Let the adventure (and reality) begin. Today we took a day trip to Masaya. Geoff had some meetings there and then we were going to go visit some program participant's homes.
Reality #1: Nicaragua is VERY hot and humid. (Right now at 5:50PM it is 90 with humidity, and the sun has set). Tennie, who has really been wanting an adventure like this for some time didn't complain a bit but, then again, her nose was buried in a Harry Potter book most of the day - a good distraction. Ceci felt like she was going to die. Adele who loves novelty and travel prefers her comforts when doing both. She loved seeing things out the window of our air-conditioned car, but when not in the car she also thought she would die if we didn't get back to the hotel and swim immediately. Poor little first world creatures. It was hot.
We went to the Mormon church in Masaya where Geoff was having meetings (one of these days I'll tell you exactly what we're doing here...) and it was by far the nicest building around. But it didn't have an AC and we waited a long time for his meetings. There was much suffering going on during these few hours of waiting.
We walked through the town to an old artisan's market that sold a lot of things you would expect to see at a Nicaraguan tourist market.
I can't get enough of the hibiscus flower. One of God's most glorious creations. Have you ever had hibiscus tea? Delicious!
This cute old lady was selling cookies and flour of some sort, and the girl on the left became our little companion for an hour or so. She really wanted to interact with the girls and did her best despite the language barrier. In our many conversations she told us she liked to draw but it was too expensive. We took her to a little paper store and told her to buy what she wanted. Watching her face as she looked at all of the things she could choose from was priceless. The girls LOVED making her happy. It made one of the many faces real to them. And given that they were DONE after the market (no home visits) we were glad to have them interact with her, see her home from the outside, and understand how lucky they are to have constant access to art supplies!
We survived the day. The girls and Geoff are out swimming and I'm enjoying a few minutes to myself in this comfortable room. It is our last night. Tomorrow we are off to a surf lodge (rustic huts on the beach) in a small fishing village for the weekend. Next week Geoff continues working in Northern Nicaragua while the girls and I hang out in Granada.
Reality #1: Nicaragua is VERY hot and humid. (Right now at 5:50PM it is 90 with humidity, and the sun has set). Tennie, who has really been wanting an adventure like this for some time didn't complain a bit but, then again, her nose was buried in a Harry Potter book most of the day - a good distraction. Ceci felt like she was going to die. Adele who loves novelty and travel prefers her comforts when doing both. She loved seeing things out the window of our air-conditioned car, but when not in the car she also thought she would die if we didn't get back to the hotel and swim immediately. Poor little first world creatures. It was hot.
Looking at the goods at a roadside stand
We bought a small bag of cashews from this woman selling them on the street
We went to the Mormon church in Masaya where Geoff was having meetings (one of these days I'll tell you exactly what we're doing here...) and it was by far the nicest building around. But it didn't have an AC and we waited a long time for his meetings. There was much suffering going on during these few hours of waiting.
A few people Geoff is working with
Reality #2: It is not easy to find good, healthy food choices. Our locals took us to a restaurant where I had to do some serious mental work to avoid thinking about what we were eating.
Ceci thought one person's fish order was hers and she was a little nervous...
We walked through the town to an old artisan's market that sold a lot of things you would expect to see at a Nicaraguan tourist market.
I can't get enough of the hibiscus flower. One of God's most glorious creations. Have you ever had hibiscus tea? Delicious!
This cute old lady was selling cookies and flour of some sort, and the girl on the left became our little companion for an hour or so. She really wanted to interact with the girls and did her best despite the language barrier. In our many conversations she told us she liked to draw but it was too expensive. We took her to a little paper store and told her to buy what she wanted. Watching her face as she looked at all of the things she could choose from was priceless. The girls LOVED making her happy. It made one of the many faces real to them. And given that they were DONE after the market (no home visits) we were glad to have them interact with her, see her home from the outside, and understand how lucky they are to have constant access to art supplies!
We survived the day. The girls and Geoff are out swimming and I'm enjoying a few minutes to myself in this comfortable room. It is our last night. Tomorrow we are off to a surf lodge (rustic huts on the beach) in a small fishing village for the weekend. Next week Geoff continues working in Northern Nicaragua while the girls and I hang out in Granada.
3 comments:
What an adventure!! These days are priceless memories and character-building experiences! We miss you but are so excited for all you're doing!! God bless you and protect you.
Love,
Mom
Oh I am so happy to hear how you guys are doing, and to see pictures of your burgeoning adventure! i have been checking your blog everyday wondering how you have been. Sounds hot....I feel for the girls. I am not a fan of hot. Hopefully it will be cooler next week by the ocean. So fun that they met that cute girl and got to connect with her about something like art, which I know is really important to them. That brings it all home, and makes the cultural and socio-economic differences a reality. So cool. Bummer that you can't find food. I would LOVE to send you some stuff-bars, dried fruit, nuts, just let me know. Bailey will be thrilled to see the picture of Ceci holding Blueberry. Bailey has been carrying hers around everyone because it reminds her of Ceci, and she really misses her....
Good luck this week! Watch out for spiders, I know how much you love them ;) I've actually been praying that while on your adventure, the spiders will steer clear and leave you in peace. Costa Rica just sounds like a spidery kind of place....
Lots of love,
Em
I want one of those awesome masks!
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