I woke up today to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach right outside my window. It was six in the morning and Bruna and I went outside to meet the others on the beach. Baby turtles had hatched the night before so we were going to get to help release them. We all stood in a line as a few of our group members helped place the turtles onto the sand. The majority of the turtles made their way towards the water, their little flippers making tread marks in the sand. Bruna and I walked back to our place and went back to bed for two hours. It was a great start to the morning. We went down for breakfast and then got ready for the day. After applying sunscreen to every crevice possible, we went back downstairs. Everyone was doing something different; from tanning by the pool, to playing in the beach, to taking walks down the beach. A whole group of us wanted to play volleyball in the pool so we got a game going. At first it was just a few of us volleying the ball back and forth. Others slowly started to join us so we were able to play a real game. My team won, just in case you were wondering.

After a delicious lunch, we all went off and did different things. Some people went back out to the beach, some people went off on walks, and I took a nap to refresh my energy. After a very relaxing nap I took a walk with Jacquie, Ms. Koorhan, Bruna, and this little boy that Jacquie had been hanging out with who had remembered her from last year. As we walked down the beach, the sun peeking from behind the clouds, I started to reflect on the past week. This has been my third year traveling to Nicaragua, and most likely my last. I thought about the little girl, Rosario, that I had really connected with on the field trip, I thought about the close bonds I’ve formed with all the members of this trip. We made our way back to our spot on the beach, and watched the sun set in the water, the waves crashing around me. As the sun dwindled into the horizon, I realized how grateful I am for everything. All that I have back home, that I have had the opportunity to go on this trip for the past three years, all my friends and family.

We made our way back from the sunset, washed the sand off our sun burnt bodies (I didn’t get sun burnt because I was very adamant about putting sunscreen on), and went and ate dinner. After a short but very impressive folkloric dance followed by a salsa dance, that was performed by the two dance instructors that work at Vista Mar, we went into the back room to reflect on the past week. We each started off by sharing a moment or a memory of the past few days that really stuck with us. All of our stories that we shared had a central theme, universal connections with everyone we met throughout the trip and unconditional love. After everyone shared their stories we shared stories about each other, things we noticed about each other throughout the week. I noticed through all of our stories, we went into this trip with a fear of the language and cultural barriers we would be facing.  We quickly learned that the kids were open to what we were bringing them, and we realized there were no barriers, Nicaraguan people are very loving, and have open hearts. After everyone had shared, we went down to the beach with our towels to watch the stars. It was a great ending to the day, and our week. Everyone was very emotional tonight but the stories we shared bonded us together. We know that these people that we have spent a week with will always be there for us in their thoughts and prayers. I love this country and I know that I will have to come back sometime in the near future, Managua is my second home. We will definitely miss Nicaragua but we can’t wait to see our friends and family tomorrow night.

-        Nicole Johnson        (YOLO)

It was a typical morning at Cantera today. Our work at El Divino Nino was complete (for now) and the groups last few days would be spent at the beach in Pochomil, Nicaragua.

I awoke this morning to the sound of Kevin’s voice telling me that breakfast started five minutes ago and we had to go. After a delicious meal and a strong cup of Nicaraguan coffee we were told that our room had to be cleaned and smell free by 9:30. The cleaning took awhile; living in a two room house with eleven sweaty men for eight days was an arduous task, clothes, shoes and other stuff was everywhere. Once we had finally finished we threw our stuff on the bus and were about to set off. But right before we left I decided to check the room one last time to make sure we didn’t forget anything. Knowing that this was the last time I would ever set foot in Cantera I touched a wall in the living room and surveyed the Cabana. This being my senior year, it was hard knowing I would never come back.

Before going to the beach, our group had one last stop in Managua. We were going to visit a typical Nicaraguan market place to buy our last gifts for friends and family. The market had many traditional bowls, pots, baskets and toys as well as children who insisted on giving you hand-made palm frond flowers despite how many times you already had or how much you didn’t really want them. The main attraction of the market was a vast grocery store where vendors would pack as many items into their allotted space as they could and try to sell people everything from mandarins to live iguanas. Kevin and I were slow getting off the bus so instead of following the group to the souvenir craft section we decided to plunge right into the main attraction. Walking through that market was like nothing I had ever done before. Being white, I was constantly being stared at and asked to buy things I didn’t want, but moreover I was astonished that humans could fit so many things in one warehouse like room. The place was bustling; food was being cooked on a barbeque to the left and people were bartering over how much a chicken is worth on the right – a truly different experience for me.

About an hour and a half later on the bus I frantically pulled out my video camera and attached the external microphone as quickly as I could to capture the other students giving little kids toys and clothes on the side of the road. We packed extra clothes, soccer balls, baseball equipment and toiletries to give to families and people in need who lived on the side of the road near  Pochomil. As the families received their gifts, smiles lit up their faces and it was easy to see that anything and everything they were getting was helpful and could be used. Once every family had something we sang “Soul Sister” to the families and nearby children. They seemed to enjoy the song even though none of them spoke a word of English. One woman told us that what we were doing is a blessing to them and the whole neighborhood is truly grateful for our work. Hearing that we make a difference is always nice.  Ms. Gatlin later explained to me that we stopped at the village, San Cayetano, as a thank you for their help last year.  The bus had had a small fire on the back tire.  The people of the village had come to the bus, with buckets of water, to put out the fire.  It was a spontaneous reaction at our time of need.  As long as the TLHS Nicaragua Service Club continues to visit the area, the plan is to always have items for the children.  Many of the teachers and students were invited to meet the newest member of the neighborhood:  a tiny child, 8 days old.  He was born over one month premature to a young mother.  Lisa Johnson took a picture of the mother and child and promised to bring it them next year.

Finally, we made it to Pochomil. The resort we are staying at is amazing. There are two pools in the middle of the property, a restaurant in the front and bungalows scattered along the beach in the back. Most of us have second floor rooms which overlook the Nicaraguan coastline. Seeing the view for the first time made me feel so lucky to be who I am – an American who can afford to stay in a place like this. Nobody we helped this past week could even dream of standing where I was standing, see what I was seeing. Vacations are not even considered dreams to the people living in the worst barrios of Nicaragua; they are considered wishes, which don’t have a chance of coming true. Feeling blessed, I decided to go swim in the ocean with some people in the group. Right when we jumped in the cool water I looked around and said, “We are in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Nicaragua. Oh my God.” At that moment I was extremely happy. I felt so far away from home and from everything I was used to and knew. I felt like I had a different outlook on life because of what I had seen and experienced in Managua. I was happy because I was a changed person. What I will remember about my time in Nicaragua is how it changed my outlook on life. That evening, as the sun was going down we were all still in the ocean after most of the group had decided to come swim. We watched the sun set on the water as we waded deep into the Pacific Ocean. That sunset was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and I was the perfect way to end my day on the beach and ultimately my trip to Nicaragua. I love this country.

-Scott Granlund

Today was the eighth day of Nicaragua! Like other weekdays, we woke up early, at around 6:30 a.m. Breakfast was a quiet, sleepy appreciation of delicious plantains, gallo pinto and cheese set before us.

We then piled the rest of the donation luggage into the back of the bus and headed for the school at around 7:45. As we pulled up to the school, we saw tons of kids milling about, toting backpacks and casually dressed.  This was all in preparation for today’s field trip to Granada!  As we did last year, our group took the students of El Divino Niño to the Granada for a nice, sunny day on the shore of Lake Nicaragua. We left the school in three buses, stopped briefly in the colorful central plaza of Granada, and then headed for the lake. There, we got into some seven lanchas (charming water taxi style boats) and began cruising between the isletas  (small volcanic islands) of Lake Nicaragua. We brought bananas and papayas for one extraordinary island with spider monkeys and white-faced monkeys. Using five limbs—arms, legs, and a very prehensile tail—the monkeys swung through the trees and snacked on our offerings. We sped back to shore and drove off to the next destination, a beach/park area of Lake Nicaragua.

 The teachers brought out two huge metal pots for lunch, with this fantastic fried rice with peas, chicken and sausage in it. We all sat down for lunch across from the beach. After they finished, some boys started a game of soccer while others began looking curiously towards the lake. Soon, most kids were splashing around in the lake, with the addition of at least half of our group. The other half was on the shore, snapping pictures… it looked like everyone had fun, either cruising the waves with some very excited kids or chatting on the shore.

After being called in, we jumped back into the three buses and drove to a marketplace in the town of Caterina. The astonishing view at the end of the market road, the vista point over the crater lake,  took some of us by surprise.  After a long cobblestone path of trinkets, the near birds-eye view of another lake came into view. We could see the wrinkles the wind made on its blue surface, the densely forested hills and mountains cradling it, and the even larger expanse of Lake Nicaragua on the horizon. It was awesome… but I’ll stop waxing poetic and let you all see it for yourselves when we come back with our cameras!

The students of Divino Niño School loved it as well. They took pictures using our cameras, drank in the magnified view of the lake from telescopes and binoculars, and took to the shops with much curiosity. A couple of them bought colorful toys, while a small section of our boys bought some beanies together. After about thirty minutes, we departed for the school.

After dropping the kids off, we began delivering the last of the packaged donations from California.  Sports gear, soccer and baseball, went to the Soya Cantera Center.   The Soya Center is the local youth center who derived it’s name ‘soya’ from a period of time that soy milk was provided to the children.   Hospital supplies and toys went to Betty Palma’s house. At last, we arrived back at Cantera at 6:50 p.m.

For dinner, we had chicken, fries, rice and some very intriguing beet juice. Once everyone was finished, we brought out a huge cake for Davis’s seventeenth birthday. After singing ‘las mañanitas,’ a traditional Spanish birthday song, customary song,  Isa’s neighbor and Free Trade participant came in with some beautiful items for sale. The girls took a lot of interest in the earrings, though the paintings, bracelets, wooden containers and sandals were equally as striking.

As for tonight, we all need to start packing our bags for Pochomil. Tomorrow morning we’re leaving Cantera for a brief respite at the beach. We’ll keep you posted, as always!

                                                                   –Sandra!!

Day 7: Lessons and Milestones

Today began the same as the previous. There was a medley of pancakes, fruit and fresh-squeezed mandarin orange juice. We went to El Divino Niño and began our lessons, late as usual. But everything seemed to work out and the lessons all appeared to go very well. My group, the P.E. group, had a lot of success with the first class, but not as much with the second class because they were much younger and more difficult to work with. In the end, it did not make much of a difference because working with the children at the school is so rewarding.

Once the lessons had finished, we all began painting. There were three groups, one in the large classroom, another outside and a third on Sandra’s mural. It was difficult painting the outside and the large, double classroom because the ceilings were very high and most of us are not tall enough to reach the ceiling. The job was a lot of work and on top of that, there was paint everywhere. Also, I kept messing up the mural and I found it very difficult to paint with the necessary precision to make Sandra’s work come to fruition. After about two hours of painting, we were all covered in paint and tired, but the walls were painted and the mural was almost finished. We then headed back to the bus and headed to a Cantera community center, Oscar A. Romero, in the barrio.

At the Center, we listened to young adult volunteers, one who hails from San Jose, CA, talk about their work and watched several teen performances. We watched a break-dancer, traditional Nicaraguan dancers and modern dancers. Then we viewed a martial arts performance that was very entertaining and different than anything we had seen thus far. Next, we spoke to some people who were learning English and viewed pictures of the volunteer work with the center.

Once we left the Center, we went back to Cantera and ate lunch and set up for the dinner later tonight. For lunch, we had steak, rice, salad, a mystery vegetable (Chayote) and a roll. For dessert, we had some cake. After lunch, we got ourselves ready for the dinner tonight.

At about five o’clock, we all went over to the cafeteria took pictures because we were wearing our nice outfits for the ceremony. At about six, the families and teachers arrived in our bus. We greeted all of them and headed over to the conference room that was beautifully decorated by Sister Mary Hartman, co-founder of Cantera. She is in her 80’s and full of wisdom and love.

The ceremony began with an acoustic version of the Nicaraguan national anthem by the Nicaraguan folk music trio, called Grupo Tabu. Then Jose introduced the club and we then sang the Star-Spangled Banner for the guests. Next there was a prayer and a speech from both Jaime, co-founder of Divino Nino, and from Ms. Gatlin. Then we began to give out the awards to the students from the school. After the awards, Jose explained the paint store incident and Ms. Koorhan translated for us gringos. We took one final group photo and headed to the cafeteria.

At dinner, all of the tables looked so elegant, and the food was delicious as usual. There was also live music, which entertained all the guest throughout the meal. After the meal, people began to get out of their chairs and dance. There were many interesting dance partner combinations, such as Ms. Koorhan and Jaime (or as some may argue, the best dancers of the evening). After about forty-five minutes of dancing, the families, graduates and teachers had to head back to their homes. Club members then cleaned up and headed back to the cabañas for bonding. We will now rest and prepare for another exciting, new day tomorrow.

Buenas noches,

SMZ

Hospital and Hikes

After waking up to another beautiful day here in Nicaragua, we all headed down to breakfast where we had beans, quesadillas, pico de gallo, and sour cream. It was delicious. I also decided to be brave and try the strong Nicaraguan coffee, and, like everything else here, I loved it.

We then piled onto the bus and headed to the school. While the majority of the students got off the bus at the school, eight seniors including myself were chosen to go to the hospital and pass out much needed food and clothing to the patients and their families. We continued on to the house of Betty Palma who graciously taught us how to prepare and cook a traditional Nicaraguan rice and chicken dish. We were surprised to see just how big the pots and pans for the food were. Betty put us right to work, with some of us washing the containers for the food and others of us preparing the massive pots. Cooking over the open fire, we helped make the sauce, the rice, and the chicken. Just as the smoke from the fire was seeping into our eyes, we were all offered goggles to ease our watering eyes. It was interesting to see just how fast and efficient Betty, Jessica, and Jenny were able to cook the food, while it took us a while to pick up the pace-so to speak. Once all of the food was filled into about 75 containers, we had the pleasure of eating the food, which was delicious! While we were filling the containers it was interesting that so many people had eaten different variations of the dish that we were preparing. For me the dish was very similar to Spanish rice, a plate that I usually prepare with my mom. Brittany and Bruna also said they have had similar dishes back home. I love seeing those connections that cross between borders. It is interesting to see just how much food bonds us all.

The highlight of the day, and for me the trip so far, was the hospital. Immediately upon arrival, you could tell just how different it was from even the most impoverished hospitals in the United States. We began to pass out stuffed animals to all of the children in the hospital and their gratitude was a reward in itself. There were some rooms in the hospital with over ten children in one room, with little to do while they awaited treatment. Luckily, along with the food we had prepared and the stuffed animals, we passed out clothing and toys for the young patients. We were also able to give medical supplies that are always in demand. While the sadness of seeing all of the young patients ailments and the condition of the hospital was intense, we all felt this overwhelming sense of the need to help, and began brainstorming other things that we could donate to the hospital for next year. Overall, I think I speak for everyone that went to the hospital when I say what a truly rewarding and gratifying experience we had today.

After the hospital we went to pick up the other students at the school, and were able to see their hard work. After teaching lessons in the morning, they continued to paint the school’s classrooms, as well as a beautifully themed Nicaraguan mural to cover the outside.

Another highlight of our busy day, was our hike in Masaya. We hiked to all four canyons and took some beautifully breath taking photos. We then went back onto the bus and drove toward the caves filled with bats. Unfortunately, during the bus ride, I was deleting pictures and I accidently deleted all one hundred and forty pictures on my camera. While I was upset, many people graciously offered me their pictures, so my loss was eased.

Once we got off the bus we were given a flashlight and hard hat and started to migrate toward the bat caves. We went to this one mini-cave where we were able to see bats flying all around us. Our wonderful tour guide then took us into another cave, where we instantly became spelunkers as we traveled 180 meters into the cavern.

Breakfast, school, betty palma’s cooking, eating the food, cultural transformation, going to the hospital, back for lunch, go to the hike, hike beautiful sunset and see the canyons, accidentally deleted all of my pictures, bats and caves. Dinner of pasta salad shared late, among the cabanas. It was truly a memorable day.

JH

Today was a day for education and learning new things. Again, we woke up early and headed to the school by bus to meet up with the kids we’ve already come to love so much. In the morning we presented two 45 minute lessons to the classes. For weeks prior to the trip and each night so far on the trip the groups have worked to create lesson plan, games and activities that will entertain and educate 3-5 year olds. And it’s a challenge! There are four different lessons we planned for the kids: PE, art, music, and health.

My group, the art group decided to read a story to the children with puppets we crafted ourselves. The hero of the story was a sun, and so we helped the kids each make a puppet-sun of their own to take home. After they finished their masks, we taught the students a song about the importance of the sun in our world.

We were covered in glitter glue and exhausted after splitting our attention between classes of 20 to 30 kids when the children’s break from class began. For us teenagers, their recess is far from a break. We let the kids climb all over us, get into tickle fights and games of tag, and run around the small campus with the kids on our backs calling us their horses. Many of us comment that recess is our work out for the day! They absolutely love the attention from us, and so we’re up and running around with them for the full 30 minutes to make them happy.

Recess is also the best time to build connections with the kids. Many of us have already bonded with children that seek us out specifically. Even those of us who have very limited Spanish (like me!) have been able to connect. A smile is universal. The best moments are those when you make eye connect with a kid and wave. They are a little hesitant, so you give them a smile, and they’ll finally smile and sometimes wave back. They just love to see that we care, that we are happy to see them.

After recess the kids went to a presentation in the front room and we got the opportunity to start our project to paint the school. We began with the youngest kids’ classrooms. Mr. D gave us a lesson in painting and so we nearly finished two rooms in just a few hours. Tomorrow we will paint some more; we also hope to start a mural designed by our very own Sandra.

After much needed time to clean up, rest, and eat lunch, we took a short drive to another of Cantera’s community centers. This one is very large, with a beautiful garden, library, and murals. It provides many classes for the community, both for the children and adults, such as theatre, martial arts, and dance classes. We were lucky to spend a few minutes with preschoolers at the center – they sang and danced for us, and we even exchanged renditions of “The Itsy, Bitsy Spider” in our various languages. A group of eight-year-olds presented a play to us, and we were their first live audience! Last, we met some of the dancers in a large courtyard where they liked to practice. They showed us a few dances there, but they also got to come back to the Cantera retreat center to teach us contemporary and traditional Nicaraguan dance moves and eat dinner with us.

Our dance lesson was fabulous. We all “loosened our hinges” and shook our hips a lot to keep up with the Nicaraguan dancers. We danced the Merengue, Cumbia and Regueton. Most fun was to see Ellis bond with a breakdancer, Josué, who had decided to come with us at the last minute. Ellis is a good dancer, but Josue had a lot that he could teach him. They’d made their own handshake by the end of the night. At dinner I got to sit with the female traditional Nicaraguan dancer named Gema. She’s been working with Cantera as a dance teacher for 11 years now, all to save money to go to nursing school. We took tons of pictures with them before they left, having had so much fun and sad to see our time together ending. The group was very kind to stay as late as they did, later than they’d planned, because it’s dangerous for them to return to their neighborhood late at night.

Since then, it’s been a low key night as we prepare for more lessons tomorrow, relax together, and rest up for another busy day. Hasta luego.

KTC

Day Four: Reunions, Realizations, and Other Interesting Happenings

This morning, I awoke, stumbled out of bed, questioned where I was, and arrived five minutes late to the soon-to-be-departing bus.

This is most definitely an individual problem, as nearly all of us were up the extra hour early, ready to depart on our well-prepared-prepared for day. With alarms blaring as early as six in the morning, we all went through our various morning routines: brushing our teeth, making ourselves somewhat presentable, eating a delicious breakfast, and preparing ourselves for the coming bus ride. There was one thing different today, however. As we were boarding the bus that is so expertly commandeered by Domingo, we were wearing the familiar heart-clad club T-shirts that some of us had waited a full year to be able to sport again.

As the bus pulled up to the school, we couldn’t help but lean forward in our seats to be able to see the children that we had come to Nicaragua to serve. Parents and children lined up to receive family portraits that were never available to them before. The school day commenced, and groups of TL students with very diverse emotional facial expressions were split up into different classrooms. There, we introduced the students to portraits of their California amigos, and helped them make their own portrait frames. With our Spanish speaking skills (hesitant skills for some of us), we were able to present the kids with various artful tools to use as they saw fit. I met a five-year-old boy named Andry, who was hesitant to display his artful skills at first, but after some enthusiastic coaxing, impressed many with his masterful decorating. After interviewing them about themselves and finishing up the cute, hand-decorated frames, the kids were given a recess time. This was the time when many of us felt overjoyed yet slightly overwhelmed at the sheer amount of happy little children trying to jump and cling onto our backs. Shenanigans, cute moments, and chases ensued as we played with the many children that made our day so bright.

After the kids were picked up by loving parents and the classrooms were sufficiently cleaned, a group of TL chaperones and students left to the paint store to buy supplies. When they came back, however, trouble was in the air. Apparently, the store had refused to accept the bank check that we presented (and earlier confirmed, by phone, would be accepted). The check would cause an inconvenience to the store that they did not want to deal with. It was then decided that we would all go to the store and show them that our hard-working club was not to be taken lightly. As we arrived at the store, however, our trouble was met with another overbearing difficulty. There were various disagreements among students and staff, regarding the methods we were using to go about solving the problem. Despite our unrest, however, we were able to unite, reason with the store, and later receive our paint, with one third of it donated to our cause. With this predicament over, we learned a very powerful lesson today that we will carry for the rest of our experience in Nicaragua: that even though there may be disagreement or divergence between us due to unexpected events in the course of our trip, we are still one amalgamated group, united within our cause, ready to support each other, no matter the circumstances.

We arrived back at Cantera to a yet-again delicious lunch. After a short respite, we once again boarded the bus for our next destination: the El Hogar de los Niños Orphanage. There, after unloading suitcases full of items for the children, we were given a tour of the orphanage, and were basically given free rein to play and connect with the children as we saw fit (and fun). Soccer, volleyball, piggyback rides, swinging, and many other activities were enjoyed both by us and the children that afternoon. It was truly magical to watch Davis reuniting happily with his friend from last year, Adam, who clung to his back and didn’t let go for the longest time. Or to see Cora run around, smile-on-her-face with her newly met friend, caring about nothing else, lost in the moment. Many other experiences like this were met and enjoyed by everyone.

After the long ride back to Cantera for dinner (we arrived on time for once), we enjoyed yet another fantastic meal. Special guests were waiting for us tonight, Chepe and volunteer from Cantera, Ana. Chepe explained to us his role as a beekeeper at the Cantera Organic farm, a job that he started several years ago. He arrived in Nicaragua in 1979, and was a witness to both the revolution and the counterrevolution in the late 70s and throughout the 80s. He and Ana brought organic honey and dried hibiscus flowers, which are used to make Jamaica tea, the delicious drink we served at the Marin County Fair.

After buying a plethora of sweet pleasantries, the lights were turned off and a chorus of “Las Mañanitas” rang throughout the cafeteria as a cake was brought out for Ally Lucchi’s 18th birthday. As she bent to blow out the candles, Charlie spectacularly shoved her face into the cake, a Mexican tradition.

Our day was packed with many different adventures, and we look forward to more tomorrow and the rest of our journey here in Nicaragua.

ET.

From the chaperones: We are proud to say that we have purchased 80 lbs of coffee. The coffee farm is owned and operated by the nuns who care for the children at El Hogar de los Niños. Many of your students also purchased organic honey and hibiscus flowers from our guest Chepe. We were pleased to watch a number of our students engage in a dialogue with Chepe about his personal experiences during the revolution and counter-revolution. What intelligent, thoughtful travel companions we have!

Dear Family and Friends,

Today, breakfast was fantastic. We had gallo pinto, eggs with meat, watermelon, and fresh orange juice. After breakfast we began our bus ride to Leon, and along the way we stopped at another Cantera Community Center. Isa, a Cantera volunteer from Nebraska, talked about the different youth programs provided at the community center. Some that she mentioned were literacy programs and health programs. The Center contained a newly painted mural that was both designed and painted by the children participating in the center’s programs.

As we were walking through the neighborhood streets, we passed out clothes and toys to all the children we encountered. We walked from the Center to Lake Managua. There, along the shore, we visited an old train station that has been out of business since the late 1900’s when the government disbanded it. The rails and cars were sold to multiple countries. This destroyed the town’s entire economy because it had revolved around the business the railroad created. There we met a woman named Nora Ramos, who shared her personal story of how this event affected the town. On our way out of the town, we stopped to watch a “Sandlot” baseball game.

Next we drove to a little town called Nagarote to see the world’s largest quesillo. Nagarote held an entire festival around the goal of creating the world record for the longest quesillo (a Nicaraguan cheese quesadilla in crème). This fresh cheese was braided and kneaded into a 600 foot strip, the length of four city blocks. This festival brought large, Nicaraguan crowds leaving our group to stand out like sore thumbs.

When we finally reached Leon, we ate lunch and then visited the town’s cathedral. This cathedral is the oldest in Nicaragua. The town’s center contained many street venders that sold souvenirs.

After arriving back at Cantera, we ate dinner and split into our focus groups. We are all so excited to visit the school tomorrow and meet all the children. We hope this will be the first of many great days at the school.

Sincerely,

Cabana 4

Dear Family and Friends,

Today, breakfast was fantastic. We had gallo pinto, eggs with meat, watermelon, and fresh orange juice. After breakfast we began our bus ride to Leon, and along the way we stopped at another Cantera Community Center. Isa, a Cantera volunteer from Nebraska, talked about the different youth programs provided at the community center. Some that she mentioned were literacy programs and health programs. The Center contained a newly painted mural that was both designed and painted by the children participating in the center’s programs.

As we were walking through the neighborhood streets, we passed out clothes and toys to all the children we encountered. We walked from the Center to Lake Managua. There, along the shore, we visited an old train station that has been out of business since the late 1900’s when the government disbanded it. The rails and cars were sold to multiple countries. This destroyed the town’s entire economy because it had revolved around the business the railroad created. There we met a woman named Nora Ramos, who shared her personal story of how this event affected the town. On our way out of the town, we stopped to watch a “Sandlot” baseball game.

Next we drove to a little town called Nagarote to see the world’s largest quesillo. Nagarote held an entire festival around the goal of creating the world record for the longest quesillo (a Nicaraguan cheese quesadilla in crème). This fresh cheese was braided and kneaded into a 600 foot strip, the length of four city blocks. This festival brought large, Nicaraguan crowds leaving our group to stand out like sore thumbs.

When we finally reached Leon, we ate lunch and then visited the town’s cathedral. This cathedral is the oldest in Nicaragua. The town’s center contained many street venders that sold souvenirs.

After arriving back at Cantera, we ate dinner and split into our focus groups. We are all so excited to visit the school tomorrow and meet all the children. We hope this will be the first of many great days at the school.

Sincerely,

Cabana 4

“When I woke up this morning,” Kevin King remarked, “there was a moment where I didn’t know where I was.” After hours of travel and lost sleep, here we are at last. Today was our first full day in Nicaragua.

After a refreshing breakfast of warm pancakes and syrup the club prepared to leave for a shopping mall where supplies for the lessons could be bought. Over the next few days, we will be teaching lessons at the Divino Nino School. At the mall we planned to buy items that would help to supplement these lessons.

The bus ride to the mall took a good twenty five minutes. We moved from the clusters of corrugated tin houses to a more developed area. The mall was located in the shadow of the Intercontinental Hotel. Inside, we went to the office supply store that we had gone to the year before. My group, the music group, purchased supplies to make posters of song lyrics.

Later we took a trip to Masaya, where we visited a pueblo that was, as I was told, completely devoted to artisanship. As we had done the year before, we visited one family’s home and work area. The father of the family, Francisco Calero, took us through his small home to the house’s back yard. Behind Francisco’s house, a large overhang covers a very humble pottery production center.

He spoke to us slowly in Spanish and our chaperone, Ms. Gatlin, translated for us. The man spoke of family tradition. He described to us a method that his family had used for generations. He described to us the process of changing the Nicaraguan soil into ceramics. Across his yard there lay piles of bags containing this special soil—bags that the family purchased to make into decorated works of art. JP

Sebastian Sanchez was invited to take a seat at the potter’s wheel. Francisco gave Sebastian a nod of approval as he formed his clay. Ms Galbreath would have been very proud of Sebastian’s demonstration. Attached is a photo of Sebastian.

On the bus ride back to Cantera, the students entertained the adults with songs from the 1960s on up. We played a round of telephone to pass the time, with hysterical results. After a delicious dinner, we finished up organizing the generously donated items. They are now ready to be distributed to the orphanage, hospital and Divino Niño School. Our students, filled with non-stop energy, had a great evening of fellowship, song and laughter (i.e. they are thriving without their tech gadgets.)

Buenas noches from Managua! PK and SG