Today we started our day really early but excited to finally get to our new home, Granada. Along the way, we had a chance to see some of the beautiful landscapes Nicaragua has to offer. We even got to see a volcano in Masaya which we learned is known as “One of the Entrances to Hell” because this is where the indigenous people would have human sacrifices. Upon arriving at the Hostel Los Amigos, the students had time to settle into their rooms before we gathered to go eat breakfast. For breakfast we had Gallo Pinto, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and tortillas. All of the students were very excited to eat such a flavorful food.
The first activity outside the hostel was the City Tour. Everyone loved it because we were able to go around the city to discover all the streets and places that we will be able to go to later on the trip. Despite the hot weather … Hot Hot Hot weather.. We all enjoyed our time walking around and definitely the surprise after the tour, ICE CREAM. There was a wide range of unique flavors to choose from. In addition to traditional chocolate or vanilla, there was orange and chocolate swirl, coffee and caramel and even a fig flavor.
Then it was time for a wonderful lunch. Our comedor is quickly becoming our favorite restaurant. For lunch we were lucky to have a traditional Nicaraguense dish, Indio Viejo (Old Indian). After lunch students were given a friendly challenge: they split up into two groups and had to remember how to get to El Museo de San Francisco, a landmark we saw during our city tour. When the two teams arrived, we were greeted by Karla who gave us a tour of the museum. Inside the museum we visited a room filled with traditional Nicaraguense art. Another part of the tour that we all really enjoyed was the room filled with ancient stone statues. These statues were found through out Nicaragua as well as buried for protection of being destroyed by the Spaniards. As we learned about these statues we were able to observe an artist who was creating a replica of an original stone statue.
Afterwards, we went to La Merced church, one of the oldest churches in this city and climbed the bell tower. As we stepped up to the top we could see a beautiful view of Granada. We all enjoyed the view and the chilly breeze at the top of the tower. We took tons of pictures of the city we will call home for the next couple of weeks. Once we were done at the Iglesia de Merced it was dinner time. We always enjoy going to the comedor, as we walk in the friendly workers make us feel very welcome as they greet us from the we moment we walk through the door. Tonight we had Nicaraguan style cheeseburger and veggie burgers. After scarfing down our meals we headed home for our nightly meeting and self reflection. The glimpsers had a little bit of free time before lights out. They sang songs and braided each other’s hair and it was like a camp style atmosphere. During this time Zoe mentioned to Cheyenne that today had been an awesome day because she did not feel forced to be friends with everyone on the trip but rather she honestly enjoyed getting to know everyone and making connections.
Typical Nicaraguan food from our comedor.
This artist is making a replica of a stone statues that were found all over Granada. These were made by indigenous people during pre colonial times.