Untitled

Iris painting

Written August 6^th 2014

As I sit in the Best Western Hotel Lobby waiting for my room for my final night in Nicaragua, I find myself thinking about some of my most favorite moments on this trip. They were the times when I was drawing and painting with Iris and Marvin, my host siblings. My host family’s house was often loud and crowded, which was sometimes overwhelming after a long day of working in the community. Iris and Marvin were the two youngest children living in my house. Iris was about 8. She was the daughter of Coco, the family’s live-in housekeeper. Marvin was 11. He was a cousin of the family. He was the newest edition to the house, living there only a few months. He moved from Estelí, a much larger community to live after his father’s death. They both always exhibited an excited but calm mood in my presence. We usually worked in silence, experimenting with colors, making simple art. These interactions always remind me of how connected we all are as people whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. We may not always have language or words but we will always have the ability to connect through actions.