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!!!"