“When he worked, he really worked. But when he played, he really PLAYED.”

As he always does, Dr. Seuss really hits the nail on the head with this quote. After a week packed with various seminars, tours, speakers, activities, and tutoring sessions, we enjoyed a much needed Fun Day.

It was a dark and stormy night… naah, just kidding.

Our very warm and sunny day started off with breakfast that had a taste of home. Pancakes! Only my favorite thing ever. (PANCAKES ARE LIFE.) However, this familiar American breakfast had a Nicaraguan twist. It was sweet and crispy, simply perfect with syrup drizzled on top along with a slice of butter. In addition, we had a refreshing cinnamon-y cocoa drink that got us ready to start our Diversion Day (Fun Day). As its Spanish translation suggests, this Fun Day was very different from the previous days we’ve been spending here at our home in Granada – this day was filled with many splendid surprises. Surprises, dare I say, that were even better than pancakes. (And you will rarely ever hear me say that.)

After breaking the fast at the Comedor, we walked to Parque Central for a tour of “Hotel de Isletas” or “Hotel of Islands.” I had told them previously we would be at this island-themed hotel. Little did they know, we were actually going to visit some of the 365 islands that were created by Mount Mombacho thousands of years ago. But to get to that destination, more surprises came into play. From Central Park, we rode in horse-drawn carriages that accelerated in time with our heartbeats as we traveled to the beach. My peers’ imaginations then  began to put two and two together.

“Are we…gonna be on a boat?”

I tried to keep my composure and not give it away.

“Uhh, I mean, why would we be on a boat, like if you wanted  to be on a boat, like you could ask if you could go, on, you know, free day or something.”
So, obviously I’m not that great of a liar. But we did end up cruising around the breath-taking islands of Lake Nicaragua, feeling incredibly grateful for the breeze from of the speed of our motor-powered boat. We traveled past a variety of elegant houses built on the islands and daydreamed about what it would be like to live in a place where the sight of turtles hiking up rocks and the mesmerizing green water is completely natural. We stopped by Monkey Island, and to our astonishment, a monkey named Lucy as well as her baby – with his tail wrapped tightly around her- jumped onto our boat. After she snatched a bag of animal crackers and made her tummy really happy, she returned back to her home where 4 other spider monkeys reside. We returned as well back to Central Park and were full of anticipation for the next surprise.

Pedro, our bus driver, drove us to Bristal del Lago where we entered a little paradise away from the bustling streets and the sometimes fractured cobblestone streets of historical Granada. We were greeted with a bright blue pool surrounded by lawn chairs, shady huts, and a small restaurant that served hamburgers, tuna sandwiches, and chicken burgers along with french fries and soda. We swam, played “Chicken,” sunbathed, read, laughed and just relaxed and forgot about everything else for a little while. Everyone had a great time and Fun Day, without a doubt, lived up to its name.

After pool time ended, a dance party kinda just spontaneously happened and we danced to Spanish songs as well as American songs – and who could forget, SHAKIRA, SHAKIRA. Let’s just say, everyone can agree that John’s hips really do not lie. John’s hips are very truthful. Then, Kyna and I were surprised with not one, but two piñatas! We had a blast taking swings and enjoying the sweets that flew out. Just when I thought our day couldn’t get any better, the GG coordinators unveiled cakes for the birthday girls. After World War Cake broke out, we danced some more and then got ready to head back to our hostel.

We enjoyed some free time with some people staying in and relaxing while others went out to the local shops. We then headed to dinner and ate crispy tortillas with cheese sandwiched between and a side of salad. We ended our day with the nightly meeting and preparations for a busy day ahead. I’m so pumped to see what we’ll do next.
¡Hasta luego!