Nicaragua 2015: Last Week in Granada

Well, we've almost made it. Just three days until I'm home!
On Monday, three new volunteers joined our English teaching team, two of whom were Austrian, and the other from Finland, but who goes to UBC in Vancouver. They are all lovely and very excited about teaching, and came in with a fresh and positive attitude that revived my own spirit a bit. We also had a week with the children being as mellow as I have ever seen them. Unfortunately, there were also considerably less students than usual and less participation, but at least we weren't breaking up fistfights.

Although most of the children are used to volunteers coming and going every few months, and I couldn't spend as much individual time with them as I'd have liked to, there were a few students who we got to know and whose bright personalities I will miss. We even got a few love notes! The children were always very interested to know if TC and I were brother and sister or friends, and looked shocked when we told them novio/novia.

They all spelled TC's name 'Tixi'.

These are also some of the things we passed on the long walk to school. We were so grateful and relieved when on our last couple days of school, a man in a truck offered the five of us a ride to school in the back of his pickup truck. (We wouldn't have done it if it were just the two of us, don't worry!!)

In terms of safety and health, TC and I have been truly blessed. We haven't heard of violence in Granada, but we have heard many stories of people getting robbed and petty theft. We've also avoided getting sick probably in great part thanks to cool water bottles with a filter that were gifts from TC's dad, and also because we cook so much of our own food. Lately, it's been mostly rice and beans. But, we managed to survive this whole week on less than $20 for the two of us! (excluding housing, but at $3 a night it's hardly breaking the bank)

We did try some of the local food here though, including local favorites such as nacatamal (like a giant tamale, but with a softer masa dough around the pork, and with tomatoes and potatoes), vigarón (chicharrones, or fried pork rind, with boiled yucca aka cassava), and tiste (a corn and chocolate drink with cinnamon and other spices). And of course, lots of gallo pinto, fried rice and beans.

In the upper right is the nacatamal (40 cords), wrapped in banana leaves as is the fried potato stuffed with rice and pork below. In the front is a plate with a vinegary cabbage salad, tostones (fried plantain), plantain chips, rice, and fried chicken (80 cords). At the exchange rate of 26.50 cords to the dollar, not too bad!

So how have we entertained ourselves for a week without spending any money? We a.) sneak into the chocolate museum nearby, which has a pool, as often as we can. Me always vowing to buy some chocolate and make it up to them, but with 500 cords between us ($20) to get us to Managua and survive until Monday when our flight leaves at 10am, it's yet to be determined...