Richman Family Goes to Nicaragua

Feliz Año Nuevo 2009! Happy New Year 2009! Just the other day I had to write 2009 for the first time while writing the date and it felt really strange. Where did 2008 go? For me, it was almost a blur. I remember celebrating the coming of 2008 just like it was yesterday. I had flown home from Guatemala to celebrate New Years with my best friends at a club in South Beach and then headed off on a family cruise. Since then, I returned to Guatemala, joined Peace Corps, returned to the US and visited with my family and friends, and officially moved to Nicaragua, first living in Masatepe and now in my home, Granada. And to celebrate the change of 2008 into 2009, I was lucky enough to once again be with family and friends, but this time they were with me here in Nicaragua. And allow me to have a bit of chutzpah, when I say that our New Year’s party in Granada was the best party out there. South Beach could not light a candle to our party nor New Year’s in Central America.

New Year’s Eve in Central America is just awesome. There may not be as many crazy parties as there are elsewhere in the world but as there are few rules in these countries, you can do pretty much whatever you want, including shooting off real fireworks straight off the boat from China. At the strike of midnight (actually the show starts 15-20 minutes beforehand), the entire nighttime sky turns into a sea of neon reds and greens, squiggly white lines, showers of golden flames, and enough bombs to feel like you are back in World War II. Just imagine hundreds of thousands of people shooting off fireworks at the same time…..well you just pictured Central America on New Year’s Eve (maybe South America as well but I cannot speak on its behalf as I do not know).

The Richman family took its part in the celebration by throwing a kick-ass party at our rented house in the middle of Granada. Among the honored guests were the Hochdorf family (friends of ours from ATL), many Peace Corps volunteers, my friends from Granada, and a few random kids and baby’s daddies. We started things off around 7:30pm by ordering many pizzas from Telepizza, one of my favorite joints in Granada and pouring ourselves the first of many rum and cokes to follow. Then around 8:30pm, the band (yes, I rented a Nicaraguan brass band to play at the party!) started to play a few sets and we started to dance. The dancing and drinking continued during until 10pm when the band stopped playing and we busted out the piñata that my family had brought all the way from the US specifically for this occasion. We filled it with chocolates and then took our swings. My little brother, Louis, ended up delivering the death blow and we celebrated with more rum and beer. We then proceeded to the sparklers and small fireworks we had purchased earlier in the day building a croscetto for the big boys of the midnight hour.

Midnight came and went and I could not have been happier as my family was there to enjoy the moment with me. It was the first New Years that I had spent with my family since….well….the beginning of time.

The New Year’s Eve Party was just one of the highlights of the Richman/Hochdorf family vacation in Nicaragua. Here are some more:

The Airport Pickup: It had been 8 months since I had last seen my family. The longest I had ever gone before without seeing my family was maybe 3-4 months. I anxiously awaited on the other side of the glass at the airport trying to catch the first glimpse of my family in Nicaragua. I saw my Mom first as she cleared customs and then headed directly into the nearby bathroom…typical! Then I saw the rest of my family and we waved and blew kisses from opposite sides of the glass. They looked so out of place…it was comical. I could have been slightly embarrassed as they were dressed like typical sloppy Americans, sweatpants, shorts, tennis shoes, t-shirts, etc. (when flying most Latins dress nicely) but I just relished the fact that they had actually made it to Nicaragua, a country far down on most people’s places to visit list.

Canopy Tour: While staying in Granada, we took a day trip to Volcano Mombacho, did some hiking and everyone but the dads did the canopy tour. This was the first time anyone, Richmans or Hochdorfs, had done a canopy tour and we enjoyed it thoroughly. There were about 10-15 platforms, all located in the treetops of the natural reserve and the scenery was beautiful. Even more beautiful was getting to hear and see my mom scream the whole time through the ziplines. But she made it all the way through and I will bet it was one of the more adventurous moments of her life. I also give props to my sister, Sara, who was pretty fearless up there and did everything from go Superman to hang upside down on the zip lines.

Chanukah Party: The day after my family arrived was the last night of Chanukah and luckily for us, the Jewish community had organized a party to celebrate the last candle. All six of us (my sister’s boyfriend, Brian, joined us on the trip) piled into one cab and headed out to a neighborhood just outside of Granada. We arrived a bit late, but on time according to Nicaraguan time and I like to think we helped kick the already buzzing party into another gear. My family got to meet the Nicaraguan Jewish community, my dad got to light one of the candles, my brother serenaded the crowd with some Jewish songs, and we all had a wonderful time.

The Houses: Due to the fact that we had a total of ten people, I knew a long time ago, that finding places where we could all stay together was a priority. Houses would make the vacation more familiar and for around the same price, if not cheaper, than hotels. Well, I must say that the 3 houses ended up being not too shabby. I think the collective jaws of my family dropped when they walked into the house in Granada. At first they thought that the first half of the house WAS the entire house, only to discover that there was an entire other house in the back complete with full kitchen, pool, balcony, exercise room, pool table, etc. We did a fair amount of cooking at the house and although we experienced problems with water shortages, bathrooms not working, doors not closing, etc, the house served its purpose well and definitely enhanced the vacation.

In Selva Negra, we had the Chalet Viejo Otto. It was a small cute house that maximized its space by sleeping up to 13 people. There was a fireplace that was utilized both nights of our stay in order to warm us up and to make s’mores. The house, although one-tenth of the size of the one in Granada, also was fantastic.

In the hills next to San Juan del Sur, we found our third house of the vacation. I say found because it took us a good hour to actually find the house due to nonexistent directions from the management company. But of course we finally arrived and marveled at the infinity pool, modern style of the house, and unbelievable views of the ocean and harbor. We also experienced some water problems in this house, but that’s Nicaragua for you. Even the wealthy cannot avoid the problems of a poor country.

Selva Negra: I loved Selva Negra. Nestled in the mountains between Matagalpa and Jinotega, it was like a paradise for someone coming from the tropical climate of Granada. It was warm during the day and cold at night. I actually got to wear a jacket and use blankets in bed! The best part of the huge plantation were the trails that led through the property. I went on a couple of hikes, one easy and the other strenuous, and saw wild howler monkeys on both of them! I also went horseback riding with my family (my dad excluded) and got pooped on by Brian’s horse. Still, the poop washed away but the memories will last forever….haha.

Masatepe: Of course, my real family was going to meet my host family. But first, I made them all ride the bus, the yellow school bus. I think they got to see and feel a bit of the chaos that surrounds those buses. Little children begging, vendors aggressively trying to sell, speeches being made from the front of the bus, and little to no personal space. It is always an experience. We got off the bus in front of my house in Masatepe and the adrenaline was pumping as I made my way down the steps to the house. I was sooo excited for both families to meet each other.

Christina, my host mother, was finishing up making lunch and after initial introductions it was a bit awkward given that no one in my family spoke Spanish and no one in my host family spoke English. I did my best to translate but after eating a great lunch, I think everyone’s nerves calmed down a bit and Valery begin singing for the crowd while Christina did her best to communicate with my mom. We took a quick walk around town, stopping for some ice cream in central park, and then headed back to Granada. I tried hard to get my host family to come back and spend New Year’s eve with us but in the end, I guess they just feel uncomfortable leaving their house along for a night.

According to both my family and the Hochdorf family, Masatepe was one of the favorite places to visit.

Rice and Beans: The mothers of the trip were obsessed with eating rice and beans. Granted, I enjoy the combination but they LOVED it. I think they ate them with every single meal. And I think my mom said it best in her impressions of the trip by stating that the food was generally unimpressive but the rum and beer were fantastic. Still, we did have a few very good meals….we had fish, chicken, plantains, fried cheese, paella, pizza, and rice and beans.

Toña and Flor de Caña: Nicaragua’s pride and joy. Beer and rum. They are delicious and throughout the course of the trip, we finished off at least 10 liters of rum and probably 6 dozen bottles of beer. We had Toña and Flor de Caña before, during, and after every meal, event, and boggle game.

Hope you all enjoyed the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. Avirichman.com thanks you for reading all the entries posted during 2008 and knows that 2009 will be even better. Pictures from the trip will be uploaded soon. Stay tuned!