how do I get sent to the one Central American country that isn’t infatuated with futbol?).  Of course this won’t stop me from attending a culture experience.  This weekend marks the continuation of Nicaragua’s version of the World Series.  Esteli (one of Nica’s largest cities) is playing against the Caribbean Coast.  As luck would have it, Esteli just so happens to be located an hour south of where I live.  Therefore, I’m attending game 4 of the Nica World Series!  If you’re a regular reader, by now you most have noticed that 99% of all things are cheaper here in Nica and baseball tickets are no exception.  So, you may be pondering, how much does World Series Nica style cost?  Unbelievably cheap, $2.22.  And that’s for the nice shaded seats behind home plate and the third base line where I’ll be sitting.  If you want your run-of-the-mill seats in the sun, those will run you $0.89 a pop.  Of course there is no assigned seating even when you do buy the tickets in advance; it’s on a first-come first-served basis.  So you better believe that for the 11am game, I’ll be throwing elbows with all the other Nicas when the stadium opens at 7am (I may have an unfair advantage being 6 inches taller but that’s natural selection for ya.).

Anyway, September 1^st marked the successful completion of one month in-site and nearly FOUR months in Nica.  Overall although some days drag on at a snail’s pace, it really does feel like yesterday that I stepped off the plane with my life’s belonging into the sauna-esque heat and humidity of Nica.  Thank you for all of your support, you’ve made the experience much more enjoyable than I imagined.  Of notable importance is the Monterrubio clan with special thanks to Amy for spearheading an AMAZING care package.  Opening that flat-rate USPS box was like Christmas morning (with 90 degree heat and 99% humidity of course), thanks a million!  In addition, my parents have passed on compliments from dozens of dedicated followers so thanks for reading!