Day 3

Nicaragua is near the equator and as a result the sun comes up and goes down at pretty much the same times year round.  That doesn't stop us from having long days!

This morning was an earlier start than yesterday, but having a sense of the work that needed to be done helped us to be very efficient.  Our fluency has increased when speaking with our coworkers, which is way more fun.

After a long day of work and play we met with some of the Amped sponsored high school students and boarded a bus for a short drive to the largest lake in Central America. Lake Nicaragua has 375 islands, Las Isletas. Around 7% of the islands are owned by the super rich and the rest are inhabited by the not so rich.  During the boat tour we passed a mansion worth $45 million dollars on a private island only minutes away from a family washing their clothes on the rocks of the shore by their hut.  Very unique and humbling imagery.

After the boat tour we said goodbye to our new friends and returned to the hostel. The boys ventured out again to get haircuts in the corner barber shop one block away while the sun set the sky orange and red.  Here is Paxton with some reflection:

Today we woke up early to get to work and make as much progress as possible. We walked to work with our favorite guy Donald. He always jokes around to make the long walk seem shorter. We worked a long hot day in the sun and had many laughs. After we finished working we met up with some sponsor students and headed to lake Nicaragua for a boat ride and a quick dip. We stopped on a small island for a swim and the boys all played some frisbee with Costello. Then we all gathered for a snack and practiced some of our Spanish while chatting with some of the students. After our boat trip back to our bus we were dropped back off at our hostel and given the rest if the night to relax and swim. All in all it was a pretty successful day.

Andy vs. Mario

Andy claiming victory. 

Andy getting called out for his obvious cheating....

Andy paying the price!

Most efficient sifting team.

Leah with Kimberly.

Almuerzo.

Orlando being a monkey.

Throwing la plata.

Put up this wall! Arriba!

Took a bus to Lake Nicaragua straight from the US.

On a boat.

Island with monkeys.

Food and drinks after swimming.

Strange bonding...

Our guide Donald with Paxton and Serina.

Mambacho from the boat.

Tomorrow we will work a half day and then tour Masaya volcano and markets and then El Coyotepe political prison! Hasta mañana!

Day 2

Another busy day in Nicaragua!

This morning Jerry, Leah, and Winter came to the market with Jeff and I and purchased fruit, eggs, and bread for breakfast. After going over the basics for the day, we walked the 2 mile stretch out of the city and into Nueva Esperanza to get to work.  The culture change was shocking.  Also shocking was the reception we received from the students and families.  We were treated like celebrities and sat in the front rows to see an elaborate performance of gratitude that included history and dancing.

On the job site next door we moved cinder blocks, sifted dirt, mixed cement on the ground, and used trowels to mortar and build a wall for a new classroom from the foundation up...with a little help from Mario and Luigi! The mother of a student cooked an Amazing meal for all of us that we ate while sitting in desks of a classroom in the elementary school.

After lunch we came back to the hostel and prepared for our zip lining excursion on Mambacho, a volcanic mountain about 25 minutes away.  Really fun with great guides and staff.  Many of us could be seen flying like superman or upside down through the trees. I have too many pictures and video to post it all onto this blog. 

We went directly from zip lining to dinner at the Roadhouse Grill where we sat together outside and ate familiar meals while vendors, dogs, and street performers swam by through the humidity. And now I'm typing this poolside at the hostel while we take a literal swim.  Here is Dylan with some reflection:

We really dove into Nicaraguan culture today when we visited their school. They performed a few dances for us while wearing traditional Nicaraguan clothing. Honestly one of the dances was called "Old Man and the Old Woman" dance was pretty funny. Which gave us a pretty good start to our day. When we finally got to work we were joined by a few of the elementary school kids. The group (excluding Jeffrey "Jeff" Pluta) knew enough Spanish to begin to bond with these kids. Soon enough we were playing frisbee with these kids and they were attacking us (playfully...I hope) as if we'd known them for a very long time. We also ate lunch made by a Nicaraguan woman who lives in town. It was real spanish cuisine which is a lot different from American-Spanish food. Once we got back to the hostel, we cleaned up and went zip lining and had dinner. Those were frivolous things, what really made the night was Frank frank, if one is wondering, is our new den mother. With Frank we became victims of a flash mob. It really wasn't that bad, but they solicited us with money. To which Frank said, "I can dance better." I believe in Frank, he is our videographer. Anyways I forgot to mention I got a hot shave earlier. I was kind of nervous when the barber pulled out his cut throat razor but the thought of Frank kept me strong. Anyways it was an all in all good day. I can't wait to see what the rest of this week holds! I hope it holds Frank. 

                             Love, 

                                    Frank's best friend

Okay...Dylan. Tomorrow we work more and then go on a boat tour with some local high school students! Hasta mañana!

Winter buying eggs. 

Leaving the city. 

Played some frisbee. 

The old man and the old woman dance. 

Mas bailando. 

Mixing cement. 

Wall going up. 

Cleaning up lunch. 

Coming in hot.

Post zip line smiles. 

Dinner. 

Dylan and Costello VERY clean shaven.

Day 1

What a long and eventful day it has been!

We had breakfast at Logan Airport over 18 hours ago and have since arrived safely and soundly in Nicaragua with several adventures already under our belts. We ran through the streets of Granada in a torrential downpour to get to a bank for currency exchange only to watch the bank close while most of us were still inside in a long line.  To meet a deadline for a group Spanish lesson, group leaders enlisted the help of a local man who helped with an informal exchange on the bank's street corner, literally flipping through tens of thousands of cordobas and hundreds of US from his pockets to accommodate us.

At the Spanish lesson, we were grouped based on fluency and had over an hour of immersion conversation with several different instructors, cute dogs scampering at our ankles.

Our first dinner together was a true feast at Grill House in Granada. We met Pauline, the president of  the non profit organization La Esperanza Granada which has helped open doors for Amped in this region.  She explained more clearly how and why our project over the next 5 days is tremendously appreciated by the community. We finally felt the relaxation of meal time conversation, all of us sitting at a long table together to have a first experience with local food. Still undecided about the fried cheese.

A short walk back to the hostel and everyone is unwinding.  Some are swimming, some are reading, or sleeping.  Every day we will have a new traveler contribute to the blog during down time. Here is Rowan with some initial thoughts:

When we first got to Nicaragua, it reminded me a lot of Costa Rica because of the random animals on the side of the road, such as horses, dogs and chickens. The brightly colored houses, but most of all the happy faces of the Nicaraguans just sitting on the side of the road. It was truly humbling to see the people here, how unfortunate they are but yet so happy. I find it incredible to be able to experience seeing how they live their lives, and comparing it to my life in Massachusetts. I hope when I come back from Nicaragua I will be able to fully appreciate everything I have. :)

-Rowan 

First day of work and possible zip line excursion tomorrow. Time for some rest.  Finally!

Packing the bus to go to the hostel. 

Driving through Managua and seeing the culture up close for the first time.

Our hostel, Oasis, in Granada. 

Ground rules. 

Jeff at the head of the table. 

Serenade. 

Lots of food. 

Swim and relax in rainwater pool. 

Packing Up!

I hope you are getting your final things together today!

Reminder: Our airport transportation will be at the front of Frontier at 1:15am. That's in 15 hours!! Please be sure to bring your $50 for this service if you haven't gotten it to me yet. 

I realize that no one has signed the release for for the film that is being made. We will have copies tonight when we meet. If you are over 18 you may sign this yourself, otherwise we will need a parent or guardian. 

We will have wifi everyday on our trip. I, Jeff, and our travelers will be blogging here with pictures, updates, and reflections on the work and play that we have everyday. Keep checking in here for that over the next couple of weeks. 

See you soon!

Joe Costello
Joe.costello2@gmail.com
508 944 7917

Jeff Pluta 
Work email: Jeff@ampedforeducation.org

Personal email: jeffpluta@gmail.com

413 364 5300

FINAL MEETING IMPORTANT INFO RECAP

The most important info from last night's meeting is this:

 

There will be bus transportation taking our group directly to Logan Airport from Frontier.  The bus will be in front of the school at 1:15am on Tuesday June 25 BUT REMEMBER ALSO THAT THIS IS REALLY, REALLY LATE ON MONDAY NIGHT!!

A bus will also take our group from Logan Airport to Frontier when we return.  It will most likely arrive at Frontier at around 2:00am on July 4 even though our return flight will arrive late on July 3.  We will be in contact about arrival times later.

This transportation will require an additional cost of $50 per traveller ($25 for each one-way trip). If you only plan on using this transportation for one way, or not at all, that is fine, just please let us know.  I will need to collect one last payment for this service.  Please make checks out to Amped for Education.

We will be flying American Airlines. The flights are:

June 25: leaving Boston on AA flight 801 at 6:40a arriving in Miami at 10:00a
Leaving Miami on AA flight 971 at 1:00p arriving in Managua 1:35p (time change)

July 3: leaving Managua on AA flight 970 at 12:25p arriving in Miami 5:05p (time change)
Leaving Miami on AA flight 1284 at 7:35p arriving in Boston 10:50p

Other information from the meeting:

Our project will be building the foundation and walls for a new classroom at the primary school (about 50 yards from the high school). This classroom will help to accommodate the overloaded population of students at the primary school, providing space to prepare younger students for the rigor of the high school.

Our group will be lucky enough to be filmed as part of a 45 second "commercial" clip and a longer 5 minute "infomercial" to help promote Amped for Education.  I will have waivers to be signed which will serve as your consent to be filmed while we work on our project. You are not required to sign this waiver if you would rather not be a part of it. Come by my classroom early next week and I will have them available. If you have any questions please ask.

As far as bringing cash with you on the trip, it seems like it may be challenging to spend as much as $200. There will be banks and ATMs available while we are there which will allow withdrawals of US currency and cordobas, Nicaraguan currency.  The exchange rate is about 23 to 1 depending on where and how you exchange.  Most business is conducted in cash and while US dollars are accepted in most places, cordobas are preferred. Whether you bring US dollars with you and exchange in Nicaragua or plan on using an ATM for a marginal fee, plan on handling money.  Either way, don't forget to notify your bank that you will be traveling abroad.
It would be ideal to plan and pack to have just one carry on bag.  However, if you must check a bag, the first checked bag will be free.  Any other checked bags after that will be an additional charge.  Please contact us if you are planning on having additional checked bags OR if you are planning on NOT checking a bag at all.  We can use that space to check a bag for you to bring down supplies and thereby avoid costly shipping fees.

Be in touch for more questions!
Joe Costello
Joe.costello2@gmail.com
508 944 7917

Jeff Pluta 
Work email: Jeff@ampedforeducation.org

Personal email: jeffpluta@gmail.com

413 364 5300

Meeting tonight!

In my room! Second floor! 218! See you there!

Last meeting is Thursday 6/13 @ Frontier; 6pm

Our last meeting will be this Thursday at Frontier at 6pm. We will most likely use my classroom. I will meet you at the front entrance and help direct you.

Please bring your questions and any other forms or money that is still owed.  I would really like for everyone to be there. If you cannot make it please let us know.  We can prepare a recap of the info from the meeting to get to you before the trip.

See you soon!