Blogs from Leon, Northern Pacific Coast, Nicaragua, Central America Caribbean - page 9

Arriving in Leon on March 26thlittle did I know that this city would become my home for over a month and one of the real highlights of the trip. I’m sure when I look back, Leon will stick out in my mind as one of the most significant places I visited. The city, along with Granada, is an old-style colonial place and although not quite as “polished” as Granada, I liked it more. Perhaps this is exactly why I liked it more – more authentic, less touristy and not even a hint of an Irish pub in sight. It was hot, really really painfully hot and it’s true that walking down the pavements was at times a near leg-breaking experience given the quantity of pot holes and uncovered drains. But it was here in Leon that ... read more

We´re not working hard - an entirely civilized morning which was key for me - still working on a little bit of a sleep deficit from the last night shift. But then we braved the chicken bus out to the beach. As mom said, "well worth the 50 cents" - that´s what it cost us to get out there. and no chickens to boot. but maybe a little crowded. okay, maybe a lot. but dave will appreciate that it was less than hour of standing hip to butt with your neighbor, rather than a several hour bus ride. once we rounded the windy bend and braved the burnt feet on the hot sand, the reward was a great stretch of pacific beach to walk as far as we could stand. a stop off at a nice ... read more

Another lovely, sunny day. Just can't complain. We walked into "town," which is one street with two lanes right next to the beach, and ordered breakfast at a little comedor set in the sand. The food took a long time to arrive & in that time we witnessed all kinds of interesting things. We watched two local guys walk down the road, drinking beer (at 8:30am), in their underwear (one with tightie whities, one with boxers). The best part was probably when boxer dude had his free hand (the other hand was holding the beer) in his shorts (through the fly no less) for a good solid few minutes while talking with someone in our comedor. Good morning! Ick. Not long after that a little kid & his dad were walking to their fishing boat, right ... read more

Today we completed our fourth day on site. The school is just about finished. We´ve spent the last few days mixing concrete, pouring the floor, painting, digging latrines and cutting and bending rebar which will b used for the next school build in a neighbouring community. It´s hard, hot work, but everyone is pitching in including the children of Bella Vista. Yesterday we visited the students in their existing school, which is a ranchero style shelter made of wood and palm branches. Of course we totally disrupted the teacher´s lesson plan, but everyone was happy to see us. Today we brought some school supplies and gifts to the school. The highlight was the balsam airplanes, the kids loved them. All of us are doing well. There have been a few upset stomachs, scrapes, bruises and headaches, ... read more

Today we mixed concrete and started on the floor of the school. It was hard work! But as Tom keeps reminding us, the main reason we´re here isn´t to provide manual labour on a construction site but rather to love the kids in the community. After all, as construction workers building a school, we could be replaced here for a dollar a day. But the relationships we´re building are, as the Mastercard ad says, priceless. So we take regular breaks from work to play with the kids, and they reciprocate by pitching in with the construction work. And so the whole construction site has something of a party atmosphere. The work is important because it shows the community that we care and that we believe in what they are doing. And that´s why they´re excited to ... read more