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