Food is love

In both Nicaragua and Costa Rica it was clear that cooking and eating are linked as an act of love. Both my host moms went out of their way to prepare wonderful, traditional meals for me.  I ate my way through both countries as a result!  In Nicaragua, Sonia allowed me to wash dishes and cut a few vegetables for a salad, but otherwise, the kitchen was her domain.  My plate overflowed with rich dishes of rice and beans, plantains, fish, salads, and fruits.  Sonia sent Orlando off on daily runs to the market to get the needed supplies.  When I say market, I don't mean a supermarket. They shopped at a huge mostly open air market area not far from the house.  In Costa Rica, Vivian allowed me full access to her kitchen. One night I prepared fresh pesto pasta, salad, and chocolate chip cookies.  Thankfully, the meal was a big hit.  Otherwise, Vivian cooked huge meals for breakfast and dinner.  She made typical Tica dishes that included lots of carbs- rice, pasta, beans, yucca, tortillas, breads, and cake.  I wanted to try everything and did not want to offend her in any way so I ate in abundance.  I definitely felt loved through both mom's culinary efforts.  I took lots of pictures.

Here are a few:

Transition

Leaving my host family in Nicaragua was hard. They had welcomed me warmly in their home and patiently put up with my broken Spanish. We shared many laughs and stories from our lives.  They live a very simple, quiet life in the city. They rarely venture far from their home.  Neither of them work outside the home anymore. Their income consists of what they make from hosting students.  Sonia, my host mom, shared that she did not know when the next students might come. She feared that they would not have anyone until the late spring.  I know they will be fine, however, I felt protective of them.  

As we loaded into the bus and traversed the mountain passes out of Nicaragua into Costa Rica, I felt a little nervous about the next stage in my adventure. I had just begun to feel comfortable roaming the city on my own.  How was the next town going to be? Would the family be as welcoming as Sonia and Orlando were?  I had a lot of time to think during the 8 hour journey.

Almost immediately as we crossed into Costa Rica, I could see economic differences. The streets were paved. Most houses and buildings were constructed with strong materials like brick and stucco or adobe. There was landscaping. In the mountains, a series of huge windmills were scattered through the landscape.  The views were breathtaking. 

Once we arrived in Santo Domingo, the prosperity of Costa Rica was evident. Many cars filled the streets-fancy new models too. Restaurants, stores, and  homes reflected the fact that the residents have money to spend.  Beautiful schools represent the country's emphasis on free education for all.  

When my new host mom, Vivian, picked me up in a taxi, she welcomed me with open arms.  Once again, I was struck by the economic differences when I walked into their home. They have a kitchen with a large stainless steel refrigerator and a washer and dryer. They have two bathrooms with hot water!  They have two bedrooms,an office, and a living room.  It is a comfortable, yet simple home on the edge of a more affluent neighborhood.

I transitioned easily into this new phase as my new family opened their lives to me. Vivian and I spent hours getting to know each other, sharing intimate details of our lives. Her husband, Eric, runs his own computer company so he often worked long days. He also made me feel at home when he was with us.  On the second day, Vivian's nieces, Sophia and Maria Jose, joined us for the rest of my stay.  My days quickly took on a new rhythm of routine:  volunteer work at Lapa Verde Community Center in the mornings and Spanish classes all afternoon.  I didn't hang out much with other students after class, but rather headed home to spend evenings with my host family.

We cooked together, ate and talked late into the night.  It is amazing how quickly I felt so connected.  There are just not enough words to describe the feelings.  The time was too short.

In the coming days, I explored the city of San Jose with Vivian.  As the capital of Costa Rica, it had much to offer. In a day we visited an incredible museum, the beautiful National Theater, and an artisans market.  In each place, I learned about the country's rich culture, biodiversity, and emphasis on education.  

Staying in Santo Domingo was a step back toward the standard of living I have in the U.S.  People are often running or biking on the streets. Beautiful gyms can be found all across the city.  With all of that, also came a big change in the costs to buy goods.  Prices were comparable.  One evening, I talked to Eric about the standard of living in Costa Rica in comparison to Nicaragua and the U.S.  He explained that in Nicaragua the society is divided mostly into two classes- the poor and rich with few in the middle class.  In Costa Rica, there is a large middle class with much less poor and some quite wealthy. It was extremely rare to see a street person in town. There were lots of families with pets and few stray dogs on the street.  Street people and stray animals are abundant in Nicaragua. In fact, a whole community of Nicaraguan and Colombian immigrants have formed a poor community outside of the city here in CR. The medical students in our group spent their volunteer time working there.

My volunteer work in Santo Domingo consisted of planning and running an educational day camp at the community center. I was told that the kids were from working families who could not afford daycare during their winter break. However, it did not appear that the families that came were struggling.  Many of the children attended classes at the community center after school or on Satur days.  Some were taking English classes.  It was a wonderful experience getting to know them as we played together.

My time on the trip has come to an end. I can say that I met many of my goals.  My Spanish has improved tremendously although I have a long way to go. I am motivated to continue studying once I am home. I really don't want to lose the gains I made.  I feel like I will be able to communicate more with my Spanish speaking students and families. I definitely understand more.  I am also energized to continue doing volunteer work in some form.  I want to continue my connection with House of Hope and Granada Christian Education Center.  There is so much to be done.  Through their work, I can see how much influence one life can have on another.  I want to help them in their fight against poverty and human trafficking.  On the local level, I hope to start a community service committee at my school to empower our school community as well.  It is such a gift and blessing to realize that we can all make a difference together.

Here are just a few picture from my time in Costa Rica:

#FFTFellow

Time

I have been carrying around so many thoughts, so much digesting going on in my brain. I just have not had time to write. Since I left Nicaragua, my world has sped up.  My days in Central America are coming to a close. I feel rushed to squeeze in more learning, more connections, more experiences.  The thing is, I just don't have enough time in my day.  I don't want to miss anything.

My final days in Nicaragua included a local celebration of the anniversary of the seizure of power by the Sandanistas.  The FSNL overthrew the rule of Anastasia Somoza Debayle in 1979.  It is a very complicated history filled with stories of corruption and U.S. involvement.  According to some of the sources I read, the original members were nationalistic students who were outraged by the conditions in Nicaragua under Somoza and what they saw as consistent U.S. Intervention in Nicaraguan affairs.  They wanted to improve the conditions for the poor.  Long story short, what started out as a movement of the people, turned into a civil war with U.S.-backed Contra rebels. The FSNL was supported by the Soviets and Cuba. Under Sandinista rule and the leader Daniel Ortega, they have maintained power nationalizing the country's major industries.  From what I understood through my conversations with those willing to talk to me about it, unless you work for the government and are a member of the Sandinista party, it is very difficult to find work.  Our teachers at the Spanish Language School were all professionals from various fields- a lawyer, a psychologist, teachers, who could not find consistent work in their fields.  I was also told that it was very dangerous to speak about the government negatively. People are beaten up, fired, and even killed if they are open about their opposition. It is very complicated. The FSNL has been working to make improvements in education and health, however, the changes have been slow.  As I already shared, many Nicaraguans live in poverty. Many are illiterate despite the statistics the government claims.  Anyway, I had a hard time watching the parade in street by the government employees and FSNL party members knowing how much the general population is oppressed.

I have a lot to learn on top of my Spanish language skills.   #FFTFellow

Here are a few photos of the day:

Perspective

Depending from which point we are looking, our view will be different.  From far away, we can see the big picture. If we are up close, we cannot always see the surrounding view.  I am learning a lot about contrasts and perspective during my time here.  I keep reminding myself that what I see or feel is dependent on my starting point.  

There are so many things I have complained about at home. The list is endless- from minor to big complaints. " This light is too long. The internet is too slow.  The air conditioning is too cold. It is too hot in my classroom. I have a big class this year.  I don't like cleaning my house.  I don't want to make dinner.  My yard is so much work. Who left the garage light on again?! DCF does nothing for kids. College is too expensive. We work too hard....". As I said, the list could go on forever.  My complaints come from the places I am in my life at the time.  

Now that I have been immersed in the culture of Nicaragua for the past two weeks, my perspective has changed a bit.  That is, from this point of time and place, my observations are different.  It has been easy to see the contrasts.  Let me focus on education.  Most schools here are old and very basic structures.  The average class is 50 students in a small room. Students come in two shifts because there just aren't enough schools to teach all the kids at once. Education is free and "mandatory" up to the sixth grade. Because of the overcrowding and lack of resources, many students don't learn to read even by the fourth grade.  Kids can't go to school without a uniform.  Those who are too poor can't afford them.  Kids on the street are prey to sex traffickers.  Lots of kids are homeless,yet there are no orphanages and very little government social services.  Teachers go to mandatory meetings once a month where all teachers from their area meet to plan the curriculum and lessons for the month. All teachers teach the same thing across the country at he same time.  Salaries are low.  I heard several stories about women who could not afford to feed their families even though they taught full time. They prostituted themselves to supplement their income.  

My complaints about school seem pretty ridiculous given what teachers go through here!  I have supplies, desks, books, and materials for my students.  I work with my colleagues to plan our teaching weekly. I have access to technology.  We have a social worker, psychologist, and nurse at my school.  We even have a health center!  All students can eat breakfast and lunch at school for free. If they don't have a uniform, we give them one.  Teachers are paid a decent wage (at least in comparison).  The system is far from perfect....but offers much more than in Nicaragua.  That is not to say that I will no longer strive to improve what we do have.  On the contrary, this motivates me even more to seek out excellence!

My day at Granada Christian Education Center provided another example of how there are some things around the world that are not measured by differences, but by unity.  The parents and children that joined us, came with love and hope for the future.  They came because they care about their family's welfare. They came because of the school community. They came to support what we were doing. They came to learn.  

The smiles and giggles speak the same language. The mom's reached across to help us as we fumbled with words. We helped them to see how even lacking in their own formal education, they have the power to help their kids to learn.  Even without books, they can develop reading skills and storytelling.  

Worlds apart, yet not so far away when I think about my school community.  So many perspectives to consider....

Preparation

We loaded onto the bus early this morning to make our way out to Granada Christian Education Center for our next volunteer site orientation.  I really didn't know what the day would hold.  I knew we were headed into a very poor area on the outskirts of the city, a place called Pantanal.  The name means swamp.  It is a neighborhood that is literally built on a swamp. The government of Nicaragua started giving plots of land to the poor to help alleviate the housing problem in the city. As the tourism grew in the city, housing became less affordable and inaccessible for many so they moved to Pantanal.  Over the past 10 years, 10,000 people have moved there. Many live in homes they built with whatever they could scavenge-wood, plastic, sheets of metal. Some built homes with cinder blocks through the help of aid agencies.  The average home is 150 square feet with up to 10 family members living in the cramped space. Many have electricity and some have running water. The area is characterized by poverty and with poverty comes a whole other set of problems. The unemployment rate is very high (I can't remember the exact percentage).  Eight out of ten men struggle with substance abuse. Many adults and children are addicted to sniffing glue to stave off the pangs of hunger. The rates of teenage pregnancy and incest are also very high. Many women are left to support their families alone. Gangs have formed as a common part of the community.

In the middle of this, is an incredibly beautiful school that was started three years ago with the help of many volunteers. Some Christian missionaries working with those struggling with addiction had a vision to break the cycle through education. They started with only six students the first year. Now they have around 60 pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade students. The hope is to add a new grade each year for the next 10 years. The children come from the neighborhoods surrounding the property. Parents must pay $1.80 a month for the private schooling.  This may not seem like much, but with an average salary of $2 a day, it is a sacrifice.  There are a few public schools in the area, but they are far and the conditions are very poor. Class sizes average 50 students to one teacher.  Schools have very limited resources.  Few are able to achieve much under those conditions.  At GCEC, the classes are limited to 25.  The students receive instruction in both Spanish and English.  They are taught in ways that are not common in the Nicaraguan public schools.

Why charge when the families struggle so much to make ends meet?  The school staff described how the payment is a way to have the parents "buy in".  The school is based on the "hand up" philosophy rather than the "hand out".  They are committing to their child's education as an investment in the family.  Young people are expected to help support their families. This is truly an investment into the future of the entire family.  With the bilingual education, the children will have greater opportunities for earning power.  They can earn much more money as translators or workers in bilingual companies.  As a result, families will choose one of their children to send to the school.  They cannot afford to send more than one.  The actual cost is around $45 a month, but it is paid through donations.  In addition, the  school provides jobs to family members as they are able to. They have a sports ministry for older boys as a prevention program to keep the boys out of the gangs and away from the cycle of addiction.

For 4 hours a day, the little ones come to learn in this oasis in the swamp.  They are loved and cared for.  Their families are supported on many levels as well.  In fact, our role as educators is to provide workshops for the families so they can learn how to support their child's learning at home.  With no books in the homes and many parents with limited to no literacy skills, we will be starting at the pre-literacy stage.  We plan to teach parents how to have conversations leading to storytelling in their everyday situations.  Math instruction will include basic number sense games using objects from their homes like beans or rice.  

As an educator, I am struck by the obstacles teachers and students face here.  Training and resources are very limited. Even at this beautiful, new school they don't have electricity. The school has to be protected by a security guard to insure the safety of the students and teachers.  Yet, once again, there is hope.  The net of possibilities is cast far beyond the walls of the classrooms.  The future vision includes adult literacy, job training, and small business production.

All of this can be done through partnerships with a variety of groups. Graduate students at the University of Virginia Schools of Engineering and Architecture designed the blueprint for the school after weeks of intense onsite study of the environmental conditions.  Church groups came to build alongside of construction workers. Sponsors send donations from all over to fund the work of the missionaries and teachers. Non-profit groups in the area work together to pool resources for common goals.

At the core of it all is faith. Faith in God and faith in humanity.  Faith in the common good.  One brick at a time, one child at a time, one family at a time, the world is becoming a better place. 

I am so humbled to be able to be a part of it.  Not only do I have the privilege of working with parents, but I was able to bring money from my students and staff to help supply some of the physical needs here.

Thankful heart once again. #FFTFellow

Power in Creation

I am back in Granada, ready to embark on our next volunteer project.  Before I am caught up in the intensity of the work in the coming days, I wanted to share some more of the photos from our weekend of rest.  The power in the natural beauty of creation never ceases to amaze me.  Every day we have the opportunity to take it in.  Whether large or small, there is something beautiful to take hold of as long as we are not too busy, stressed, or simply distracted.  At Playa Gigante, the beauty was just that-Gigantic.  We couldn't miss it-the expanse of the beaches, the warm water, the multi-colored rocks, the sunset, the dramatic landscape, the smiles of the locals.  #FFTFellow#Playagigantewonders

World of Experiences in a Week

Hard to believe it has been a week already since I arrived in Nicaragua.  Hard to believe it has only been a week since I arrived in Nicaragua.  In many ways the time has flown by and in others it has been so packed that I cannot fathom that only seven days have passed.  The volunteer experiences, the host family time, the Spanish lessons, and the exploration of the area have filled my brain and heart to overflowing.  I am learning so much! The lessons most certainly have not been limited to the Spanish classes.  I have seen the horror of human indecency and experienced the expanse of human kindness. I have seen the beauty in history and the grime smeared all over the present.  I have witnessed the poor in the city and countryside.  I have also glimpsed the life of the rich and famous. Now, I am enjoying some time away at the beach (La Playa Gigante) to rest and reflect on it all.  It has been a whirlwind of contrasts: life here and at home, the difference in power between men and women, the daily living between those who have and those who do not.  One day at a time, one week at a time, un poco a un poco- I am growing and transforming.  So thankful for this opportunity and all that it brings #FFTFund

Success

I can't write much tonight as I have homework still to do.  I just wanted to record a few thoughts from today. First of all, it was a privilege to spend time with the women of HOH. They greeted us warmly and listened respectfully as we taught.  I was impressed by their thoughtful responses to our questions.  What struck me most were their smiles...I know what their lives have been like, the horror they have endured, yet they still smile and laugh.  I saw sparks and spirit in their beautiful eyes.  The woman who only has one arm as a result of her husband's torturous abuse, came up and patted my back to make me feel comfortable.  I am absolutely blown away by their strength and resilience. One woman told us that she only has one year left until she graduates and will be able to have a home of her own. The woman sitting next to her had only been at HOH for 3 months. She couldn't wait to tell us about the approaching graduation of her friend.  The pride was palpable.  What an amazing turn around made possible through the vision of one woman and the commitment of countless others!!  Our lives matter! We can have a significant impact on the lives of others, one life at a time. God is rippling the effect at HOH.  In a country where the problems for women and children seem insurmountable, there is hope.

The teaching part of the day was much easier than I thought it would be.  Although  my Spanish is still in the elementary stage, I used the same strengths I rely on when I teach in English.  I am an actress by nature.  The classroom is my stage.  I had a blast role playing a little girl learning from her mom. Of course, I hammed up the disobedient, distracted part.  The women laughed and smiled as they recognized their children in my actions.  The thing is, we were sharing the language of love.  The native tongue was not all that important.  We were relating as women and moms.  

Though it was not an easy day, I left with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.

Hump Day

Not too much to report today.  I just kind of needed the day to regroup after yesterday.  I got up early and walked to town to take advantage of my free gym pass. It felt good to do something familiar even though the gym was nothing like my gym at home.  Exercise has always been my fall-back to release stress and re-energize.  It did help to start the day. 

Back to the Spanish Scool/Community Center to plan for tomorrow's return trip to HOH. My group will be teaching the resident women how to teach their children to do chores.  It is not so much the specific instructions of a particular chore, but the process. As teachers, we model first, then guide through practice, and finally release our students to do on their own. The "I do, we do, you do" method of teaching.  The women living at HOH were never taught how to keep a home.  They survived on the street, often moving from one temporary place to another.  They did not have role models to follow.  Our job is to break down the teaching into simple steps through role playing.  Those steps include knowing how to give feedback, both positive and constructive.  In addition, we will let them know that the process takes time and practice. If a child doesn't do the chore right, it simply means more modeling and practice may be required.  All of this will be taught in Spanish, of course! Thank goodness we are working in groups!

Others will be teaching the importance teaching chores in the first place. Another group will talk about age appropriateness of specific chores.  The last group will show the women simple chore charts they can use to help motivate their children and stay organized.  Why go through all this?  Well, the director of the program asked us to do this because the women just do not have the backgrounds to take care of homes or to teach their children. She told a story about one woman who left her 4 year old to watch over her house while she was away. When she returned, she realized the house had been robbed. She beat her child for failing to do what she'd asked.  Once again, we take so much for granted in our life experiences.  Seems so basic, but all of this is far from basic.

The afternoon Spanish class is long and intense, four hours every day.  I struggled to stay focused a bit today as the heat and humidity drained my energy.  I will say that I am really enjoying being able to hold significant conversations with our teacher. We have been sharing a lot about our lives and processing our experiences here. I told her a lot about HOH. She shared a story about one of her teaching colleagues at the high school. This young woman (25 yrs old) was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant. Her mother and stepfather kicked her out of the house. When she had the baby, she also turned to prostitution to support herself and the baby.  It is so hard to wrap my head around all of this! Here, she has a professional degree as a teacher, yet she cannot survive.  She could be one of my children.  What a horrific choice so many women are forced to make!  My teacher explained that this situation is very common.  The society is based on men.  They have so much power over women.  She also said that since the war, there are seven women to every one man.  The men commonly have many women and father many children. They do not necessarily take responsibility for their children. My teacher's own father had 12 children by 5 different women! Fortunately, he supported his children although his wife had no knowledge of the other women or children.

Anyway, I am sure tomorrow will bring a whole new set of eye-opening experiences.

#FFTFellow

On a lighter note, here is a photo of the view from my exercise machine at the gym:

Photos speak more than words

Here more images from the day:

#FFTFellow

 

    

House of Hope

How can I even attempt to put into words what I witnessed today?  I'm not sure I can do it justice, but I want to try.

Today was an incredibly hard day.  We arrived at school early and took an hour bus ride back into Managua to spend some time observing at House of Hope.  It is a vocational rehabilitation program for women and their children leaving the world of prostitution and human trafficking.  We spent several hours their observing and touring the property.  My heart is so heavy as I process what I saw.

We began in a pavilion-like building where women in the "Tuesday Morning Program" were gathered for a church service including prayer,praise, and singing. The room was filled with women of all ages who had come by bus from the brothels and streets of the city to participate.  The women are still trapped in the world of debt bonded prostitution, but come once a week to participate. After the service, the women broke into groups to work on items sold in the HOH store including:  jewelry, potato bags, greeting cards, and ornaments.  Money earned from the sales go directly to pay the women who craft the products by hand, in hopes of teaching them marketable skills that will one day allow them to leave the life of slavery and prostitution.

While they were setting up, one of the HOH employees (volunteer) gave us a tour of the residences and shared some of the women's stories.  There are currently 16 women and their 26 children living on the property. All have horrific histories of abuse- first from their families, then by the men using them for sex, then by the Nicaraguan society that views them as nothing more than trash.  She told us about one resident who was abandoned by her parents. The grandmother took her in so that she could pimp her out.  Another woman was working and came home to find that her "husband" ( probably her pimp) had raped their daughter. The daughter ended up pregnant by her father. When the mother tried to stand up to her "husband", he cut off her arm.  When I had seen the woman earlier, I wondered what had happened to her...what accident could have caused her to lose her arm at the shoulder? I also saw cigarette burn scars all over her remaining arm.  How could one human treat another so horribly?  The stories continued with another about a women who worked on the street servicing men in a cardboard box since she didn't have a room.  I cannot even imagine the living hell that made up their day to day lives starting from very young ages. Sixty-six percent of prostitutes begin working by the age of 11years old.  The cycle repeats itself over and over as the girls/women have babies and must come up with money to feed them. With no access to healthcare or stable living situations, they often end up selling their oldest daughters to help feed the family.

Coming from that picture of their histories, I found myself peering at the dark rooms they currently live in as palaces. These rooms they now call home have no furniture-only metal bed frames with no mattresses. They have no running water, no flush toilets, no kitchens with cabinets. They do have a safe, secure space with a roof,a cement floor, and a metal "grill" outside to cook for their children. 

 This is truly a house of hope as they learn that they have value and that they do not have to sell themselves in order to live.  The program helps the women break free from addiction, slavery, and abuse as they rebuild their lives one step at a time. The women are able to learn trades and start their own businesses through the micro grant program.  With $65, they can produce and sell their own goods. They receive medical care, psychological counseling, education, and the means to send their children to school.  They can even rent and eventually own their own homes once they graduate from the residential program.

It is by no means an easy journey from slavery to freedom. Many women do not trust HOH. When they first come, they hoard the supplies for making the items. They don't trust each other so there are many fights. They are in survival mode and must learn that it is possible to live differently, to trust, to allow others to get close to them.  Some come and then return to prostitution.  Some return to HOH again.  The people of HOH are not in the business of giving up. They are committed to sharing God's love and transforming power one life at a time.

Angela, another HOH worker, is a prime example of that transformation. Near the end of our day there, we gathered in the staff house to hear her story. Angela had been abandoned by her parents along with her siblings. She grew up going to school with no shoes, no uniforms, no books, no pencils so that she could listen and learn. The other children at school made fun of her and her siblings because they didn't have the required necessities, but she persisted in order to have a better life. She worked hard and was able to graduate to become a teacher herself. Then she met a man and had her first child. He left them. She met another man and had two more children-three girls and a boy. She explained with great pride that her two girls were both college graduates- one a psychologist and the other a social worker.  Unfortunately, after her third child was born, she could not make enough as a teacher to provide for her children on her own. A friend told her how to make money through prostitution. Thus began her fall into twelve years of sexual trafficking. She didn't want that life, but felt trapped with no means to take care of her children. One day she met April, the founder of HOH, and heard from her about God's love and hope for a better life for her and her children.  With her help, Angela was able to get out and help her children onto a path far from prostitution. She went through the HOH program and now works for them. She has been out of prostitution for 11 years. Now she travels to where HOH has built programs to help break the cycle in Honduras,Guatemala, and Belize.

I could say so much more. The reality of  life here is nothing like my reality. It definitely gave me a new perspective. The next question is: where do I go from here? What do I do with this new knowledge? I am learning a lot more than just Spanish, that is clear.

#FFTFellow

Here are some photos that speak for themselves:

 

    

Noise

It is amazing how quiet sounds. Interesting thought, right?  Well, here there is noise constantly. I was never so aware of the sound of quiet before! This morning at 5:15, I awoke to the sounds of firecrackers. Boom!Boom!Boom! Sounds like engines backfiring.  This happens all day as the Catholic Church nearby is celebrating a festival.  Nobody around here seems to notice much, though. Even their dog, Isi, is stoic to the loud noises. My host mom's baby niece was here on my first day. She never even flinched when the booms sounded and she is only 4 months old!  Last night as I sat watching the neighborhood activity, I was struck again by the many noises in the evening. At one point, a man used a loudspeaker to announce that he was selling fresh eggs and cheese. He drove his truck down the block selling his goods. Horns blare. Bicycle bells chime. Church bells ring. Dogs bark. Music serenades. People call to each other and talk along the way.  As I retreat into my room, the sound of the ceiling fan lulls me to sleep. Despite it all, I am growing accustomed to it and even find comfort in the noise. It is a reminder that this is a bustling place, full of life.

Classes

We spent 4 hours in small groups learning Spanish today. I really like our teacher.  She is very easy to talk to and is a skilled teacher. It was interesting to share our impressions of teaching both here and in the U.S. From the "teacher" perspective, we have a lot in common. Teachers in both countries share frustrations with students' lack of motivation and respect.  I am excited to put into practice what she taught us today. Working hard to push past my comfort zone.  The area where we meet for classes is incredibly beautiful. It is on the top floor of the community center and overlooks the main square.  Feeling like I stepped back in time to a rich,romantic era.

Here are pictures of the view through our window:

Not bad!#FFTFellow

  

Adventure

This morning I got up at 5:15 to join other group members to exercise. We walked to the park on the shore of Lake Nicaragua and ran/walked for a few miles. It is so hot here that you must get up early to survive exercising! Anyway, I enjoyed the experience even though I hadn't slept well because I was so fearful that I'd oversleep.  Then comes the adventure....when I returned to my house at 6:40, I was locked out! Here, all the houses have double locked doors. There is a main door and a barred door for security. I was locked out of both and had no key!! Fortunately, I was able to wait across the street at another group member's house until I spotted my host dad.  Thankfully, everybody has a good sense of humor!  Just another Nicaraguan adventure....still smiling 😬💪

Now the real work begins as I start Spanish classes today and begin the volunteer work tomorrow.  Hasta luego!

#FFTFellow

Laguna de Apoyo

Today began early after my first full night's sleep in several days.  I enjoyed a bowl of fruit for breakfast with my host family and attempted once again to hold an interesting conversation using only Spanish. With each conversation, I feel myself gaining confidence. I am really trying to "sacar el jugo", get the most out of everything.  

And then I was off....I stepped out into the heat of the morning to walk with my host father into the city for my course orientation at the APC Language School.  I wanted to walk there on my own, but he insisted on guiding me for the first day. (For those who know me well, I take pride in my sense of direction.)  Upon arrival at the school, I was struck again by the beauty of  town. The school itself is in a large, historic colonial building across from the expansive town square.  It opens into an indoor courtyard with arches and greenery. Beautiful paintings hang everywhere as it serves as an art school and gallery as well.  How fortunate we are to spend our days learning in such a fine environment!

The group of teachers and medical students gathered for the first time for introductions and tour the city together.  It is a diverse group including elementary, middle, and high school teachers, a principal, nurses, and pharmacy students.  We come from all over the US- Texas, Arizona, Mississippi, California, Illinois, Colorado- all with the common goal to improve our Spanish skills in order to be better practitioners in our various fields.  For all of us, it is a journey outside our comfort zones. Fortunately, we are led by excellent guides who are very well organized and patient with us.

Today's journey included a walking tour of the city with a visit to a Chocolate Museum.  I couldn't help but to think of all my students for whom I'd read "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory". I even took a picture of Willy Wonka in the museum!  After, walking through the sweltering heat, we headed up into the mountain bordering Granada. Swimming in the waters of a lake in a volcanic crater could not have been a better salve to our tired,traveler bodies.  The water was warm, yet refreshing beyond measure! I stayed in for over an hour! I wish you could all be here to soak it in with me.

#FFTFellow

Here are a few photos from the day: