Upon Arrival

Here is a peace point (bullet points are not an appropriate term for peace workers) summary of our first three days in Managua:

• We did not go to bed the night before our flight.  This led to us sleeping for the majority of our time in the air.
• In Atlanta, we met Dr. Zylstra (Dordt College President) who was also heading to Managua.  It was nice to know that a familiar face was accompanying us to Nicaragua.
• We were greeted at the airport by David (friend from orientation) and Angela (our MCC boss).
• Managua is hot! And this is supposed to be the cooler part of the year?
• Kevin is having some anxiety about the spiders, bats and lizards. He actually had nightmares last night because of them!
• We moved in with our host mother Damarius.  She is a wonderful host and an excellent cook.  She does not speak a lot of English, which is great for improving our skills (see photo of Damarius and her nephew below; also pictured is her beautiful home).

• We went to one of the largest Managuan Cemetaries on El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) and learned a lot about Nicaraguan culture.
• We have eaten gallo pinto (painted rooster) five times.  It is a famous Nicaraguan food that is eaten at almost every breakfast and dinner.  So far, so good!
• We celebrated Cassie’s birthday along with another MCCer Lloyd at our combined Welcome and Birthday party on Thursday (see photo). 
• Our new MCC colleagues and friends have been very welcoming and helpful!  Each of them is doing amazing work here in Nicaragua.
• We enjoyed a dinner out with Dordt Alumni on Thursday evening (see photo).
• We are disappointed with our Spanish skills and are trying to spend every spare minute learning more.
• Presidential Elections will be held on Sunday.  Please pray for a peaceful election process.