Nicaragua is being ripped apart

  This is from my FaceBook entry last night:
   At this moment, I regrettably have to report that Nicaragua is descending into the darkness of full revolt. Chaos is everywhere. People are suspicious of the police, military, and the government. We see vicious youth gangs sponsored by the government blending in with the peaceful protesters only to agitate and start street riots. Sadly, women and children are just as easily targeted by the youth gangs, police or the military. There is no entity to trust. Information is sometimes true and sometime false and we can't find out which, until it is often too late.
   The people are angry, and rightfully so. The people that are uprising are fighting against corruption, against censorship and against violence. Unfortunately, the well intentioned opposition has no leadership and therefore no one to negotiated on their behalf. As such we do not see a resolution anytime soon.
Gas station lines stretch for miles in some parts of the country and are just very long everywhere else. Looting has become an easy way to make some money and is spreading fast. Stores are starting to run out of food, water, and medical supplies, or are often closed all together. In the bustling tourist center of Granada nearly all of the restaurants are closed or are on some type of self imposed restriction. Street closures and blockades are common throughout the country. As I am writing this update, mortar style sky rockets can be heard in Granada, which is less than one mile away. Tear gas disperses the people but it enrages them too. We don't see an end in sight.
   About an hour ago, 500 unarmed students at the University Polytechnic UPOLI, in Managua, came under gunfire attack from the government forces. Nobody knows what the casualty rates will be, but it is an ominous sign gripping this country. We have seen evidence of hospitals refusing aid to injured protesters Food shortages and or store closures in Managua are making the already hungry populace even more desperate.
   Mobility within the country is fine during the day, if one stays on the main roads, but not safe or prudent from dusk till dawn. The protesters are not angry with the foreigners only their corrupt government. The U.S. embassy along with other foreign attaches have raised their respective threat levels to "discourage travel" to Nicaragua. Considering fuel, food and water are in such high demand, I would recommend anyone reading this message to head your government warnings.
Not all police or military are stealing, we have heard reports of honest government forces helping people push back mobs of thugs who are pillaging whole neighborhoods. The whole country is gripped with fear. The confusion of not knowing what is real or fake, whom to trust or not is wearing on everyone's nerves.
What gets my family and I so upset is the people whom we've come to love, no longer speak of war in the abstract. Weapons are being made and distributed to the people. The first weapons consisted of rocks or bricks, then machetes or other metal devices. People speak of building bow and arrows. People are too willing to die for it to feel safe anymore.
   It is with a broken heart that my two daughters, wife and I have decided to leave Nicaragua later this week, god willing. Our decision to leave comes after analyzing where Nicaragua is at this moment and realizing that the opposition has no leadership. Further, we do not see any negotiated settlement especially since the government is being so tyrannical and unyielding.
   You should all know that the Nicaraguan people are fighting for all the right reasons. They are fighting for liberty, justice and government accountability. These people want peace and the ability to be happy just as you do.
   Our 2 years years in Nicaragua are what dreams are made of. Sure it was nice seeing the beaches and the volcanoes but what made Nicaragua magical was her people. From the moment we drove across the border in 2015, the people of this country stole our hearts. Viva Nicaragua! Viva Libertad! Viva Amistad! Viva Paz!

For reliable news on the developments in Nicaragua visit 100%noticias.comor #SosNicaragua or other Facebook and social media threads

Anniversaries: truths and changes

Have you ever seen something so beautiful that it leaves you speechless, until later, when you try to describe it and you can't stop talking about it? Anniversaries, birthdays and more meaningful holidays remind us of times gone by, our journeys, and of futures unknown. Our family, consists of a 47 year old dad, two daughters (12 and 9 years old), and a mom/wife of double "top secret" age. We recently came together to discuss whether we should stay in Nicaragua or move back to the U.S.
   Our discussion coincided around the same time frame as our second anniversary, in Nicaragua, so each of us had stories to share about how this country impacted us in unique ways. Hearing both of my daughters excitedly describe their journey of experiences, friendships, and how they grew in the process brought tears of joy to all of our eyes. My wife explained with a quivering voice, "I no longer feel like I'm living in a fog and I love waking to the birds and a sky full of colors every morning." I found it difficult to fill my lungs with air describing the wonderful friends we each made. My daughters knew daddy was heartbroken, all they had to do was look at my eyes and watch me gasp for air whilst trying to speak.
   Truth is, after two years in Nicaragua we still haven't found a business to buy, one that I'd have a passion for owning anyway. We went through these options as we saw them:
1. Kick the can down the road and continue looking for a business
2. Stay for another year here and look for more opportunities in the U.S. then go back north.
3. Buy a business that I wasn't truly inspired to own so that we could stay in Granada.
4. Buy a business in the U.S., in a place that that we could all agree on and pursue a different dream.
   One by one, we each reluctantly chose the 4th option, it was the one that made the most sense. We each had our moments of saying yes, then no, then mostly yes. We stood there, each of us with an equal vote, each of us on our own emotional journey, and each of us supporting one another.
    After a couple of days of processing our decision to leave we agreed that the best plan of action is to do a "Walk about" in the U.S. Essentially this means buying an RV or travel trailer, and seeing the communities with our own eyes and if we need to homeschool for a period, than so be it. We have ideas on what is important to each of us and we are going to let it flow.
   My wife is so supportive, she wants me to live a more fulfilling life and knows early retirement would waste my talents. I know my wife will help me choose a path which is best for the family. My daughters are equally supportive, they witness mommy's actions and understand this journey is for everyone's benefit. I know my daughters will also help me choose a path which is best for the family. As for me, I see our world changing and realize that we were so fortunate to have extended my daughters' youth, and their pretend world of magical powers as long as we could have. Playtime and hearing the laughter of my kids and all of their friends is what motivates me for the next phase of our lives.
   This blog was written to be like a daily journal of a family moving abroad. Soon, this blog will be about a family who found love and happiness on that journey and their attempts to reintegrate into the modern world. Part of me fears that we will be like an asteroid, disintegrating once we enter the atmosphere. Yet, I also see a blindingly beautiful place where my wife and kids have sun to their backs and wind in their hair. Whatever the future holds, I cannot foretell. Sometimes, though, letting go is the most powerful thing one can do.