Is it really only the end of the first full day in Jinotega? We’ve done so much, seen so many different places, and begun to develop some great friendships.

Yesterday’s journey from Managua to Jinotega took a few hours, which began with an enthusiastic greeting at the airport with our Program Coordinators, Mike and Dennis. Jinotega has welcomed us with open arms. The photo above was taken as we made our way into Jinotega- the thick clouds and mist are covering up a huge valley behind us!

Ricardo Tomas and his family has welcomed us into his hostel and made us feel comfortable like family. Today, we learned about history and took a tour of the city. Jinotega, which exists in the crater of a former volcano, is full of cobble stone streets (and paved and unpaved, as well) and is surrounded by lush, green mountains. We visited a local market, una panaderia (bakery), UNAM Leon College, and met friendly locals who want to practice their English with us! We continued to learn about the history of Nicaragua through an inspiring and engaging guest speaker presentation with Luis Lautaro. He inspired us to think about the connection between nature, history, and our own lives.

Tomorrow  we’ll begin to learn about our Community Action Project (CAP) and visit Benjamin Zeledon high school to begin planning for it! We’ll continue to update the blog, so stay tuned for more adventures.

With Love,

GG Jinotega!