Ledyard's Casa Xalteva Trip 2009

Adios Nicaragua

2009-07-04T05:40:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we were on the micro-bus to Managua by 4:00 am. Kurt and Gianni jumped ship in Miami and took a rental car to Melbourne Beach, Florida. Elizabeth, Emma, Jasmine and Porter had a long layover before their flight back to Boston. Needless to say, we all arrived home tired. What should the next adventure be?

Volcano Mambacho

2009-07-04T05:25:00.009-06:00

Thursday was our final day in Granada. During Spanish classes some of us were able to take a tour of the old hospital. It was a very large, beautiful colonial building (spanning several blocks), but now it is crumbling to the ground after only having been closed in the 1990's.

After classes we went on our final excursion to the Volcano Mambacho. This trip was quite different than our other volcano trip. Mambacho is not really active and is covered in rain forest. We climbed closed to the summit at 3,500 feet in an old Mercedes army transport vehicle. We hiked for an hour around one of the crater rims. While the views were non-existent due to the clouds, the forest, plants and flowers were very impressive. On the way down we stopped for a canopy tour. Porter and Gianni flew through 2 kilometers of canopy on 17 zip lines. The two of them had an incredible time! The rest of the group enjoyed free coffee grown on the volcano and conversation.

Back at Casa Xalteva, we said our goodbyes. Emma and Jasmine took dance lessons one more time. We all went home to say goodbye to our families. Photos of the day start here.

San Juan del Oriente and Catarina

2009-07-02T08:31:00.004-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, we went on an excursion to an artisan town that specializes in pottery. We saw a demonstration and then tried to make our own. It was harder than it looked. Afterwards, we shopped for gifts and then went to another town, Catarina, which overlooks the crater lake Laguna de Apoyo. The views were spectacular. We could see Lake Nicaragua, Granada and the volcano that we are going to climb today, Mambacho. Photos start here.

Ledyard Soccer Club Donation

2009-07-02T08:30:00.002-06:00

After Spanish lessons yesterday we donated soccer equipment to the new Casa Xalteva soccer team. We donated jerseys, wristbands, balls and a pump. The kids were really excited and appreciative. They immediately began playing. It is amazing what fun you can have with just a ball! Photos start here.

Los Angeles, Again

2009-07-01T12:25:00.005-06:00

Our first trip to visit Emma's family in Los Angeles was too short due to the long bus ride, so yesterday we decided to go again. We split up into two groups. Elizabeth, Gianni and Jasmine stayed in Granada. They experienced the Cultural Train, studied Spanish and spent time with their respective host families. Emma, Porter and Kurt took a mini-bus back out to Los Angeles for the day.

We left at 8:00 am and went to the supermarket to pick up food for the family. The ride out proved quite interesting due to recent rains. We had to cross many deep puddles, some well above the top of our tires. Some of the houses along the way were very flooded. We arrived by 10:00 am and enjoyed the day with family and friends. Emma's mom cooked us her favorite lunch. We shared stories and played games. We left just after 5:00 pm and went to visit another community, Malacatoya. We toured the high school that was painted last summer by Emma, other AMIGOS volunteers and local youth. We set out for the long ride home in the dark, arriving back in Granada at 7:30 pm. With little energy for dancing, we went off to eat and sleep. Photos start here.

The Cultural Train

2009-07-01T08:14:00.006-06:00

We spent Monday morning in Spanish classes and attended dance lessons at night. In the afternoon, we split up for a while with Emma and Porter studying and waiting for a visit from Emma’s host mom at Casa Xalteva, Elizebeth and Jasmine walking to the bus station to look for Emma’s host mother, and Kurt and Gianni touring the Cultural Train in a nearby park.

The Cultural Train is a mobile exhibition funded by the United Nations and organized by the University of Central America in Managua. It articulates the history of an award winning literacy campaign, which was implemented in 1980. Through the efforts of 95,000 volunteers (mostly youth), Nicaragua's literacy rate went from 50% to 90% in less than a year. The exhibition ends with a brainstorm session where participants make pledges to implement new efforts to improve Nicaragua. The exhibit was both profoundly impressive (with its demonstration of what people can do when they join together) and inspirational.

Sunday Soccer

2009-06-29T08:38:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was another rest day as we slept in. We met mid-day to watch the final game of the Confederations Cup in South Africa (the "pre-World Cup"). The United States played the mighty Brazil for the championship after beating Spain. The U.S. played well in the first half, reaching a 2-0 lead. The second half was another story, with Brazil dominating and wining the game. Rosaly was very happy! Kurt and Gianni went home to relax and play. The rest of the gang caught up with friends and family at an Internet cafe and then visited the Euro Cafe as usual for food, drink and conversation. With it being Rosaly's last night with us, we attempted to go out after dinner. The rains came hard again, the power went out and we waited. When the weather finally settled we went down to La Calzada for food. We said our goodbyes to Rosaly in the rain and she left for Managua at 4:00 am this morning. ¡Adios Rosaly! Que te vaya bien.

Los Angeles Adventure

2009-06-28T09:21:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, we went on a day-long adventure to visit Emma’s host family from last summer in Los Angeles. We met early for coffee at a nearby café and then headed down to the public bus station. We found seats on the bus early, and proceeded to sit there for about 40 minutes in the heat, as the bus filled to standing room only. The two and a half hour ride to Los Angeles was hot!

The bus traveled along the north shore of Lake Nicaragua until it reached a river crossing. The bus then drove up on a barge, which was attached to a cable. A modified motor pulled us across the river (via the cable), quite the experience! Gianni and Porter had climbed up on the roof of the bus for the crossing. When we arrived at the other side, the bus driver took off quickly, leaving the boys “stuck” on the roof. They had the best time finishing out the last hour of the ride from above.

We arrived in Los Angeles to warm greetings. After sharing gifts, pictures and stories. We sat down for conversation, games and refreshments on the front porch. Gianni and Porter played soccer with several boys. The visit was too short. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Granada on the bus. The return trip was quicker and the bus was not as full. After dinner, it was, you guessed it, another night of dancing!

Photos from this adventure start here.

Rest Day

2009-06-28T09:20:00.000-06:00

After two days of excursions, Friday was a day of rest. In the afternoon we went for a long walk around town and enjoyed more conversation in the courtyard of the Euro Café. After dinner it was another night of dance lessons at Casa Xalteva and then early to bed.

Masaya Markets

2009-06-28T09:18:00.001-06:00

On Thursday, we went shopping in the nearby city of Masaya. We started at the new, peoples market, buying crafts and gifts to bring home. Everything was very cheap. The prize purchase was Porter’s new machete. Next, we went to the more famous artisan market for more shopping. While we were there, we were treated to a show of traditional dance and song. We stat down for dinner next to stage right and ate as we watched two, more modern, rock bands. When we arrived home, we cleaned up and headed out for another night of dancing!

El Volcán Masaya

2009-06-26T08:13:00.013-06:00

Sorry for not posting yesterday. The power went out for most of the day and we had a busy evening of shopping, dinner, watching a concert and dancing. More to come on that in the next post.

Wednesday evening, we went on our first excursion to the Masaya Volcano. It was an incredible adventure. After entering Nicaragua's first national park, we spent a half hour learning about the volcano at a museum. Next, we drove to the top of the active crater. It was a long way down to the hole of fire! A guide from the park joined us as we walked to a summit overlook (the cross). The views of the craters and countryside were incredible in the waning sky. On the way down the wind shifted and we raced to the bottom, coughing, to avoid the sulfur-laced smoke. We climbed to the highest crater for more views and explanations of the area.

On to the caves we went. After getting geared up, we climbed down in a lava tube. We made it to 200 vertical feet below the surface. Roots from plants were still growing, seeking out moisture and bat poop for nutrients. We went to another lava tube that is closed to human traffic. We took turns entering the mouth of the cave. As night fell thousands of bats flew out over and around our heads. There are some incredible pictures to see as the bats came inches from us on their way out.

By now, the dark of night was well upon us. We went to another overlook to see the active crater hole. We could see the large glow of lava and smoke directly below us as we clung to a cement pole. Unfortunately, pictures of the lava didn't come out. However, we did post many more pictures from Wednesday, so be sure to take a look.

Day Three Preview

2009-06-24T08:38:00.002-06:00

Classes this morning, then lunch and a relax. At 3:30 we are leaving for an excursion to the active Masaya Volcano. We are going to visit a museum, explore caves, hike to the summit and watch the lava at night. Check back tomorrow morning for updates.

A Hot One

2009-06-23T19:36:00.007-06:00

Another day of lessons, lunch, a tour and dancing...after lunch we walked the beach area along Lake Nicaragua and then stopped for refreshments at a cafe on the way home. After dinner, it was dance lessons again, this time bachata. We just uploaded 50 pictures from Emma's camera, so check out the photos.

Dance Lessons

2009-06-23T09:40:00.004-06:00

Casa Xalteva had two women come teach us salsa. Next time it's the bachata. Gianni took this short video.

End of Day One

2009-06-22T19:26:00.004-06:00

After lunch and a siesta we spent the afternoon touring a school, orphanage and the main market. We stopped at a cafe on the park for a chat. We went back to our respective homes for dinner. Dance lessons are on tap for this evening. Follow us via photos. More to come tomorrow...

More About Casa Xalteva

2009-06-22T10:55:00.006-06:00

If you've checked out the Casa Xalteva website, you know that it is more than a Spanish language school. They also take in select, neglected children and essentially raise them. They support 15 kids currently. They provide them with 3 meals a day, clothing and extra schooling (most are several grade levels behind). Public school is only a 1/2 day in Nicaragua, so the kids are expected to come to Casa Xalteva for the other half day. Their staff, along with foreign volunteers, teach the kids. This afternoon we are going on a tour of the city and will be visiting other organizations that help children. We are going to decide where, when and with whom we'll volunteer to help.

Classes Have Begun

2009-06-22T09:54:00.004-06:00

We arrived as planned yesterday and everyone is working hard in Spanish classes as I write. We had a long day of travel yesterday, waking at 5:00 am and finally getting to sleep around 10:00 pm Nicaraguan time (that's midnight on the east coast). All three of our flights were more or less on time, but with layovers, ground transportation, customs, etc., it made for a lengthy day. Rosaly joined our group in Miami as planned. The bus dropped us off in our respective houses last night. After getting to know our host families we hit the hay. We awoke early, had breakfast and met up at Casa Xalteva at 8:00 am. We met the staff and children, and then everyone went off with their teachers. Jasmine and Emma share a teacher, while the others will recieve 36 hours of one-on-one instruction.

Ready to Go

2009-06-20T19:53:00.002-06:00

Our bags are packed and in the car.... We hope everyone else's stuff fits.

Have passports, will travel.

Elizabeth, Emma, and Porter

Homestays and Food

2009-06-20T17:59:00.001-06:00

This is a cool video on homestays and food in Granada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrcN3NlD6g8

New Video on Casa Xalteva

2009-06-20T17:42:00.001-06:00

Check out this new video on Casa Xalteva. Unfortunately, it is slow to download and watch, but worth it.

Last Minute

2009-06-19T20:34:00.000-06:00

We are all packing, wondering if we brought too much or too little. Once we are there, it won't matter :)

5 Days

2009-06-16T09:59:00.000-06:00

We leave in just 5 days!

Gianni's Passport

2009-05-13T06:01:00.001-06:00

Gianni's passport came the other day. Too cute, with his red face.

Deposit Paid

2009-04-15T22:06:00.001-06:00

Sent in our deposit this week.

Tickets Purchased

2009-03-25T08:20:00.001-06:00

We bought tickets this weekend for our trip to Nicaragua this summer!