Today we had our first huevos (eggs) breakfast in Nicaragua, we had a wonderful talk from Blanca Rosa, a special needs educator in Leon. We learned lots, not only about students with special needs, but also lots of life lessons. Our favorite quote of the day was said by Blanca Rosa, “Love not with your heart, but with your mind”.

Afterwards, we had our program seminar about our Community Action Project (CAP) with Barrilete, an organization created to keep students with troubled households safe, and with lots of food and resources. More to come about our project!! We learned about the three phases of our project: discover, design, and delivery. We also formulated questions to ask Maria, the owner and creator of Barrilete, to gain information for our CAP Project.

After our seminar, we had some time for English tutoring prep, and then we went out for lunch. Straight after lunch took the public bus for the first time to get to Colegio Modesto Armijo. The bus ride was wild, but we all arrived safely (don’t worry). We had a blast shadowing students and conversing with them in Spanish and English. We also got some exercise, as we joined them in the PE class, and did lots of interesting stretches and played volleyball. One team of students beat us in volleyball, while wearing their backpacks (it was a little embarrassing). After we shadowed the students, we went into an air conditioned room (for the second time so far in the trip, first time was in a convenience store). We talked to the principal of the school, Francisco Garcia, who gave a very stern but inspiring speech about God, education, and life.

After taking another scary bus ride home to the hostel, we went to Imabite for dinner, and at 5:40 we walked to the local Law School and had our first English tutoring lesson. It was a little challenging, but we learned more about the challenges that teachers face on a daily basis. We walked home in the dark, saw lots of cats and dogs, and almost stepped into a bunch of holes in the sidewalk, but we arrived home safely (again) and had a great nightly meeting. We ended our meeting with Tiffany and Tammy (whom you will hear from tomorrow), and ended with lots of Big Loves.

We had lots of fun today, and of course, we miss all the parents and friends lots! And hope you miss us as much as we miss you!

Love,
Surabi and Aaron