The first two weeks

Managua is amazing! It has been a little over two weeks since I arrived, and I realize I haven't written anything about what has been going on so far. So, a brief update:

The photo to the left is a view of Managua taken on one of my first days in the city.  It's always hot here, the roads are dusty, bumpy and full of litter, but the vast majority of women I've seen wear high heeled shoes, skinny jeans and tight, brightly colored shirts. Not exactly what I expected when I packed all shorts in my luggage, and threw in a pair of jeans at the last minute, expecting to wear them only a few times. It's a good thing I brought them! Wearing shorts above the knee or dresses isn't advised on the city buses, which I have been riding every day to get around the city.

To say I've been eating well would be an understatement.The food here is amazing: the photo at right is from a restaurant we ate at on the second night here, but typically I've been eating three meals a day with my host family, which include fresh mango, banana, melon, pineapple, homemade tortillas, gallo pinto (rice and beans), meats, fresh juices, and a million varieties of fried bananas  I love it.

I live with a family of three women, a grandma, mother and daughter. I don't have a photo of the entire family yet, but my host grandma is named Natividad (Mami Nati), my host mom is Irene, and my host sister, in the photo, is Xochilt. They are super sweet, and although I can't always understand what they are trying to tell me, we get along well. Last weekend my host mom took all of the girls in my exchange program to Granada, a small city near Managua, for the Nicaraguan Poetry festival.

Me, my host sister Xochitl, her friend Dulce, and Daphne, one of the girls in my exchange program, with some of the people in the parade though central Granada at the Poetry festival...

Brigid, Dulce, Amalia, Daphne, Me and Xochilt in Granada

Parade in Granada...

Parade masks....

Smoking and dancing during the parade...

This past week, we went on a CIEE trip to the Volcan Masaya, which is about thirty minutes from Managua, and is one of the most accessible active volcanoes in the world. We drove up to the base of the crater, and then climbed to the top of the peaks surrounding it. Once the sun had set, we hiked into lava caves long ago created by the volcano, which were once used for sacrificial ceremonies, and were able to peer down into the bottom of the crater and see the lava glowing red inside of it!

At the lip of the crater of the Volcan Masaya

Moonrise atop Volcan Masaya

Video panorama from the top of highest peak of the Volcan Masaya


All for now... I will try to stay much more on top of my blog in the future! Catching up on two weeks' worth of activity in a new country involves more than I thought... all for now! Hasta pronto!

Arrival

It is 7:32 PM Managua time, February 9th, 2011. I could not be any more ready to go to bed!

From what I have seen of Managua so far, I think I will really like it here. The city itself is busy, dusty, and infinitely confusing. On our van ride from the airport to the center, we zipped past men and women selling water in plastic bags in the middle of the highway, several horse-drawn carts navigating the fast-moving roadways, and young children who would dart out to wash our windows and tap on the glass, hoping for payment.

The center we are staying at is peaceful, especially compared to the little bit of the city we saw briefly today. We eat our meals prepared by the staff here on a covered porch, surrounded by green foliage. Air moves freely through the open windows of the house, keeping it cool and letting in the sounds of crickets and the occasional loud motors from outside.

Tomorrow we will explore the city with the resident staff, learn how to use the public transportation system and purchase pre-paid cell phones. Aside from the 2 hours of sleep I got on the plane and my half-hour hammock nap this afternoon, I have not slept at all the past two days! Off to bed now... and it's only a quarter til 8. What a day!

At the airport

I've said all of my goodbyes, packed months worth of clothes into a single duffel bag, and I am almost on my way. Sitting at gate B15 of the SeaTac airport, with about 10 other travelers who are also here two hours before their flight to Houston leaves, I don't really feel like I'm going anywhere.

I suppose I'll have to believe all of this is real once I get off the plane in the 90 degree Managua sunshine... but right now I don't feel like it's true! I'm mostly a little exhausted from a hectic day of last-minute running around and packing (...and re-packing). I'm also a little bit torn, leaving my friends and family here in Seattle: admittedly, I teared up a little when hugging my parents and boyfriend goodbye outside security. They stayed and waved to me as I got my bags re-checked by Security Man when I forgot to take my laptop out of the bag and run it through on its own... Traveling with fancy technology is new to me! What can I say?

But anyways, here I am. I am almost a caricature of a typical Seattelite, with my Birkenstocks, flannel, spare flannel, and REI hiking pack. I am feeling better and better about this trip by the minute, and now I just hope that the next hour and a half until boarding passes quickly...

All for now! More to come...

R.