We have arrived! It was a long day of 3 different flights but we finally got to the Managua airport around 9:30 pm on Wednesday where Alicia, the program coordinator and her husband Maynor, a native Nicaraguan, picked us up! We are currently staying at the Nehemiah Center (http://nehemiahcenter.net/) which is located right in Managua. The center is a place that trains pastors and leaders of churches around the area to build better community within their churches throughout Nicaragua. This center partners with 8 different international organizations, one of which is the CRWRC. So we will stay here until Sunday when we meet our host families who live in León (which is about an hour from Managua where we are now)
Thursday was a full day! We were up around 7:30 am and had orientation all morning and afternoon just learning about living in the Nicaraguan culture, with our host families and throughout the semester, the things that we need to be aware of that are different here. Being patient is a big thing because we can't know all their culture right away, it will take some learning and getting used to. We also went over the classes we are going to take and they sound very interesting; I think I will enjoy them more than I thought! Our Spanish course starts on Monday and it goes for three weeks so I am ready to get back into learning that, as it will be very helpful in communicating with my host family and the locals.
We have already interacted with many Nicaraguans; here at the Nehemiah center there are many natives that work in the kitchen, security and who drive us around, so that has been fun to practice our Spanish with them already. I am already surprised at how much of the language I do understand and can pick up and have already tried communicating with what I know. It is tough, but a fun challenge! The people here are definitely willing to work with us on it which is definitely helpful and needed.
It has been fun to get to know the others in my group. There are 6 of us: 5 girls and 1 boy. Curtis is a little outnumbered but we have had a great time all getting to know each other better these past few days! We have spent a lot of time with Alicia and Maynor and they have also been fun to get to know and ask any questions we have about the culture and language.
Today was a fun filled day exploring Managua! We visited the Masaya Volcano National Park where we got to see an real active volcano! It was so awesome and so we walked around there for awhile until it started to rain on us. We then ate at an authentic Nicaraguan restaurant called El Viejo Ranchito. It was outdoor which was fun. I had a fajita and also tried Té de Jamaica, which is a tea and I loved it! We also got to view the city from higher up which was neat and got a little history about the struggles the city has had with earthquakes and government.
It is also just so interesting to drive around the city because it is so different than American cities. Today we were driving through the city (Nicaraguans are crazy drivers) and 2 men came up to our car while we were stopped at a stop light and started washing our windshield. There are a lot of people looking for money when they do this. They even do it without you asking! Also a young boy juggled in front of our car while we were stopped at another light which was cute. There are always people walking around outside. Its a very outdoor city. Also, a city that enjoys Christmas decorations year round. They leave their Christmas lights up and they have one of the second largest light up Christmas trees in central America. Its funny!
Tonight a highlight was teaching Maynor and Zhania how to play Nertz. The Nicaraguan culture is not very big on card games so it was interesting playing with them because they got into the competitive side, but didn't really understand the strategy side as much. It was an interesting time though and we shared a lot of laughs!
A little about the food here. I have enjoyed it so far, and it hasn't been only rice and beans, ha. There ARE a lot of variations of rice and beans and stir fry type dishes. Every meal we have eaten we have had a homemade juice. They mix a lot of different fruits together which is delicious, and I also tried an oatmeal juice today which was surprisingly good. Plantains, similar to bananas, are also pretty popular, cooked different ways. I am excited to maybe try fish which is popular here and anything else they offer me!
Basically, I've had a great time interacting with the people here and getting a sense of what their culture is like and am SO excited to learn more, especially when I meet my host family. I am a little nervous to meet them but just know they are going to be very welcoming and awesome to get to know! I will have to be patient though as we have a language barrier to work through.
Tomorrow will be another day of orientation and we have our first history class, so that will be new. Praying that God continues to give us open hearts to be able to learn all He has prepared us to...
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6
Some pictures I took at the National Park...
This is the active volcano from farther away..
This was the volcano closer up, it steams all the time and you can hear sounds coming from it!
Cara.
