Hello from Matagalpa! We all made it here safe and sound, and our travel went smoothly. One student may have dropped her boarding pass, and I may have run through the airport with her, panting as we boarded the flight with minutes to spare… but that’s all part of the fun, right? Seriously though, everything went pretty much according to plan!
When we arrived in Managua, Juliana and Alex (our Program Coordinators here in Nicaragua) were incredibly welcoming and made us all feel right at home. We hopped on the two and a half hour bus ride to Madagalpa, gazing out at the greenery, the roaming horses and the roadside vendors as the breeze through the windows lulled some of us to sleep after a long night of travel. Finally, we arrived at our hostel, “El Castillo” (“The Castle”). It is a tall white tower on the hill, with beautiful views of the small, colorful city below.
(Eating out on the porch of El Castillo)
We were greeted with a fantastic home cooked meal of chicken, rice, tortillas and dragon fruit juice (cooked with love by Frances, one of the family members who run the hotel). Next, we spent the afternoon in orientation, reviewing the rules and safety procedures. When we had some free time, the students all got to know each other, played games and engaged in conversation. They came together like puzzle pieces!
At dinner, the most popular item on the menu was definitely the bread, which all the students agree was one of the highlights of the whole day. We concluded our day of arrival with some reflection (roses and thorns, pluses and wishes and big loves) at our very first nightly meeting.
Until tomorrow – signing out,
-Ms. Cole
P.S.
Student quotes:
Shout out to life – Jacob
Shout out to the baker -Lucy
Hi Mom – Jose
I want In-N-Out – Alejandra
I miss my bed, and my mom, and my cat – Britany
Thank you so much for the update Ms Cole. Good to know you all reached safely. Waiting to read more blogs about the trip. Have fun and take care!
Hola a todo el grupo! Jennifer te extrañamos hija pero tambien estamos muy felices que tienes la oportunidad de conocer otras culturas estamos muy orgullosos de ti. Have fun you all!
So happy everyone arrived safely, we’re looking forward to hearing about your adventures each day!
YO Shout out to my girl Tiffany! Big love to you from SJ and I hope you have fun!
Oh and you too Rylan….
Hope you Oakland kid are having a blast! Enjoy your gallo pinto :P, I’ll be reading your adventures everyday so be sure to have fun and be safe!
Hello Ashley
LOVE YOU
MOM (:
Miss you too!
Lisa, Britany’s mom
So glad you all arrived safely, it looks like you are already having a good time. Looking forward to following your daily adventures! Teo-the house is so quiet without you!
Teo, check out the music scene there. Listen to their traditional songs and what music is popular there. Very excited to hear about your experiences!
Hi Lucy! It’s the big ‘feepover’ weekend here and we’ve already had drama = the science museum was closed, your brother hates papusas apparently, then we went to Ocean Beach and for a change, didn’t freeze our butts off! Peny says “I wuv you, Wucy” and James can’t take his eyes off the Snoopy movie on the screen to say anything so I’ll finish with a big “we miss you!” and we can’t wait to hear about your big dramatic adventures too. Glad to hear the bread there is awesome, too! We love you,
Mom, Lisa, Monkey, Alice, Charles and Peny & James!
Teo: Have fun. Take lots of photos. Love You – Nana & Papa.
Hi Jacob! Hope you’re having fun…like I am with your car. Hey, is the clutch suppose to smell like that? JK
Sorry I’m late but I’m so happy to know you made it there safely. I love you ❤️
I miss you and love you tootie! I see your smile in the pictures so that reassures me you’re ok. Enjoy yourself and help make a difference!