*Sorry for the delay our wifi has not been cooperating with us.

Greetings from La Casa Roja. Today on this beautiful day in Granada, students were woken up around 7:00am and enjoyed a wonderful traditional meal of rice, beans , cheese, plantain chips and tomatoes from Don Carlos. Today’s theme was culture. Students were engaged in a discussion about what is culture and why it is important to preserve culture. The students had great insight on how culture represents the identity of a group of people also how it is important to respect other cultures despite the differences that may exist between those cultures and your own. These important discussions helped bridge a better appreciation for the day’s activities and presentations. Our first stop was at Dona Claudia’s house where she taught the students how to make traditional Nicaraguan maracas. Students were very impressed with the skill, time and care that she put in to create the maracas. Before leaving, students were presented with maracas as gifts which had their names engraved. Our next activity gave students an opportunity to visit the market in Granada and were allowed to purchase souvenirs.

In the afternoon students visited the workshop of an award winning sculptor/artist, Don José. At this workshop students were shown various pieces of pottery that had both historic and cultural value to the people of Nicaragua. Students watched in amazement as Don Jose effortlessly created pottery out of clay. After, students were given the opportunity to work with clay and see first hand just how difficult pottery making actually is. But were also given an opportunity to paint their own mini clay pots, in which they not only expressed their creativity but their culture as well. At this point it was a long day, the students were very tired but got to recharge at dinner with a delicious traditional meal at La Favorita. Our students were not only fed but were also given an opportunity to watch some traditional Nicaraguan dances from the young ladies of a local after school program, Carita Feliz. These young ladies were pretty remarkable and really wowed the students with not only their traditional dances but also their moves to Rihanna’s “Work”.

Culture day was a huge success! Students finished the day with their nightly meeting. At this meeting students discussed their experiences with Nicaraguan culture. Students addressed the question of the day by exchanging ideas about how culture is important to preserve. Students stated that it is important to preserve culture because it represents who a group of people are and where they came from. Students also commented on how this preservation of culture has helped many of the people of Nicaragua make a living and at the same time pass on these traditions to future generations.

Please drop a comment below. Students will be reaching out to parents on their Free Day, Saturday.