Tomorrow marks the end of my first week here in Nicaragua, and it has been one packed with wonderful experiences and lots of fun!

We landed at night in Managua and quickly jumped into our van to get to our homestays! As we drove through the streets of this lively city, I could not help but get excited about all I was going to learn and see. Kristina and I were dropped of first and our family and two dogs came out to meet us! Ratta (rat) and Burro (stupid) are so cute and loveable! They look and sound much more fierce that they really are. We got a tour through our house by Andi our host "sister" who is 15. We each have our own bathroom and bedroom which is awesome! The house is in a nice neighborhood of Managua and very tropical. In our back yard we have a coconut tree, starfruit tree, lime tree and cocoa tree. We also have a resident turtle who makes an appearance when it rains. She is extremely fast for a turtle. I nicknamed her Tortelini. The first few days we got aquainted with the family and met our leaders at school.

Maria Dolores is our "mama" as she explained. She is one of the women responsible for us during our time here. Maria Dolores is all smiles all the time. She doesn't speak english but her kind smile and "tranquillo" attitude make communicating with her easy. I have been surprised at how much spanish I can actually understand and speak. I need a lot of work but so far I have been able to get by without the language classes. Kristina and I walk to and from school everyday. It is about a 10-15min walk through Managua.

Managua is the safest city in Central America, yet it is clearly part of the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. That is not to say that there aren't mecedes and land rovers driving up and down the streets all the time. There is a stark contrast from one area to the next as far as quality of life is concerned. I am interested to start taking classes and learn a little bit more about the society and culture here and how it has developed over time.

La UCA as it is called here is extremely secure and tropical. There are guards at all entrances and ID must be shown to enter. Once on campus the scene is tranquil and green. The buildings are white stucco in order to keep the temperature low, but well maintained. There are palm trees, fountains, flowers, and and manicured pathways all around campus. Some of the buildings are air conditioned but you eventually get used to the heat and learn that you need to constantly drink water.

We took a language test the other day to determine our spanish skills, and we will be starting classes Wednesday. The five Fairfield students here will be the only ones in the class and it will be taylored to our needs. This is a huge help. Unfortunately we have not been able to start classes as early as planned, but there is plenty to do in the mean time. Something you learn early on here is to go with the flow and take each day one step at a time. The stress level is extremely low, and people truly know how to enjoy life. It is not unusual for us to get a phone call from Maria Dolores telling us we need to be somewhere in 30mins and we have no idea what we will be doing. I actually love the unknown and being surprised by new adventures. So far here, the surprises have been amazing. We automatically get into whatever classes we want, we have one on one language partners who are outgoing and kind, and there are numerous trips and adventures to be had all over this country.

This semester I will be taking History of Nicaragua, Contemporary Social History of Nicaragua, Photography, and Reflection theology. We also recieve credit for our language course.

Our language partners have truly gone out of their way (just like everyone else we have run into) to make our time here fun and stress free. Gaby, one of the language partners took us on a tour of campus the first day. She also walked us around the neighborhood by UCA and to the Mall, Metro Centro. She helped us buy phones, get food, and truly have a taste of Nicaraguan hospitality.

Yesterday, the five of us and Gaby and Ana (another language partner) took a day trip to Granada. We took a boat tour of the lake, and some of its 400 volcanic rock islands. During this tour we got a beautiful view of Mombacho the active volcano which created the islands. We also got to see a monkey up close. By up close I mean inches from our faces. Lola, a frequent socialite, jumped aboard our tour boat and had a snack with us. She sat literally in our laps and hung out for about twenty minutes! None of us could believe it! This country is wild and unpredictable, which makes everyday a mystery and adventure. Once we got off the boat we caught a ride into the main square.

We had lunch in the park and saw many of the beautiful sites. There are local artisans selling thier work in the square and many places to eat and drink. The hour long bus ride to and from Granada, lunch, and the hour long boat tour all added up to $8.50.

Today we got a phone call from Maria Dolores that we needed to come to school in half an hour and meet in her office. We asked what we needed to bring and she said nothing. When we arrived we found out that there was an international conference on teaching english in Nicaragua. We met the US Embassador to Nicaragua and sat in on the opening ceremony.

The surprises are non-stop here. Kristina and I have been exhausted with all the events as well as trying to communicate effectively. Luckily our house has a beautiful terrace from which we can see Managua and the nearby Volcanos and Lake. We both love sitting up there and cooling down in the breeze and decompressing from the day.

There are countless other stories I could tell from just this week alone, but this entry has been long enough! I will upload my own photos soon so that there is a face to all the stories I have told.

Hasta Luego!