Top 10: #9

     I specifically remember this date as July 23, 2014, my birthday. That day was an emotional day all around because it was the last day we would see the kids. What brought me joy on that day, among many things, was who I ate lunch with. It may seem like a simple, childish thing, but that is why it brought me complete joy. Everyday that we work, our translator, Fado, eats with us. On this specific day, the bus driver, Roy, also ate with us.

    The first time Fado ate with us, I remember telling the people I was sitting with that we should invite him to sit with us. Yes, that same elementary school kindness that we learn in kindergarten was being applied in Nicaragua. The funny twist, a bunch of teenagers were inviting a middle-aged man to sit with them, weird right? I was scared that year to ask him, but when we did it made me realize that no matter how old you are, no matter where you are, and no matter what your life is like, a little kindness goes a long way. He did not talk much to us, but he was happy to be sitting with someone and to see how us "silly Americans" acted.

    Fast forward a year, and this same thing happens again, but I did not hesitate as much. Now I know at this point of the blog you are thinking, really? She went 1,900 miles to tell us her favorite memory could of been made in a high school cafeteria? Well just hear me out :)

   Then another day passes and it is my birthday. I am having the time of my life because I am spending the day I was born doing the things that fill my heart. I am sitting with all my friends at lunch time, ready to eat the Americanized lunch that the kind ladies made us (to be honest, I was kind of upset I was not eating the rice and beans, but they tried to accommodate us, and it was sweet). Then I look to my right and once again, I see Fado sitting all by himself. To myself I think, really, doesn't he know by now that we love him and he is welcome to sit by us!? So once again, I motioned over to have him sit with me. To my surprise, he shook his head no. I was astonished! When asking why, he told me that his spot had the perfect breeze. So, after I got my lunch, I sat right down to see how perfect his spot was, right next to my friend. He looked at me, surprised that I moved from the table of American's to sit with a guy that could barely carry out a full conversation with me. Then, Roy came in and sat right next to us. I was scared that I was going to be unable to follow their conversations, but the love they showed to me was the same I reflected on Fado a year earlier when I wanted him to sit with me that first day. We talked about the difference of meal times between Nicaragua and the United States; fun fact, Nicaragua's big meal of the day is lunch, which is when they eat fish, rice, and vegetables. Then their dinner is something small. We talked about how many times I have been to Nicaragua and when I was coming back. I loved talking to these two men, who simply enjoyed the life they were living. What made my smile widen the most, was when I told Fado that their was a possibility that I was coming back in April with my dad. His smiled widened and he told Roy, it made me realize that I not only have made friendships with the kids in Nicaragua, but with everyone.
 
  Fado is our translator loyally every year and I hope he is there when my dad and I go back in April, because I have a dream I hope to fulfill for him. Every day he rode his back to the orphanage, with a pink beaten up book bag on his back. I hope that, if packing permits, I can bring him a stable backpack that he can bring to and from his jobs.

   Always remember, everyone's day is different then yours. You do not know what they are going through, shed kindness on everyone you come in contact with, because they will remember it.