Tag: TCOW 2011 Blog

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Day 3

Hola nueostros familias!!!

Today we got up bright and early (again) and drove to Volcano Masaya.  First we looked around the museum then drove up to see the caves.  The caves were really cool.  They used to be used for rituals before humans were sacrificed to the volcano.*  The caves were home to lots of bats who were probably not so happy we disturbed them.  We then hiked up to the Santiago crater.  From the highest point you have a beautiful view of Laguna Masaya and the volcano Masaya.  Some people (Including Julie who didn’t come in the caves) took the trail all the way around the crater.  Steven and Saskia decided to run around the whole thing after the caves, which was very impressive.

When we came back from the volcano we had a little Siesta.**  We then had a little group time and a Spanish lesson before we went back to our host families for dinner.

After dinner people had the choice to go to a bar and grill to sit and have a drink, or to go to a concert.  The majority of us went to the rock concert.  On the way we turned the bus into the party bus with strobe lights in different colours and we blared the music.  On the way home the only way to be allowed off the bus was to dance your way up the aisle.  It was lots of fun.

Hasta Luego

-Blogged by Jenn-

 

*The Nicaraguans used to believe that the sacrifice of virgin children would keep the Volcano god happy and so then the volcanoes would not erupt.  It was considered a great honour to the be family who’s child or young daughter or son was chosen to be scarified.  There was big ceremonies in the caves where the ones to be sacrificed were dressed up and all had a big feast before they were thrown in.

**Which is blog posting time!

 

 

Another day, another sunburn … Well technically not another sunburn, the sunburn on my neck has gotten worse.  Today, we went to the Volcano Masaya, and while other people were busy touring the caves, I was busy hiking a trail that went around the rim of Volcano Masaya.  I was the only one from the TCOW group, who actually went, but there were two other people that came along anyways, and they were from the other group.  There was a boy and an older woman who was an avid hiker and mountain climber.
The whole trip around was suppose to take between 45 min and an hour, but I think we did it closer to 40 minutes because the women from Ottawa who’s tagging along with the other group hiked at a fast pace!
I’ll be perfectly honest with you and the fact that yes, it was a difficult hike.  Volcano Masaya has a few difficult “peaks” around the edge and many of them are steep and the path isn’t clear, of if it is clear the path is filled with sharp rocks.  I picked up a tiny red rock from one of the highest tips on the Volcano and I can’t wait to show people back home!  The climb up to each tip was hard.  At the pace we were going by the time we reached the top of the tip, your calves might be hurting a bit and you would be breathing a bit harder.  However, the view from the tips made up for all the work it took to get up there.  You could see for miles around and the bus and the people looked so miniature that you often couldn’t see the people!  The wind was strong, extremely strong so high up.  I helped to keep you cool and minimize the heat from the sun because there’s simply no shade because the trees are off the path.
It was hard sometimes when you would be climbing down a steep path made up of jagged volcanic rock (definitely not the softest), the wind would be pushing you in the other direction, towards the centre or towards the rocky side.
My adrenaline was always pumping and it helped me power up some of those steep slopes while the wind was tugging at my shirt, my hat, and my sunglasses and the feeling when finally get to the top or walk past the eagles nest and all dozen or so eagles flew out.  When you were up there, you just wanted it to last forever and ever because it was THAT breathtaking I just wish you could all experience the same thing so you could know how incredible it is.
Adios!
-Blogged by Julie –

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It’s our first day on the ground … let’s see how it goes!

Yesterday we arrived and most of us did not get our luggage until this morning, and some did not even get it till we got back from our travels today.  At the beginning of the day we had breakfast with our host families.  We then went to Casa Blanca where we met everyone in our group, as well as 2 other groups* that are also working with Gonzalo this week.  We stayed at the Casa Blanca till noon, and while we were there we talked about etiquette and proper manners at our host families.  We also had an orientation on what we are going to be doing in Managua and some things that are important to remember**.  Then we went for lunch at DeColores, which was good.  Some of us tried ripe fried plantain and fried banana which most of us thought was gross.  After lunch we went on a tour of what used to be downtown Managua***.  We went to a park where we saw the cathedral that was around during the revolution.  We also listened to a man talk about how he had went from having a farm, but after the earthquake had to move to Managua to sell water bags every day to make a living.  He does this all day everyday and only makes on average 40 Cordobas or $2US.  We then went to a hill in Managua where we got to see the ruin of the mansion that the old government**** used to live in.  They also had torture chambers underneath the mansion.  In some cases what they would do to torture someone is put salt water in their mouths while holding them down until they throw up and drown on their own vomit.  After this we went back to Casa Blanca and the remaining people got their luggage.  We got to learn Spanish from 4-530, some of us are very good, but some still need lots and lots of practice.  Tonight we all went back to our host families for dinner.  At 730, two of the other house moms brought their guest***** over and we learned how to dance as they do in Managua.  We learned to move our hips with Salsa and Meringue.  We also got to do some partner moves and spins.  We danced for 2 hours before we had to tell them we were too tired to continue.
-Blogged by Sydney-

* There is one group from Kemptville with 7 people and one lady who is here on her own from Ottawa.
**Lots of safety information!
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****Until July 19th 1979 Nicaragua was a dictatorship run with an iron fist of oppression by the Samosa family.  This mansion on the hill was their family home
*****Julia D, Julia S, Jamie, Olivia, Elizabeth, Sarah, John, Graham, Mariah, Saskia, Samantha and Sydney were there

Today, so much stuff went down.  I´m mostly gonna talk about specifics.  First, during the lunch, which was great, there was this kid who thought I was Justin Bieber!  It was awkward yet funny.  John wanted to buy sunglasses so we told him to wait for street vendors.  As soon as we stopped, everyone got their money out and bought some designer sun glasses… or so we thought.  The OAKLEY´s were now called OKEY´s and the Ray Bans are called BayRans!  Super funny except John somehow got real Ray Bans!  Lucky guy!  I’m kinda being used as a general translator for the group.  Got many questions daily and I love teaching Spanish to people.  At the top of the mountain where the Samosa´s were living before, there was an excellent view.  The volcanoes are ridiculous and it is honestly a very nice place.  Ian bought this really funny Nicaragua Sombrero which he wears proudly.  The group is really nice to each other and my goal is to try to get to know something new about each person.  OH!  We got our luggage finally!  So nice to finally change into some fresh clothing like OMG.  The place we are staying at has a store as part of it.  So we bought a 2.5 liter bottle of pop!  Going to the supposed ¨downtown¨ area was neat.  We met a man named Pedro who, due to the earthquake, had lost everything and had to resort to selling water for food money.  The group was VERY generous toward him and you could see him tearing up with joy because of the generosity.  It was a very powerful moment, to me anyways.  There was also a man named Marcos who would follow us making these cool figures out of palm tree leaves.  At first he seemed nervous.  I spoke to him nicely and he said ¨gift¨ and handed me the coolest grasshopper made of palm tree leaves.  Steven and I got it down pretty good.  I was really hot today and the bad thing is the humidity.  It makes you really moist and prone to sweat.  Since I don’t burn easily, it wasn’t a big deal, but others began to look a little like large tomatoes!  The thing that struck me the most was the hospitality of our families.  The washed the clothing we had left behind and hung it up without us asking.  They are very generous, nice and family people. We are definitely very thankful for Rosa, Doña Alba and Don Julio Cesar.  They have a lot less than us, yet are so happy with life.  Honestly, I would not be mad about living in their conditions.  It is really peaceful at night and you are outside most of the time.  It´s honestly so relaxing and I really needed this experience.  We are climbing the volcano tomorrow morning, so bed time is soon.  We are currently sitting outside pumping ink in our books while Lucas is juggling over our laundry!  Oh … and the pigs hugged emotionally.

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We Are Here!

Travel day is complete and we are pleased to report that all went well. We arrived in El Salvador on time to make our flight to Nicaragua. We all arrived safely in Nicaragua although many of our bags did not. Due to weight restrictions they were left in El Salvador. Gonzalos and his team were fabulous at providing us with any missing things we might need. After some rest and meet and greats at the Casa Blanco (our meeting place) we met our host families. The group went out for dinner together as Sarah and the staff went back to the airport for a fight to claim our bags. Late tonight 8 of the 12 arrived and were delivered to their waiting owners. Lucas, Ian, Sarah and John are still without but many others are helping provide everything that is needed. They are expected to arrive tomorrow at 10am.

We are in Nicaragua! It is hard for all of us to believe that we are actually here. The city is beautiful in its own way and very warm. We were all pleasantly surprised with our accommodations and we all have our own beds with fans and showers. The bus rides through town are interesting. You find people in the middle of the roads bagging on the side of cars trying to sell you things. Many times we were worried the bus driver might hit someone but they say this is normal and they know to get out of the way. Dinner was somewhat normal to what we are used to with the exception of plantation chips. Yes these are chips made from dried bananas! Very cool! We do not have much time so we will sign off for now and have more for you tomorrow.

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TCOW
-Blogged by Sarah King-

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Prologue – A word from Elizabeth

The Lord has caused His wonders to be remembered!  Psalm 111:4

BIENVENIDOS, AMIGOS & NUESTRAS FAMILIAS!

We welcome you to our daily blog and the chance to share with you all the wonders we are experiencing and remembering.  First of all I want to say how great these young people are .. their energy, insight, compassion and fun.  Then I want to say how well we are being hosted by Compañeros and it´s leaders: Gonzalo, Mayte, Marta, y Delena.   They are skilled and caring shepherds. Our days are well planned with great effort made to check in with us, to hear how we are doing, to insure our safety and to give us a true Nicaraguan experience.  As I type this, the group is gathering at our headquarters at “Casa Blanca”, to plan & practise our personal and group introductions to the people of Barrio Grenada, to continue our conversational Spanish lessons, to reflect on our experience so far,and to take the temperature of people´s feelings as together we seek to be sensitive to one another´s needs. The changes, the heat, being able to sleep, and mild cases of home sickness have posed the only challenges so far.  But everyone enthusiastically reports their gratitude for being here and their appreciation for the generosity, hospitality and comfort provided by their home stay families.

I am personally indebted to Sarah for the hours of preparation she has invested in the details of our travel and arrival and for her technical savvy in preparing this website.  Her humour and enthusiasm have definitely upped the tempo of our time and made events more fun. John and Graham are a solid presence, especially for our boys.  I know that their support will only grow in significance as the days advance.  And Vanessa is so much more than our videographer.  She is a full participant and a valued leader.
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Please enjoy the daily reflections to follow.  They are being written by our youth, two of which will take their turn each day.  In the meantime, your prayers continue to support and sustain us.  “Nothing can truly separate us in God´s love.”  That is an amazing wonder to be remembered.

With greetings and blessings from all of us,  Elizabeth

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