Hi family and friends!

We are so excited, happy, and exhausted after our first day here in Jinotega! It was great meeting so many of you at the airport last night. After our overnight flight, on which some of us slept more than others, we arrived in Managua. We were greeted by our fabulous in-country staff members, Indira and Debbie, who gave us a very warm welcome. We took a private bus 2 1/2 hours past rolling hills, lush green fields, and busy curbside stands. We could feel the temperature getting cooler the closer we got to Jinotega; the breeze felt amazing and reminded us of home.

While the adults enjoyed the view, most of our weary Glimpsers were fast asleep! They finally got some much needed rest. The first thing we did when we arrived in Jinotega was get some food! Our food provider, La Familia, served us chicken kabobs, rice, salad, and fresh hibiscus juice. It was delicious and definitely made us excited for the meals here in Nicaragua.

The rest of the afternoon was spent touring the hostel and meeting its friendly staff, getting oriented to the program and its rules, and getting to know each other better. For dinner, La Familia served gallo pinto, a rice and bean mixture that is really popular in Nicaragua, with plantains and crema.

As I write this the students are playing games and singing, enjoying some down time before bed. We can’t wait for our first full day in Jinotega and look forward to sharing our day with you again tomorrow! Feel free to leave us comments; your students will be reading through them every night.

 

We had a pretty great view on the bus ride… sleepy Glimpsers!
bus to Jinotega