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Published: July 11th 2008
Marching Band
You´ve got to give it to them. The Nicaraguans know how to make noise...¿Hablas Español? by George
After an important stop in San Juan Del Sur we once again packed our
"sacks" and got on the
chicken bus. Despite pontificating with Rob and Rachel about the name we were still none the wiser after a whole bottle of
Flora de Caña, the local rum. Popular suggsestions included "They pack you in like chickens", "It´s possible you could sit next to one" and my personal favourite "It´s what the drivers like to play".
Anyway, despite our ignorance as to the name´s derivation we arrived safely in
Granada, the oldest continually inhabited city in Latin America in its original location. Granada is home to various things: a beautiful cathedral and churches, some excellent bars and restaurants, the
Casa Xalteva Language School and a cocophony of marching bands.*
Fresh from the excitement of the previous day, Kate and I were here on a mission, to learn Spanish. First, however, we had another mission - to find Roz and add to our number. After a couple of hours of one of our favourite activities, the "Several Thousand Metres Walking Aimlessly Around A New Place With Our Rucksacks On" we succeeded and we were
The Church
The Mercad Iglesia. Where Kate and I joined Mercedes for Sunday mass in Spanish. three.
That afternoon we decamped with "Nuestro Familia por la Semana", Mercedes and Jamillia. The weekend was a relaxed affair, with much eating, some more
Flora de Caña and for Kate, Mercedes and me a trip to the local church for Sunday mass. Between us I think Kate and I understood about ten words, but despite the language barrier it was a nice experience and the people were very welcoming.
The week was one of the busiest since being away and definitely the most tiring on the brain, with five days of four-hour sessions in the afternoon with
Romel (our teacher) and an activity in the morning with
Jose Andrea Martinez Baraona "El Guapo". I´ll let the pictures do the talking for fear of wiriting a big list. Sadly I failed to get a photo of the game of Tablero (checkers) that I played with the modest El Guapo.
Thank you Mercedes for having us. Next stop Ometepe...
*The author is open to suggestions of a collective noun for marching bands.
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Paula
non-member comment
Good luck
I just arrived back in the US after going to Spanish School in Guatemala. I plan on attending school again next summer but was thinking of Nicaragua the next time around. So can't wait to see what you have to say in your blog. I will be reading with interest.