boy oh boy was it steamy today. We were all dragging in the heat (I was reading in the hammock before dinner and fell asleep in about two seconds)...but it was still a wonderful day to be in Nica!
The morning started out with a sorting party. (see picture number uno below) We went into the small, creepy storage room in back of the pool house and pulled out tons of luggage full of donations. (and we found one massive spider and one small scorpion while we were in there! mom is going to love this blog post) Then we turned up the music and began folding and sorting clothes, shoes, and accessories into piles. At the end of the year, Manna will host a sale for the communities they work in and will sell everything for affordable prices. (I like the idea of not just giving away things for free, but providing the community members with opportunities to provide for themselves)
After that came lunch (why is the food here SO freaking good?) and then off to the Land for homework help, playing outside with ninos, and English class. The English class was just for kids, and oh my stars, they were LOCO. adorable, yes. but crazy, YES.
Tonight was really great. Four community members/friends of Manna came in to talk to us (Gabriel, Fabricio, Norman & Adriana). I met most of them at advanced English last night, so it was fun to see them again and hear a bit about what they do. They all started an organization they call Nicayudo which began as a response to the need for school supplies and money to pay teachers in Nicaragua. Now they help out two preschools that are desperate for hope and resources. It's really awesome to see how passionate they are about empowering their community. I'm excited to see the preschools at some point while I'm here and learn more about what they are doing. (It was also fun to have them here because they played guitar and sang several traditional Nica songs to us. Then we went and had a big dance party out in the pool house)
It's also kind of funny...I randomly heard about this organization called Lacrosse the Nations a few weeks back and was reading about it online. They work with kids in Chureca and teach them lacrosse, give them the chance to be a part of a team, love them through spending time with them playing sports. Come to find out, Norman works for Lacrosse the Nations! And he's also an administrator at La Esperanza in Chureca, the school we raised money for with Barefoot Week, and the place I met Manessa at over spring break! So cool.
It is just so wonderful to me that I get to witness and be a part of this vast, connected community of people who love Nica. Yet another cool group to check out that is helping support Nicaraguans is Chaka MarketBridge. They are a new and rapidly growing business that works to support local artisans in developing countries by providing them a market to sell their goods. It's such a cool thing and an awesome way to empower communities. The two founders, Matt & Neil (UVa grads! what what!) were staying here at the Manna house for a couple of days and just left this morning. Go check out their site!
So it was a good day. Except for the fact that I have this whole allergic-reaction-gross thing on my neck. In the spirit of sharing even the ugly details of this trip, I posted a picture of it below. (if gross things, well...gross you out, don't scroll all the way down. but I don't think it's really that bad) I woke up this morning and the left side of my neck was kind of sensitive and red. Then it developed a bump which became a massive blister which become another blister. Now it has stopped spreading/getting bigger, but it still looks really gross. I'm going to the doctor at the clinic in Chureca tomorrow, so we'll see what they have to say. But the only thing we can think of is that something either bit me and my skin freaked out, or I brushed up against something I'm strangely allergic to. I'll keep you updated :) It's all rather strange, but hey, just another part of the adventure!
abrazos y besitos!
we summer vols enjoy sorting:
lots of clothes. It took me about an hour to go through the toddler box because I kept stopping and saying "ohmygoshawwwwwthisisSOOOcuteIlovebabies!" after folding each outfit
the view of the pool and the house from the hammock
alright, here is the gross picture of my strange allergic reaction to some unknown thing. please do not vom.
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