Another day in San Juan del Sur :D

Hola amigos! If you’ve been a loyal reader of this blog and have kept track of what we’ve been doing here in Nicaragua, you’d have realized that we have been balancing work and play, and today was no exception.

I woke up this morning and found myself feeling a bit sad. Ever since Pratik told me that he woke up a few days ago and realized our trip was already half over, I can’t help but feel that every new morning means one step closer to our departure. My fellow students and I have become quite comfortable here in San Juan del Sur. The sunny sky, the warm air, and the cool breeze that comes from the bay…it’s going to be hard readjusting to the cold, nipping weather back in Maryland (especially during the daily 15 minute walk from La Plata to Van Munching). I begin the day by stepping out onto the balcony of our condominium to appreciate the beautiful weather, and the beautiful view of the bay in the morning. After showering and cleaning up, I head down to breakfast. As I come down the stairs, I am greeted by three smiling face; Leslie, Roger and Josue are already seated at a table eating their breakfast. I order the typical Nicaraguan breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, and toast and scarf them down. The other students and I are convinced our stomachs have expanded after being stuffed during the first couple days on this trip. I estimate that I’m going to go back home 5 pounds heavier than when I left.

Pratik, Dillon, Chelsea, Stephanie, and Carmen spend the morning at the site of Cecilia’s new store where they help paint the banister, walls, and shelves. Every time I see them applying a new coat of fresh, white paint, I can’t help thinking of Tom Sawyer. After Leslie and I pay them a visit to see their progress, we walk back to the hotel to meet back up with Sandhya and prepare for our meeting at 12pm. Last night, we promised to train Lionel, his wife Margarita, and her sister Maria Teresa to use the laptop we plan to give them. While we wait, I break out the copy of The Hunger Games given to me by Jane. She was kind enough to lend me a copy after seeing me reading it in Susan’s book store. I’ve only been able to read for short periods of time, but I’m still hooked on it. Around 12:10, Margarita and Maria Teresa arrive, accompanied by Michael Roche, who gave them a ride. Together, we sit down and begin to teach them the basics of Microsoft Excel, the program they will use to keep track of their loans and to keep Michael updated on their progress. I find it quite incredible how fast they learn the working of the program. I’m used to struggling for hours trying to teach my parents how to use technology, but within a matter of minutes, Maria Teresa and Margarita are creating multiple sheets, each properly formatted and filled with the necessary formulas. My team has good foresight and also gives them a flash drive so they can back up their records. I can only imagine how distraught they’d be if for some reason they lost all their records and had no extra copies.

After finishing with our entrepreneurs, we all meet back up in Casa Marina. Richard has kindly offered to pick us up in his van and drive us all to Madera Beach. And yes, this is an actual beach, unlike the “beach” that is actually a bay in San Juan del Sur. We all pack into the van, stop by Villa Isabella to pick up some bag lunches, and then drive off to the beach. After being bounced around during the bumpy ride to the beach, we arrive and are ecstatic at the site of the sand and waves. We make camp on the beach and enjoy the lunches packed for us. After we’re all done eating, we test out the waters. Some of us quickly realize the water is too chilly for their liking and head back to tan in the sun and play kickball but Stephanie, Rinaldo, and I remain in the water to body board and play in the waves. Unfortunately, about half an hour later, we realize we’ve made a big mistake…we neglected the movement of the tides and have positioned our belongings too close to the water. Many of our belongings get soaked, but we reposition our belongings and try to make the best of the time we have left. Some of us venture off to climb some big rocks we can see off in the distance. Personally, I don’t understand the allure of large rocks, but I’m not judging. Hey, if you like looking/climbing big rocks, all power to you. Instead, I stay to play in the water and chill on the beach (which gave me more time to read my book!!!).

At 5, the group hops back in the van and we drive back to San Juan del Sur to get ready for dinner. We eat at an Italian restaurant owned by a nice lady who came to Nicaragua 14 years ago. After dinner, we have a brief conversation with her where she tells us how she came to be in Nicaragua. She had originally been on sabbatical and had planned to backpack all the way to Africa. But after coming to Nicaragua and meeting her future husband, she decided to settle down here. This is a very typical story you hear from those who live in Nicaragua who are foreigners. Sometime about this country, maybe the weather or the kind people, makes them want to stay here. I often wonder if I will ever have a chance to come back to Nicaragua and visit the people we’re currently interacting with. Thoughts like that make me cherish more and more the time I’m spending here.