The adventure began Sunday afternoon. At the Crown Plaza Hotel, I met up with the other people who would be traveling with us to the mountains – Rachel, Claudio, Marcello and Kevin. All in all, it made for a pretty interesting group. Rachel and Claudio worked for an organization called Cross International, based in Florida. Cross provides support for hundreds of Christian non-profit organizations and projects through funding and food donations. Many of the staple food items Fabretto uses in its meal program for the kids come from Cross.
Rachel graduated the same year as me and worked in the high pressure newspaper business for a couple years before joining Cross. Now she is a writer and photographer for the organization. It was nice to have another girl along, and good to hear from someone who’s recently left an 80+ hour a week job to pursue, among other things, a social life!
Claudio was also a very interesting person – he was born in Brazil, speaks seven languages, has two Masters degrees and, best of all, he did an exchange program in high school that took him to beautiful Fon Du Lac Wisconsin! We had a good time talking about my favorite state. [As an aside, this was not the only Wisconsin connection either – I saw red Green Bay Packer hats all over the north. Apparently the Christmas edition of the hats didn’t sell well, so they donated about 2,000 to Nicaragua and I saw them everywhere. Go Pack!]
Marcello was born in Argentina, has a background as a veterinarian, and was working with Fabretto on improving the water supply (quantity and quality) in some of the rural pueblos that it serves.
Finally, Kevin is a Chicago native and a product of a Jesuit education at Georgetown. He came to Nicaragua when he was 21 years old and worked with Padre Fabretto for a year before he died. Kevin then took over as Director and has lived here since – 20 years and counting.
We all piled in our trusty Land Cruiser and headed off for the north. It didn’t take long to feel like we’d left the hustle, bustle and heat of Managua behind. The scenery changed quickly and soon the mountains began to appear. They continued throughout our 4 hour drive, becoming more and more a part of the drive itself right through the point where the pavement ended and we were driving on some rough mountain roads. I have to admit it was a little nerve wracking at first, because it was really high, but the views were incredible and we had a good driver. Also, it was also all worth it to see the sunset when we arrived in Cusmapa.
Our first night in Cusmapa was low key but very nice. The house where we stayed is a beautiful volunteer house that Fabretto maintains for groups. It slept about 20 people, had a huge living room, kitchen and dining area and, best of all – running water and hot showers! Pair that with good food (pasta, prosciutto, olives, and wine) and the fact that temperatures were the coolest since I'd arrived in Nicaragua (I was wearing a jeans and a sweatshirt!)and I was a very happy camper.
Since this entry is getting long, I’ll end with some pictures. More to come from days 2 and 3 tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment