High, Low, Far and Wide~ A Hidden Outdoor Wonderland

One of the reasons I initially chose to study abroad in Nicaragua was the plethora of outdoor activities available and what seemed to me a wilderness much less open and accessible to the average traveler. We worked hard to get to many of the beautiful sights that Nicaragua provided, but each time we were rewarded with pristine forests, beautiful landscapes and a deep sense of accomplishment. Here's a snapshot of several places we visited, hiked, and swam along. The pictures never do it justice, but hopefully there are a few that will make you want to visit ASAP~

Las Isletas de Granada-

During the weekend that my roommate's family came to visit, we toured a set of islands in Lake Nicaragua that were created during one of the explosions of the nearby Volcan Mombacho. The volcano towers over the city, so it's easy to see how long ago, some blasts of lava found their way into the lake and solidified into a chain of islands with a tropical and wild feel. Many of the islands are inhabited and more than a few now have beautiful vacation homes of both wealthy locals and international investors. 

To get to the islands, we hired a guide on shore and then rode a panga through the charming channels and around the unique homes. "Guide" is always a loose term, but we had a great time with our island resident and his boat captain friend, who seemed to know enough to answer a few of our questions and was more than willing to share secrets and fun facts once we convinced him we really could understand Spanish. The islands house a community of their own including a school and a few hostels, but nearly all supplies have to be brought over from Granada, including water. 

Volcan Mombacho- Maker of Islands

Monkey Island

Vacation Home

Local Home

Cemetery Island 

Volcan Mombacho-

Our Half Way Stop

View from the Top

After spending an afternoon under the shadow of the volcano, we woke up early the next morning to conquer the beast of a hike. To be fair, while I was aware that most people opted to take a truck to the top and just hike around the craters, I was unaware that the reasoning behind it was the deathly incline and lack of trails except for the long, paved road used by said trucks. Luckily, I was with friends that were willing to follow my crazy lead, and after many hours of fighting our way to the top, we felt incredibly accomplished and more than a little dumb. But the view was amazing and we were more in tune with our jungle warrior spirits than ever. We also managed to hitch a ride down part of the way down with the rest of our crew (my roommate and family) who were smart enough to book a tour. 
  

Chocoyero-El Brujo-

Through our Spanish class, we had the opportunity to visit a few sites outside of Managua, including a beautiful nature preserve with ancient trees, a life-giving waterfall and some unique creatures. Our guide provided a long introduction to all of the local wildlife before leading us through several of the trails. 

El Chocoyero Tree

The site was named after a local legend about a man who was given permission to bathe in the waterfall by a wizard, under the condition that he not tell anyone else the secret location. However, on his was out, Chocoyero spilled the beans and is now forever immortalized (in the nude) as a tree alongside one of the trails. 
Along the way, we saw giant guayabon and ceiba trees, supposedly hundreds of years old. The cliff next to the waterfall is filled with hundreds of nests, home to the 'chocoyeros' (parakeets) that dive in and out around the waterfall all day. In the welcome center, one of the display boards was titled "Donde el bosque se transforma en Catedral." As an outdoor adventurer, this concept is a key reason why I so enjoy wandering through the woods and hiking in the wilderness. This panel compared the forest to a cathedral, which not only has intense symbolic meaning in the Central American region, but also related to the part of my that finds it easier to worship God when surrounded by His creation than within the walls of a church. 


   

Cañon de Somoto-

This canyon is located in northern Nicaragua outside of the small town of Somoto. This region of Nicaragua is very poor and we were surprised by the large number of signs we saw for NGO's and aid projects around the area. We passed through  on our journey north to El Salvador, and while the $13 tour seemed a little pricey, it was well worth the cool dip and gorgeous tunnels carved into the cliffs. Our guide was a 17-yr-old local, Josue, who led his first group when he was just six years old. We climbed, floated and jumped our way through the canyon, then ended with a beautiful hike through the Nicaraguan countryside. 

                                                                                                   

Selva Negra-

Selva Negra is a beautiful cloud forest located on a the land of a German family that has lived in the region for generations. Our journey there took us back to Matagalpa, the central coffee region of Nicaragua, and to our first hot shower in well... all of Nicaragua. Once we arrived at the actual nature preserve, we wandered the grounds of the farm and ecolodge area, and then started on our trek through the cloud forest. One of my favorite parts was a beautiful church tucked into the base of the mountain that was open air and shrouded in green. The funky plants and trees kept us entertained as we wandered up and down the hills of the reserve, up the Atajo trail and down El Fuente de Juventud (The Fountain of Youth.) Four hours later, we were overjoyed to be greeted with delicious treats and fresh coffee back at the lodge. 

My Adventurous Companions

The Model of the German Style A-Frame Lodge

 

 

 

 

-Maggie Frazier

A Little Evaluation

The truth is, I had a such an amazing last month while studying abroad that I hardly had time to stop and sort through all the new sights, experiences and adventures, let alone to get them written down to be shared and experienced by others. I am "home" in Laramie, WY and have had a relaxing, although difficult adjustment period in the last few weeks. In light of these things, I still plan to write a few posts about the natural wonders of Nicaragua and my time in El Salvador and Costa Rica. However, as I was filling out my ISEP evaluation form, I realized that many of the questions provided a good overview of my experience abroad and may be of interest or at least provide a glimpse into some highlights of my semester. So while copy and paste may be cheating in blog world, here are some fun facts about my time abroad.

What did you think about your housing and the living experience?
I LOVED my homestay experience and would always recommend this style of living accommodation as a way to engaged with the host culture and experience an environment apart from school, play and travel. I did not feel that our food and transportation stipend was sufficient, but we learned to work around that anyway. I felt very safe and comfortable as my roommate and I were placed in an upper-class community, but feel that I may have experience more of the culture and Nicaraguan lifestyle had we been living in a more centralized neighborhood or with a middle class family.

Tell us about your experience interning/working abroad:
What skills are you learning/using that you find most valuable? 
Is there a particular experience you want to share?
I did not intern, but I did volunteer at a primary school teaching English once a week. It was a very educational experience and I feel I was exposed to many of the educational and societal barriers that keep kids from attaining higher levels of education as well as better lifestyles in Nicaragua. I learned how to make lesson plans that are culturally appropriate (ex. how to teach careers in a country with high unemployment) and in my volunteering with non-profits, I learned a lot about the on-ground barriers to providing for people needs including unexpected natural disasters, societal views on gender and authority, cultural parenting norms and political barriers for both organizations and residents receiving aid.

Tell us your FAVORITE:
1. Aspect of the university/campus
2. Place to visit or thing to do
3. Characteristic about the culture
1. I loved the small classes and our host coordinators and support staff. I felt very comfortable coming to them with any question or concern and also appreciated their efforts to include us in campus activities and events.
2. Isla de Ometepe- beautiful tropical volcanic island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. What more can I say?
3. I love that Nicaraguan culture accepts things as they come and doesn't rush through the fun and exciting things in search of what the future holds. While waiting for EVERYTHING can be trying, eventually it was nice to settle into the "tranquilo" culture and understand that many things are out of your control, especially with the lack of infrastructure and easy communication (let alone street addresses). I loved being able to wake up in the morning and decide to go the the beach, a volcano or a colonial city and know that people would be willing to help me get there. Some of the most lively conversations I had were with taxi drivers or people on the bus, and they were always will to share their insights on the country and culture or give suggestions of where to visit and what to do.

Go CUSE! A shot of our Volleyball Tournament 

What was the most valuable thing you learned or experienced while studying abroad?
I'm not sure this is a fair question.... A few valuable things I learned were:
1.  When you are anxious, scared, frustrated or worried, breath and wait five minutes. Chances are you'll learn something that will give clarity to the situation or show you what to do next. 
2. While being accepting of another culture is important and key to any study abroad experience, there are some things that you can decide are right or wrong and that can motivate you to make a positive change in your community and the world. 
3. Learning a language is HARD. I mean really, really hard. I have so much more understanding for non-native speakers in my own culture and applaud anyone who chooses to live or work somewhere where they must use their second language more than their first. I feel much more able to relate to non-native speakers and more willing take the time to listen and engage with them whenever the opportunity allows. 
4. It's a big world out there. Don't assume you can understand it all in a semester, but don't forget how much you can learn in a short amount of time when you keep your ears and eyes open. 

Tell us what you thought about the academics at your host institution:
1. How were they similar or different? 2. Did one professor stand out? 3. Did you have a favorite course?
1. The standard of education in Nicaragua is significantly lower than that of the United States. In light of that, the academic part of my experience was not particularly challenging, other than the fact that it was in a foreign language. I did appreciate the amount of writing and reading required because I was trying to enhance each aspects of my knowledge of the foreign language and felt challenged to read and write above my initial level of competency. I was also very surprised by the classroom environment at my host university which was much less formal than those I was used to. It was very acceptable to shout out questions in class, talk with your neighbor, answer a phone call or walk in and out of the room at one's leisure. I very much enjoyed a new perspective on history and international issues, as well as an outside opinion of my own country's policies and global impact.  

Post-Volcano Boarding

3. The teacher that stood out in my experience was my Intro to International Relations professor. She was very helpful and patient with me as I struggled through the new language, but also had a unique way of helping students understand the phases of international relations throughout history, engage in what effects those processes have on our society today, as well as asking for student input and opinion on societal, moral and global impacts of international relations.
4. My favorite course was one in which I was not actually registered, nor did I attend classes. I was fortunate to take part in most of the excursions of the Earth Science and Geology classes at my host university and therefore saw many of Nicaragua's natural treasure and learned about the ecosystem, wildlife and formation of the country from an ecological standpoint while never having to actually write a paper or take a test. 

If you were trying to encourage someone to study abroad at the location where you did, what would you say to convince them?
Nicaragua is the hidden beauty of  Central America. You can never be more than three hours from a beach, there is every sort of outdoor activity and landscape that you can imagine and people are friendly and helpful, even if they never stop staring or laughing at your Spanish. It's also cheap. If you want a place where you can go and see everything, without feeling limited by your bank account, this is the place. Going to school in the capital city of Managua also provided us access to every other part of the country AND to international buses that passed through on their way Costa Rica, Honduras or El Salvador. This is also a great place to learn Spanish because you are forced to use the language on a daily basis and have less access to English compared to other Central American countries (specifically, Costa Rica.) Nicaragua also gives a real-life portrayal of an underdeveloped country and the political, social and economic barriers to development and success in a globalized world. You will have many opportunities to challenge your own ideas of what is "normal" and open yourself to the benefits and hardships of cultures and value systems. 

So if anyone needs a tour guide for Nicaragua, sign me up! I feel incredibly blessed to have had such amazing experiences and meet so many different and wonderful people. I can't to see how many ways my time abroad affects my present and my future!

- Maggie Frazier

The Need to Know: Suggestions for Studying Abroad in Nicaragua

Before you come:

·         DO research Nicaragua before you come. Although much of what you find will be fear mongering safety warnings or naive blogs praising the country’s beaches, it is good to come in with a basic knowledge of what to expect. Fun Facts like 24 Cordobas = $1 US dollar are useful to know.

·         DON’T fret about your visa. When you arrive in the country, you will purchase a 90 day tourist visa for $12 dollars at the airport or border crossing. You don’t need to apply ahead of time. After 90 days you will need to renew by either leaving the country to Costa Rica or by going to the Immigration office in Metrocentro. Beware: Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala have a separate travel agreement, making it easy to pass from one to the other; however, leaving to any of these countries and returning does NOT renew your visa.

·         DO look at your options for the malaria vaccine. Many see that anti-malarial drugs are recommended and get the vaccine no questions asked, but do talk to your doctor. I did not get the vaccine and have had no problems. And actually, some students have more problems with the vaccine than they have with actual malaria.

·         DON’T buy an expensive international phone. Universidad Americana (UAM) will provide a basic pay-as-you-go phone. (Prepare to re-acquaint yourself with ABC and T-9 texting; it was one of the more difficult adjustments). The phone only works in Nicaragua so plan on using Skype, Facebook, and email to communicate back home.

·         DON’T bring anything you are particularly attached to. Sweat, dirt, and grime will accumulate in your clothing, street wear will destroy your shoes, and traveling will result in lost, damaged, and stolen items. My graveyard includes 3 pairs of sunglasses, 1 watch, 6 T-shirts, 2 pants, and 2 pairs of shoes- I wish I were kidding. 

Upon arrival:

·         DON’T be frightened. Many people, including your host family and Nica friends, will tell you things are unsafe- The bus is dangerous, taxis are dangerous, walking is dangerous, everything is dangerous. However, in reality, Nicaragua is the safest country in Central America and its quite safe if you are smart. 

·         DO be smart. It’s necessary to use common sense everywhere in the world.  Be logical, don’t walk alone at night, know your surrounding, don’t flash valuable objects in crowded areas. Be smart and you’ll be okay. 

·         DO relish in things from home. Yes, cultural immersion is important but every once in awhile, watch a movie in English or eat Oreos. It’s good for your sanity and will help you put into perspective the things you appreciate from home.

·         DON’T compare yourself or your experience to anyone else’s. It’s easy to look at another international student’s spanish and feel inadequate but don’t. Your experience is entirely your own, not better nor worse than anyone else’s. 

·         DO ask the locals. In a country where street names and bus schedules don’t exist, the locals will be your best bet if you are lost or unsure. Do trust them, but always with a grain of salt.

·         DO laugh. Adjusting to life in a new country is difficult- you will fumble your spanish, you will stand out like a sore thumb, and you will get frustrated with cultural things. In these instances, laugh or you will cry. For example, Nica Time dictates that everyone is 30- 60 minutes late for everything. So when you’re sitting outside in your dress, waiting for your ride to go to the club, laugh when they call saying it will be another 30 minutes.

·         DO take a deep breath and know that everything will be okay. In the beginning, everything is difficult- Nica Spanish will seem impossible to learn, the heat will be suffocating, and even texting on your T-9 phone will be a challenge. Take a deep breath and know that things will get better. You will make friends. Your host family will adopt you as their own. Your spanish will improve. I don’t know if you’ll ever really adjust to the heat, but you’ll learn ways to escape it (like the movie theater). You will adjust and just breathe deep until you do. 

- Anna  Kroos

TOP 10 Nicaraguan Destinations:

1. This whimsical jungle in the northern Nicaraguan mountains provides the perfect escape from the Managua heat. Its fresh air will not only soothe your weary mind but the mountain chill will motivate you to hike one of the forest’s various trails. Feeling adventurous? Hike to the top to see an unbelievable view of Matagalpa; In the mood for a stroll? Meander among coffee plantations. Speaking of coffee, what better reward for physical exertion than the richest cup of coffee you’ll find in Nicaragua.

2. On thetlantic Coast of the country, Little Corn Island is a little more than a skip, hop, and a jump away from Managua- More specifically buses, boats, or a plane ride away (I’d highly recommend flying). The white sand, crystal clear water, and charming island community make the trek well worth it.  Gaze at the beauties of the ocean with readily available snorkeling or diving tours. Indulge in a gallo pinto veggie burger or fish tacos at Tranquilo restaurant. And don’t forget to climb to the top of the ‘lighthouse’ for a panoramic view of the island.

                               

3. The first of the colonial cities, Granada is arguably the friendlier of the two. With nearby Volcan Mombacho and almost 300 Isletas just off the coast in Lake Nicaragua, Granada has seen its fair share of tourists and has the better developed tourism industry to show for it. Well-maintained colonial churches spot the city, as do open-air restaurants and art galleries.

            

4. Though with similar origins, León and Granada differ in many ways. If Granada is the friendlier of the two, León is the more authentic. Crumbling colonial churches are as commonplace as revolutionary murals. A growing draw to León is volcano boarding, or the adrenaline rush that is hiking a volcano and sliding back down it at speeds the likes of 40 mph. A rush to say the least, check out Bigfoot hostel for volcano boarding tours and stay the night in this hammock-lined hostel. Grab a buttery croissant at Pan y Pas the following morning to calm your senses after a day of adventure.

  

5. Also known as San Juan del Surf, this Southern beach town represents one of the most developed tourist attractions. Complete with a row of beachside restaurants, hostels spotting the side streets, and a steady inflow of surfers and backpackers, this destination offers good surfing and wild partying; stay at the hostel Pachamama for the best of both. Check out the cleaner and less crowed beaches Playa Maderas and Majagual nearby and don’t leave without hiking to the Cristo for an unforgettable view overlooking the beach.

6. Cutting through sharp rock columns, Somoto Canyon is not only a freak of nature, but a good example of nature’s beauty. Wade, swim, float, and boat through the canyon’s chilly water; jump off giant rock formations into the Canyon below; let the rare but strong currents of white water sweep you down the lengthy Canyon. After 4 hours of Canyon fun retire to the quaint simplicity of Somoto for a quiet dinner. Hotel Colonial offers everything you need for a good time: Canyon tours, relaxing rooms, and free breakfast.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

7. With volcanoes to climb, waterfalls to scale, and sunsets to watch, Ometepe Island offers the tranquility of nature, making for a relaxing home-away-from-home spot. Hacienda Merida, a down home ecological hostel provides for charming accommodations with eco-friendly practices that leave your body and soul feeling good.

  

8. A secluded beach near San Juan del Sur, Playa Hermosa keeps even the most ADHD travelers entertained. Zip line through jungle treetops, ride a horse along the beach, serve an ace on the sand volleyball court, or catch a wave with surf lessons. When the sun goes down, make a bon fire on the beach and walk along the water line for light show of glowing plankton.

9. Centered in a small artisanal community a short bus ride away from Managua, the Masaya Market is the place for all of your souvenir shopping. With ceramic vases, woodcarvings, leather goods, jewelry, food, and Nica nick-knacks, the market is a good place to buy, barter, or simply behold artistry.

10. The size and depth of this naturally formed Crater Lake are enough to leave you awestruck.  When adding in its beauty and seemingly therapeutic waters, Apoyo becomes an easy to get to destination that cannot be missed. Go for the day or stay the night at Monkey Hut, a hostel waterside offering access to kayaks and a sub-bathing platform. 

- Anna Kroos

Coming Home

I have started this blog about six times since I left Managua on Monday morning, it is still unreal to me that I am home.. The whole trip went by so fast, it’s almost like I was dreaming.

I don’t really know where to start, I am suffering a little bit of culture shock and a little bit of homesickness. Yes, culture shock of being home and I’m homesick for my home I have made in Nicaragua. 

Nicaragua did a lot for me. I feel like I grew up a lot. I took risks, things I would never have done back home. The touristy stuff was fun, but it was the little things that really impacted me the most. The walks to schools in the mornings, the conversations about immigration with my host family, the people I met on the buses who were quick 5 minute friends that I will never see again. Those people that I will never see again, do they know they made such an impact on this traveling gringa? Who knows… It the things that I do not have pictures for that were the biggest part of my trip.

This trip has inspired me to do more traveling, learn more spanish and other languages, see the world and other cultures. I want to become a global citizen, and starting in Nicaragua was an amazing choice. 

I also have so many people to thank for this amazing experience, but I don’t think I’m ready to. I woke up this morning expecting to hear the busy streets of Managua and quickly realized I was in my own bed. That being said, I don’t think I'm ready to accept I’m back in the states, not quite yet. But the people who I am talking about, you know who you are, thank you   

On the last day of class Ana and I watched the Motorcycle Diaries. The last quote in the film was 

“Me, I'm not the same me, at least not the same spiritual me.” -  Ernesto Guevara. This quote stood out to me the moment I heard it and it really just speaks for itself.

Thank you for following my trip, I hope you all enjoyed the blog! 

And remember,

"no tendre miedo nunca". 

Don’t ever be afraid.

 -Kailie Gulino   

"And This is the Story I Have Always Wanted to Tell" - T.K.G.

I went on a canopy tour! Now if you know me, you know I’m absolutely terrified of heights so I don’t really know what happened…..

There I was, taking pictures of plants (well trying) for my herb class I am enrolled in at Johnson State when I started talking to this older man who was waiting for these people to get out of their turn of canopy touring. We got to talking and he convinced me it would be good for my fear and I would be just fine. So naturally, I trusted him and did it. And boy, was I scared. But I made myself keep my eyes open the whole time and I was a lot of feet up…but after about five seconds in, I was fine! Fear = gone.

But this morning I realized I do not give enough credit to my spanish class and how much I am learning. My profe Ana and I work for four hours a day (monday through thursday) going over so much. I have gained a greater confidence in my spanish in all aspects, reading, pronunciation, comprehension, everything. Before I came to Nicaragua I was embarrassed to even read in class (Señora Chase, you know what I’m talking about!) But now I have found a new confidence and love for the language and all the crazy terms and tenses it has twisted inside of it. So thank you Ana! and the lovely folks at UAM for setting me up with such a great program. I may not be fluent yet, but I am miles ahead of where I was when I first arrived.

Tomorrow is my last Wednesday in Nica and another international student from UAM’s Green Adventure program is moving in! I’m pretty excited, I’m going to have to show her around Managua like my friends did for me! yay! Then Thursday I have my final exam for Spanish as well as my final lunch with the lovely Mary Helen and Stephanie, a final night out with the girls and then it’s Friday. And early Friday morning I will be going to Leon with my profe for a fun filled weekend of exploration, volcano boarding (hopefully) and beach time. Then it’s going to be Sunday and I’m going to be coming home, packing and leaving. What? That doesn’t sound right….

I don’t want to leave! 

- Kaili Gulino

Tranquila

I just had such an amazing weekend. I don’t know where to start, so I’m just going to go through every single part of my weekend! 

Friday 7am – I hopped into a taxi to the UCA bus station. The driver took 200 cords out of my wallet when we got there. I promptly took it right back out of his hands, told him he was rude and handed him 50 cords and left him screaming in the taxi. This was a pleasant start to my weekend 

8am to 11am – I navigated myself to Port San Jorge to find the Ferry. Between microbuses and city buses I finally made it to the port just in time to catch my ferry.

11:30am – I was on the ferry and all was well. I kept having flash backs to last time I was on that same ferry..with 11 other Vermonters, all anxious and what not. This day however I was on the ferry with a kid named David, who did a bunch of traveling and after his trip to Ometepe had a trip planned across Europe. David is also friends with my friend Isaac from JSC…small small world.

12pm- FINALLY arrived on Ometepe. I decided to take public transportation to Merida, which is off the beaten path on the other side of the island…

4pm- FOUR HOURS LATER. and much spanish learned, I arrived at Hacienda Merida the hotel in which I stayed for the weekend. I ate some "pollo y arroz" at the restaurant while I waited for my friend Yeri to come get me. Yeri is from Merida, we met him last year during the clean water solutions trip and kept in touch. Yeri is absolutely amazing, and he’s bilingual!  Go Yeri! 

6pm- Yeri and I head up to our friend Alvero’s house. Our group from JSC also met Alvero at La Omaja, the hotel we stayed at two years ago. Alvero works for La Omaja and also became a very big part of our time in Ometepe. Unfortunately, Alvero wasn’t back from work yet, so myself, yeri and Alvero’s family all hung out and talked about everything. They are so sweet. Alvero’s esposa was very interested in my family! And the daughters, Katy and Kaiylien wanted to see all my pictures and earrings and my hair haha. I did a lot of different hair styles that night.

Saturday 8 am- The next morning Yeri texted me and told me to meet him by La Omaja. There I met Alvero and we chatted about the island while we waited for Yeri. Then Yeri showed up with horses, all suited up and ready to go to the Cascada (waterfall) in San Ramon. So, Yeri and I rode horses ( a little scary) to the water fall. It took about 1.5 hours to ride the horses up from the village and another 20 minute walk up to the actual waterfall and it was so beautiful. It was a cloudy, rainy, muggy day, but the waterfall was gorgeous and made everything so beautiful around it. In the middle of the forrest, Yeri and I hung out under the water fall, looking for monkeys and watching the butterflies. It was delightful.

11am- After a nice ride down from the waterfall, Yeri and I rode the horses around the village for a little while. Not much has changed in Merida. The same people are there and surprisingly they remember me and the group! It was a good feeling knowing that such a difference was made.

5pm- After a quick shower/nap combo, I gathered up all my stuff and went with Yeri over to Alvero’s house for dinner. We drank Toñas and people watched for a little while when Alvero asked me if I felt at home. And I really did, I was so relaxed. I was surrounded by people I love and respect in an area which will always have a place in my heart. 

6pm- Dinner time! I finally ate dinner with a family. The girls, Yeri and I all ate a delicious meal prepared by Hijelia (maybe the spelling, I’m not sure), Alvero’s wife. It was rice, pork and spices, and "frijoles". Quite simple but yet quite the combination! Probably my favorite meal so far here in Nicaragua. 

7:30pm- Katy wanted to show me something really bad so she finally put in a DVD and I automatically knew what it was. During our time in Merida, the JSC group was filmed doing work all week. We watched all the highlights, all the funny moments, when I was crying like a baby….it was so great! A little embarrassing but so great. It brought back so many memories. 

8pm- Yeri, his cousin and I all rode on one, yes, one motorcycle to a local hotel to have some more Toñas and talk with the owner. It was a great time and certainly a bonding experience between all of us and that ONE motorcycle.

9pm- We ended up going back to Alvero’s house for a party! Yes! a birthday party! And let me tell you, there isn’t anything better than a nica birthday party. The whole family went and blasted music and played pinned the tail on the donkey. But you really have to dance while you do it. So me, being the tallest in the room, was blindfolded, spun around and told to dance to the pumpin’ music. It was a great time. I ended up playing twice and shaking my little chella butt. So so so much fun! And the whole family was there, everybody’s cousins and their cousins and the birthday girl! It was great! We made Yeri do it, and trust me, that kid can dance. After the pin the tail on the donkey game everybody just danced in the house to all sorts of music, country, latino, pop. It was so funny! Definitely what I was looking for in my nica experience, living the vida nica. Also, I was named a “Ometepiana”or an official islander!  I am now officially part of the Merida family   

And that is really where my story ends. I had a nice ferry ride back to San Jorge and a long bus ride to Managua, where I met other travelers and what not. But if one thing is for sure, I did NOT want to leave Ometepe.  And, I guess I will admit that I cried as my bus pulled away from Merida today. I then pulled it together and looked out the window and Alvero’s family was waiting for me by their house and waving. I waved back and then lost it again. Leaving Merida is kind of like leaving home. It’s bitter sweet and I know I will be back again. The memories that are made in Merida are forever memories. Alvero has opened his house up to me, letting me know that i am now family and his house and my house, his family is my family and words can not describe how wonderful of a feeling it is to be welcomed into another persons home like that. My weekend was absolutely incredible and I am already counting down the days to go back home to Merida. 

- Kailie Gulino

Vida Nica

I’m am honestly having such a great time. I have learned so much in my spanish class, it is ridiculous. Even though I have been in spanish classes for about 7 or 8 years now, being with Ana at UAM has really filled in all the missing pieces. 

Fun story: The other day, the theme for our class was cooking and we watched a video and read about this famous chef, which led us to go get brownies at the cafeteria. And since then, during our break Ana and I munch on the delicious brownies from the UAM cafe! So much fun! I really lucked out with such an amazing spanish teacher! 

Today, Ana and I went to Masaya to shop (of course) and explore the city a little. When our group from Johnson State came two years ago we stopped at the Masaya market, but it was a different experience now that I can speak better. We had so much fun shopping and talking to the locals. Then I encountered the Americans….. Now here is a disclaimer before I go off on my rant. I understand that its hard being in a country where you don’t speak their nature language. I get it! It’s not easy! But that still doesn’t mean all manners are lost. I encountered about 6 gringas today in the market, yelling at each other from different stores, talking AT the store owners, asking “do you understand me?” about a billion times…It was pretty bad, and they were pretty rude. I was embarrassed to be a gringa in that moment. So of course, I didn’t let it go and walked right in the middle of the chaos and made conversation with the clearly frazzled store owner until she smiled. So word to the travelers, don’t be that gringa. Respect where you are at and the people around you. Just because you may have a little bit more many than the person you are standing next to, doesn’t mean they’re not human. Respect doesn’t stop at the borders of the US.

Okay, my rant is over. I hope you all enjoyed that!

To end our trip, Ana and I walked along the Lagoon Apoyo and went to see the baseball fields. We talked to some local children and rode around on the bus while it was raining. It really was a great day! 

At dinner tonight my host father and I really bonded over aguacates (avocados). For the first time I ate an aguacate with lime and salt, and it was delicious. Nothing compares to a nica aguacate or any fruit of that matter. Mis padres de nica and I are really getting along. It’s almost funny to think that I was frustrated with the language barrier just a week ago. So much has changed in such little time, it’s great.

Overall, I am having a great time. I made a promise to myself to immerse myself in the culture and I believe I am doing just that. It is so easy to go back to where we are comfortable. There are “gringa traps” all over Managua, they lure you in with the air conditioning and delicious cheese-cake and no doubt, I’ve been to these traps a couple of times! But I have really tried to expand my learning, buying food from a vendor on the street, taking the city bus full of people instead of a taxi, talking to the person I am sitting next to on the bus. I have made friends with the waiters at the Sushi restaurant near my house and we hang out every night when they get out of work! I can’t tell you how many times people said to me “Oh Kailie, while you’re in Nicaragua, don’t drink the water.” “Don’t take the city bus” “Don’t give your number out” “Don’t walk alone at night” “Don’t trust anybody” “Stick to what you know”………really? I didn’t come down here to live the same life I lived in CT. I came here to live a new life, the vida nica, and explore. (Disclaimer, mostly to my mom who probably has her jaw on the floor, MOM, I’m okay, I’m still being safe, I’m just being adventurous, love you!)

I’m just living the vida nica. and I absolutely love it.

   

(Above is a picture of me with a hercules beetle. A surprise visitor to Mary Helen’s office the other day. And yes, it’s alive.)

- Kailie Gulino