Another Update

"We continue to have a great adventure - all are doing well.On Thursday morning we walked through a magnificent rain forest, climbed the rocks and saw the pictographs.We said goodbye to our families (it was very difficult to leave them!) and drove into the north. We ended up staying in a tiny village in the centre of a rain forest, that has a program for ecotourism, so they were used to welcoming foreigners. We were billeted with families - much simpler homes with dirt floors. They were lovely people. They taught us to make corn tortillas in clay ovens. We took a long walk in the rain forest with monkeys hanging in the trees - it truly felt like we were in the jungle. At some points there was absolutely no sound at all.On Friday morning we travelled down to Rivas which was a four hour drive - along time to be in the bus. We broke it up by stopping at Poppa Joes and having HUGE pizzas. Everyone was rejuvenated. We did two things: First went to visit the cow project. When the Central team came in the fall of '09 they weren't able to visit the project to their great disappointment.We went yesterday and met the peasant farmers who will receive these cows.The children were deeply moved by the farmer's gratitude, knowing the difference these cows will make in the lives of these people.Then we came down to the YMCA farm. We are here with 15 Nicaraguan youth and we're right out in the country - it's a real farm. First thing they saw was a huge pig with a dozen little piglets, and then Momma hen with chicks. Two green parrots live there, named Valerie and Rosalie. They will sit on your hand and talk when they're hungry. There's a horse and a number of youth have ridden on horseback in the area. (while I was talking to Pat, Santana and Katie Bea came by on horseback - I spoke with them and they specifically said to tell their parents to stop worrying - they're GREAT!)WE are sleeping in tents on a concrete floor. Some of the youth were up at 4am to learn how to milk cows. With our Nicaraguan team (3 Canadian youth with 3 Nicaraguan youth) we planted 35 plantain trees. This afternoon we will be whitewashing a fence at the back of the farm as well as all the rocks that mark the driveway up to the farm. This morning a number of our kids learned how to wash their clothes on an old-fashioned concrete washboard. They were thrilled to learn how to do that.Tonight we're going to teach the Nicaraguan youth how to make smores.Tomorrow we leave for Granada. This will be a very different experience as we're staying in a nice hotel, touring the city, the volcano, etc.They've seen many sides of Nicaragua, from the very beautiful to the very awful - the wealthy to the poor and many in between. And they've met many people who have touched them deeply and inspired them.I would want to say to the parents we are just so proud of these kids.They've been in some siutations that are totally outside of any experiences they've ever had. They've learned to love a 3 minute cold shower at 6 am in the morning (whether they still love it when they come home remains to be seen). They've learned that if they get their clothes dirty they can keep going.They've become like a family - they like to be together. No major conflicts have occurred. All are looking forward to coming home, and anxious to share their stories. At the same time it will be hard to leave. They're excited to see us all again."See you all on Wednesday!!!"

Call From Nica

Hi Everyone: I just heard from Pat - don't worry - there is absolutely nothing wrong - she just wanted to give us an update, since they can't update the blog. Her first words were "Everyone is FABULOUS!" The kids are gelling beautifully together, supporting each other, looking out for each other - it's truly quite amazing.Here's what's been happening: On Sunday morning they went to Chaguitillo and were introduced to their host families. The girls are in groups of 3 or 4 in a house, and the boys in groups of 2. They are being cared for beautifully - each night they come home to clean laundry and are being catered to quite lovingly (Pat indicated they might be looking for this level of service at home - Yikes!!!! LOL). The kids are calling the mom of the house "Momma". All in all they have settled in quite well with their families.There was a concert on Sunday welcoming everyone to the village.On Monday they started the project - building the classroom. It has been amazing to watch this thing rise up from the ground due to their hard work. Each teen is contributing to their full potential - again, Pat said she can't believe how well everyone is working together and whole-heartedly.They work everyday from 8 am to 11:30 or 12 noon, then do something in the afternoon. On Monday they visited a coffee plantation, which was really fun.Each evening they gather in the 'musee' which is essentially a community hall, to debrief and recount their day.On Tuesday, after work, they were supposed to go to the petroglyphs, however it rained so it ended up being a 'chill' afternoon (to borrow a phrase from Will). They played cards, sorted school supplies, went for walks etc.Today they are finished working, then will participate in a celebration the town is having for them as a thank you for building the classroom. After that they're going for a swim.Tomorrow they're getting up really early and heading to the petroglyphs before visiting the macadamia nut project. They will meet the people in these communities and learn how to make Nicaraguan bread (Pat couldn't recall the name of the bread).Her closing comment was "Each night, as part of circle time, we tell about one high and one low of the day. Last night, no one could come up with a low!" This is a very telling comment, and indicative of the experience they are having.Pat also indicated that at some point in this journey every child has spoken appreciative words about us (their parents) and she wanted to make sure we knew about this - good to hear. They have adjusted well, are having the time of their lives, and can't wait for more adventures.I’ll let you know if I hear anything else. Can you believe that’s a week from today?! Where has the time gone.....Laurie

Sorry Guys my battery power is gone

We had an awesome day today, unfortunately this will be our last transmission because my charger is not charging and the battery has 5minutes left''
We are off to Chagauttia tomorrow, It is amazing and all the youth have been awesome.

Pictures July 2nd

July 2nd in Cantera

Slightly overcast and not quite as hot as yesterday, we slept in until 7 and woke quickly to get breakfast and on the way.
A day with a lot of information sessions, first stop was SoyNica. This is a program to help mothers with nutrition and breast feeding, teaching moms how to nurture and stimulate their child. Milk produce from Soy cost 40cents for 4 litres of milk. They also eat the meat of the soy after processing the milk. This organization also promotes women and family issues to the government.
After SoyNica we toured the city and stopped at a momument to Sandino and the bunker where Samosa(the last dictator) surrendered. We came back to Cantera (our sanctuary) for lunch and a little time to relax until 2 when Mark Lester, Center for Global Education, spoke about the history, the politics and the economics of Nicaragua. It was a factual and balanced discussion of the issues. Following that we travelled to the main office for YMCA, we met with two people who discussed our camping trip to Rivas on July 9th- 11th. The kids are extremely excited about this. It will be a cultural exchange so we decided we will show our new friends how to make SMORES! They have never roasted marshmellows before.
We returned to Cantera to an amazing evening of Nicaraguan food and dancers, we all were shown how to dance, yes even the boys, all the boys who had just as much enthusiasm as the girls. We are now just getting in and I think it wont be long till we are all asleep
Thank you for your responses we have read them all out and sent along any messages you have given. Blessings from Nica

More pictures from July 1st

Pictures of July 1st

July 1st , el Primer de Julio

Happy Canada Day, we started our day by singing O Canada at breakfast, placing tatoos on everyone and ate a great breakfast, corn flakes, papaya, eggs and toast, juevos rancheros.
We all woke by 6:30 breakfast at 7:30 and off to Imprhu Institute for human promotion, met the director Fanny and Marvin, went to Casa de La Nina met beautiful people there. We presented the quilts to the Casa de la Nina, they have 25 beds and we had 25 quilts exactly what they needed. We then went to lunch at Ruta Maya, amazing buffet. Like the rain forest cafe except real trees and amazing food. We then went to the market and met at an Imprhu school, we walked through the market and saw all types of goods for sale, after walking through the market we played with the chidren in a playground: soccer, teetertawter, slide, skipping rope etc. everyone had a blast it was very difficult to leave. Stopped at El Eskimo for a cold drink and wonderful air conditioning (today was extremely hot mid 30s). Then we went to the Managua dump. Words cannot describe the experience but we all saw hope and community there. We finished our trip at the YMCA ,ACJ and saw the Johns that John built, even today they spoke about how grateful they were for the washrooms, we met Gloria and Cesar and other volunteers, we will be meeting up with some of them again at Rivas later on.
Arrived back at Cantera and dinner was waiting for us we went from the bus directly to the dining room and had meatloaf, salads and vegetables, then was topped off by an extra large birth day cake with the Canadian Flag on it, it was absolutely brilliant.
We are now heading off to bed exhausted again.

Blessing to everyone back home, we appreciate your comments on the blog