(7/23/14)
Saludos desde Nicaragua! (Greetings from Nicaragua!) We have arrived happily, and most importantly, safely. It was quite the long (~15+ hours) journey to arrive in Nica-land. We began our travels in San Francisco not-so-bright but early at 3:15 am. All families from both the Granada and Leon Delegations were at the American Airlines terminal waiting excitedly and very sleep-deprived. Thankfully, it was a smooth transition from checking-in, to saying good-bye to our families, passing through security and boarding our 1st flight. Most of us were able to catch a few z’s on the plane but we were all exhausted by the time we arrived in Miami, FL. Our 3 hour lay-over turned into 4.5 hours because of plane delays (nothing serious) which allowed plenty of time to explore the diversity of food options at Miami Airport. Students bought their own food and drinks, mingled with one another, played card games, napped, and talked about some of the things that we should know about them. These are some of the things they shared:
“It’s my 1st time traveling outside of the USA,” “It’s my first time traveling on a plane,” “I’m afraid of heights,” “I’m terrified of spiders,” “I’m a vegetarian” (we have 3 vegetarians in our group), and “I’m super pumped to go to Nicaragua!”
Finally, we boarded our last plane to Managua. After landing, it took us an additional hour to fill out customs paperwork, go through customs, pick up our luggage, and go through an additional security check. But as we gladly left the airport, we were greeted by our in-country coordinators, Chris and Judith, who were literally clapping and cheering with signs that read “Welcome Leon & Granada Global Glimpsers!” We felt like celebrities, welcomed with such warmth and alegria.
By the airport entrance, we sat in a circle and ate our 1st meal- vegetarian and meat SUBWAY sandwiches with juices. Every single one of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals and wondered about the American business presence in Nicaragua. After dinner, we were greeted by a yellow school bus and our drivers, who loaded our luggage in the bus and woke us up with latin/salsa/hip-hop beats on the radio. We stayed in Managua at Hotel Los Felipe, where we took our first cold shower of our journey. Tomorrow, we’re waking up at 8am to leave for Leon. We are excited and can’t wait to see what adventures and experiences await us in the “Lion” city.
Hasta pronto!
