Day One

Arriving in Nicaragua was great we got off the plane and a mariachi band was playing, and we had Lisa-Marie and Carlos our driver waiting for us as soon as we got of the plane.  Driving away from the airport was nothing like any other vacation I had ever been on.  It was so real. It was dark outside but you could see the houses and buildings that you were passing. The houses were nothing special but you could feel the love, care and culture bursting out from the windows. 

Falling asleep was really hard because I couldn’t think about anything other than seeing the school and all the kids. but as soon as morning came I really wished I had more time to sleep because oh my goodness three hours of sleep was not enough for the long day of hard work we had ahead of us.

Today!!! Where do I start? We did a lot of cleaning and learning today. We cleaned the entire inside and out of the school we picked up trash around the perimeter of the school, and got lunch for the teachers. Even though it was a lot of cleaning it makes it all worth it to know how happy the kids will be when they see their classrooms. I am feeling more self-confident with my Spanish speaking skills and cleaning.  Today I learned how to use a washboard and I learned that there were many many kinds of bugs that can kill you in Nicaragua.   But I mostly learned that you can have a language barrier but still make great friends. Crystal is one of the friends that I have already made.  She is 20 years old and our translator.  I really got to know her when we were scrubbing all 200 floor mats. And one of the things that hit me was how hard it is to get a citizenship in the United States. Crystal is already a citizen but had to get her 4 mouth son lineal a citizenship so she can give him a better education. I wish crystal the best of luck.

Good luck Mom, Julie, April , and Natalie with your Crossfit!!!!