I was beginning to get tired. I was hot, my feet were hurting, the sun was blinding, but in every direction I looked, the crowd grew larger and larger. Excitement filled the air as the sun slowly began to set, and I shifted my weight from one foot to the next and asked myself over and over again if this was really worth me staying. What was I getting myself into?

On Wednesday, January 11^th, former Sandinista revolutionary leader, Daniel Orgeta, returned to power and addressed a crowd of tens of thousands in downtown Managua. I stood side by side the people of Nicaragua watching history unfold as powerful Latin American leaders including Hugo Chavez from Venezuela and Evo Morales from Bolivia came before the crowd with hands raised as Ortega’s campaign song blared in the background. After a brief performance of traditional Nicaraguan folk dance, the leaders approached the podium to offer messages of hope and justice.

Maybe it was augmented with slight mix of exhaustion and dehydration, but I stood in the plaza watching wide-eyed and mouth agape. Never before in my life had I been in the presence of such national leaders, not to mention in a crowd of tens of thousands that cheered and chanted “together united and we’ll never be divided” as if they were being heard for the first time.

While listening to a long-winded speech from Ortega himself, we departed early and walked away from the plaza towards home. I looked back, watching the crowd file out and wondered what would become of these next few years. I thought about all the Nicaraguans who had such faith in Ortega—those who had fought for many years trying to make their country a better and safer place for their children, those in need of better healthcare, education, transportation, and those who desperately wanted to be heard and have someone listen to their needs. Despite the very disparate opinions people have of Ortega, I believe the people are ready for a change. I believe the people need change.

The theme of Ortega’s campaign was “reconciliation;” he professes that he is looking to put aside all that has occurred in the past and look to the future as a country united. That day in the plaza, as I stood searching to develop some sort of opinion about a very controversial man that I knew little about, hope ran through my body like chills. Along with the Nicaraguans, I truly wanted to believe and see all the promises made that day. I confess that although I remain skeptical, maybe it is time to join Nicaragua and not make expectations, but to just hope…cause I am learning that sometimes that’s all you can do….