Trip to Northern Nicaragua – Part 2 of 2

After our long drive and night of relaxing on Sunday, Monday was a very full day. We started out the morning with trips to some of the rural communities surrounding Cusmapa. It was definitely an interesting experience on many levels. First, the commute itself was quite an adventure because the roads, if you can call them roads, were even more rustic than the ones we’d taken the day prior (paired with the fact that we were on a mountain, it was a bit scary!). The Land Cruiser really lived up to its name on those rocky paths.

The poverty in Cusmapa was about as striking as the views, and the part about it that was perhaps hardest to process was the fact that it was so remote. We had a hard time getting there with one of the best trucks on the road, so you can imagine that there are not many trucks passing through some of these parts. Unbelievably, I still saw signs for Coca Cola in most of these towns, but no doubt the process to get soda to these villages is not an easy one.

While this anecdote is not actually from the trip, I think it definitely gives an idea of what these people’s lives are like compared to ours. Kevin told us about a volunteer who was living in a remote village here in Nicaragua much like the ones we were visiting in Cusmapa. He was down by the river washing clothes with the women and began to tell them about the magical machines that we use in the States for washing clothes. The women were on board with the idea and thought it was great, but they had one big question – how do you get the washing machines down to the river?

One of the highlights of the whole trip was when we were able to hear some members of a Fabretto choir perform. They were extremely energetic and did many great numbers including both Latin music and a rendition of U2’s ‘One Love’ that the amazing music teacher re-wrote in Spanish.

After Cusmapa it was time to start heading back to Managua by way of several other towns where Fabretto has schools. We were making good progress toward Somoto when I could hear a very loud ‘swooshing’ sounds from the tire. After all the off-roading and rock climbing that the Land Cruiser had done, it had a flat tire…and so did the spare. Given the area that we were in, the whole ordeal was resolved relatively quickly, but it did put a little kink in the plans.

The rest of the school visits were much the same given that the classes here are out of session until February for the equivalent of summer break. It was cool to see the campuses, though, and to just get a full appreciation for the reach Fabretto has. Monday night we went to a dusty cowboy-like town called Ocotal and stayed in a hotel for the night. That was yet another treat, even if it was a lot simpler than a Westin, and there was more hot water to be had!

Though it was a whirlwind trip, I had a great time up north. I hope to be able to return once classes are in session to get an even better idea of what Fabretto is doing for children throughout Nicaragua.

One last thing before I sign off. I got a Picassa account up and running, which I think will be an easier way to share photos than through the blog. The link is here for my first album, and I’ll put up other links as more are added. Just copy and paste it into the browser. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=nicole.roden&target=ALBUM&id=5293837881286970609&authkey=rKoEwQVN6fg&feat=email