What a big day we had! Today was culture day, which gave us a few opportunities to see traditional Nicaraguan arts and participate as well. We started the day with a filling breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and beans) along with typical Nicaraguan cheese and fried plantains. Yum! Then we headed to San Juan de Oriente, a town known for their pottery. We had the chance to visit a family-run pottery shop where the members of Don Jose Alfredo’s family create amazing pottery pieces based on traditional pre-Columbian designs as well as contemporary pottery and utilitarian pottery (cups and bowls). The best part of this visit was that every student had a chance to practice making a pot on the wheel and painting a small pot to take home. After saying goodbye to Don Jose and his family, we heading back to the hostel to get ready for a fabulous lunch. We had a traditional Nica food called vigaron. It consisted of mashed yucca, pork in sauce, and sour cabbage slaw on top. After lunch, it was time to dance! Although it was super hot at the hostel, we all got into the groove, learning traditional folkloric dances and salsa. After some free time, we had a simple dinner of gallo pinto with tortillas and cheese. We will be in bed early tonight because our wake up call will be 5:00 am tomorrow to get ready to go to school… with Nicaraguan students!

Special shout-out to Mara’s dad… Mara says, “Happy birthday!!”

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