Just Another Managua Monday

I've been told to preface this entry by saying that We are all safe, No one has died, been kidnapped or gotten malaria. . . yet. My mother knows if it were up to me you would all be under the impression that we had been kidnapped and were the primary hostages in a spontaneous civil war. She's dealt with my sadistic humor for 20 years and for that I say, thank you mother dearest, if I were you I would have shipped me to a Nicaraguan orphanage for a whole other reason than missions.

Today concludes the first full day in Nicaragua. After spending the night in the Managua Best Western we awoke at 4 AM to hurry up and wait for our flight to Puerto Cavezas. While waiting, our source of entertainment were two televisions, one selling what appeared to be holy olive oil and the other playing a compilation of music videos from a man we concluded was Screech from "Saved by the Bell" if he had grown up hispanic. . and with talent.

We had to split the group between two planes since each plane only fit 12 people plus the two pilots. Scratch that, one pilot and one student with notepad and textbook in tow, a real confidence booster when flying to the other side of the country. Despite my hesitation to take my eye off the cockpit for fear of imminent deadness, once I did I didn't look back. The country is beautiful. Rich green farmland, rolling hills, sprawling mountains and a sky bluer than a blue M & M (seriously, look at one, they're really blue)

Unfortunately that all changed once we got to Puerto Cavezas. You don't know rain until you've seen Central America in the rainy season. After testing the limits of our 18 passenger van's 4-wheeling capability we got our soaked luggage and took a school bus through the soaked streets of Puerto Cavezas. It was an eye opener, most of the houses were one room supported on stilts. There were giant holes in the street and starving dogs everywhere. Once we got to the Verbo Church however it was a totally different atmosphere than outside. The houses were well built and sprawling green grass covered everything but the paths.

After settling in, we got a tour of the church grounds and interacted with the orphans. I played Uno with three girls who apparently were the only girls not hanging on Thomas and being thrown in the air, squeals of otra vez filled the courtyard.

Once we had exhausted ourselves we had dinner and settled in for the night, falling asleep to the torrential downpour on the tin roof.

Roxy