July 15, 2015

Saying goodbye to our new friends

The people of Miraluz gave us parting gifts to remember them by

Today was our last day in Miraluz :-(  We finished as much as we could of the final touches and then we had a closing/goodbye celebration.  I completely did not expect to get as emotional as I did because of how short a time we spent there.  But I did - I guess that just means that the community stole my heart with their kind and generous hospitality.  I feel so very grateful that I was given this opportunity because it has completely solidified that I feel called to something in this capacity.  It was completely needed and I will continue to be thankful for this opportunity.  After lunch, we headed out to the Masaya Volcano.  It was gorgeous!  Being able to walk right up to the mouth of an active volcano is pretty thrilling.  And of course, who could ever get sick of a gorgeous 360° view.  I also managed to get a decent hike in.  I might have considered going further if it wasn't for the fact that my back hurt.  But I still got some great pictures nonetheless (at least I hope so).  We had another delicious dinner (fish!) and after that we sat around the campfire singing songs and talking about our experiences and what we will take away from this trip.  I know that my life has been changed from helping the people of Miraluz and will always remember this trip :-)

Our group standing at the mouth.  We could only stand there for 5 minutes.

The mouth of Masaya Volcano!

Enjoying the view!

July 14, 2015

Almost finished!

Claudine, with one of the boys from the community, sitting on the seats for the latrine

 The last 2 days have been filled with mostly working on the school BUT, we are (pretty much) done!  All we have to do tomorrow is wet the cement so that it becomes extra fortified.  I'm so excited that this project is close to finishing because that means it's that much closer to being able to house students who will be able to complete their education.  It's such a rewarding feeling to complete a project like this.  I've learned a lot from the community of Miraluz.  They have taught (or rather reaffirmed in) me that it's not about what you have, but more about being grateful that you are alive.  I've also been reminded to be thankful for what I do have, because the people of Miraluz have so little, yet can still find joy in the little things.  Today I learned that Doña Sofia is a warrior, who defends her community at every possible opportunity, and has fought (literally) people (some in the same community) to get this school built.  I admire the way she cares for others and how she is concerned for people she hardly knows.  Yesterday Elsa was sick and Doña Sofia kept asking how she was doing.  It's been such a pleasure to get to know her.  I knew this experience was going to be life-changing but it has caught me off guard by how the people have affected me.  The youth have bonded with a lot of the younger kids and it has been a delight to watch.  there is this set of 3 sisters:  Cristiana, Illyaida (sp.?), and Maria-Guadalupe, that are so sweet.  Maria-Guadalupe is the youngest and she always tried to do everything the bigger kids do.  They are all quiet but love to joke around with us.  And they love to take photos with you :-)  I'm glad about that because then I'll have them in my mind always.  I'm a little sad that tomorrow is our last day in the community, but I'm glad that I'll be home soon to tell people all about my work down here and everything I took away from it.

Eileen (top, middle) and Axie (bottom) with some of our new friends from Miraluz

July 12, 2015

Many of the isletas have private residences on them

Another beautiful day sightseeing in Nicaragua!  We took a boat tour of some isletas (small islands) around Lake Nicaragua.  They were formed when the Mombacho Volcano erupted a few hundred years ago.  There are 360 islands, many of which (at least that we saw) are privately owned and inhabited by people.  One guy owns two and put a species of Spider Monkey on one.  Now people go up to the island to feed & see the monkeys.  After the boat tour, we went ziplining!  OMG it was AWESOME!!!  I'm so glad that I chose to do that for my 30th birthday.  Flying above the rain forest canopy was absolutely beautiful.  I wish I was able to get pictures of me doing it, but sadly could not.  At least I have the memory of it though.  The youth decided that for my 35th birthday, I should go SCUBA diving.  I think I will go to Fiji for that.  After ziplining, we went to a potter's studio in San Juan de Oriente.  His name is Pedro Guerrero and he walked us through his process for creating pieces out of clay.  I bought a small jug for $12.  It just so happened to a day that the village celebrates/honors their Patron Saint, St. John the Baptist.  Pedro's son invited us so we decided to participate.  That was fun.  As an act of penance, people walk through town and go door to door asking for blessings and serving food.  Then they gather in the main part of town & beat each other with sticks made out of bull penises.  We didn't stick around for the beating part, but did enjoy walking down the street with the locals.  Then, we went to the Artists Market in Masaya and did some shopping.  I got a shirt & bag for myself, t-shirt for Terral, shot glass for my dad, and coffee.  I even bought some cookies.  Then, we had pizza for dinner & came back to Mundo de Fe.  All-in-all, this weekend was pretty amazing!  It's back to work tomorrow, which everyone is looking forward to because the people of the community are amazing.

One of the monkeys of "Isleta de Monos" ("Island of Monkeys")

Someone else managed to get a photo of me!

Potter Pedro Guerrero, showing us how he creates

Celebrating San Juan in the village!