Track 1: Day 3-6 Letters from Nicaragua

Hi Mom & Dad!  Sorry it's been a few days since we last talked. Glad you liked the pictures I sent in my last letter. We've been really busy here, with little to no sleep... surprisingly, I'm doing fine (At least the students are fine anyway)!

Just because you asked me to when I called you a couple of days ago from the internet cafe, here is what I have been up to:

We went to an active Volcano called, Santiago, West of Masaya. We learned that this is where the indigenous cultures were developed. The drive to the top of the volcano was about 15 Min., but here, you have the option to walk to the top if you want... so most of us decided to make the 90 minute journey. No we didn't make it to the top, we were too slow, so we hopped in the vans about half way up and rode the rest  of the way. It was AWESOME!!

After our long walk We went to the park and had fruit smoothies. The staff here want to make sure we are eating enough fruit and staying hydrated... I guess they know how to get us to eat our fruits and veggies (are you sure you haven't been calling them?!). And you would not believe it but we were break-dancing in central park Masaya with the local Nicaraguans...(another story for a different day)

We came back to the OI office and learned about tools and did dramatizations with the tools we would be using for the "Water Line" project in the community the next day.

Then to end the night we practiced for the cultural talent night, which we were invited to perform at the next evening. It was hard coming up with something as a big group but we did it. Those summer camp songs you hated so much the week after camp was over, finally paid off!!

Next day...

Breakfast was at 6am sharp. I slept alright, but the morning comes so early and no, I still didn't see the sunrise.

 We left for La Prusia (city in Nicaragua) to work on the "Water Line" project.  We spent 1/2 day trenching, laying pipe, and reburying the line. It was very hard, but such an awesome experience working alongside the community. The project was successful and we were able to complete it in less time than expected. Our group really got in there and worked hard. It was so worth it - the community was very happy with our work.

 After lunch at the OI office, we returned back to La Prusia for our cultural night talent show and it was so cool. At first we were very nervous to perform. It kinda felt like high school where the boys and girls were on different sides of the room, except it was split between us and the community. But after the talent show and by the end of the night, we were singing, dancing and having so much fun we didn't want to leave.

Next day...

Has it already been 6 days?!?!  It's gone by too fast.

This morning 1/2 of the group went to do home-stays in San Lucia, and the other 1/2 stayed in Masaya.

I'll talk about the home-stay in a few days, because we are about to have another delicious dinner,but a quick rundown of what we did in Masaya today was this:

We ate breakfast, visited the market, went to the park in Granada, and took a boat tour of the Islands on lake Managua... "Amazing" - sooo cooool!

Now we are headed back to the hotel for some "reflection" time (deep, I know!).

 Everyone is still pretty awesome!! Especially this one guy on the trip that says really funny things, and only eats peanuts for meals. I'll tell you more about him later. They call him Juan...

Anyway - Yes, I'm wearing plenty of sunscreen, drinking plenty of water, and looking both ways before crossing the street.

Hasta Luego (Until next time...)

Your favorite kid in Nicaragua!