I promised an update on my trip to Nicaragua, and here it is. I had this half-completed and saved as a draft for the past month. Better late than never, right?
My trip to Nicaragua was great. It was so exciting to see good friends from college and to enjoy some poolside relaxation. It was a great encouragement to swap stories and talk about how Manna can improve as an organization. I got to visit MPI Nicaragua's communities, and I attended most of their programs. I got to compare our Women's Exercise and English classes. It gave me several ideas to try in our communities. Even though our community members and cultures are very different, I think some activities and teaching methods can be applied to both sites.
One of my favorite parts about my visit was helping out with their Child Sponsorship program in La Churreca (the city dump, where a large number of people live and work). We got to give oatmeal and powdered milk to kids in the program. I also enjoyed their Intermediate English class. They had several tables filled with students and a PD doing one-on-one help at each table. It was super interesting to see how successful some of Nicaragua's programs have become in 5 short years.
Our Mini-Hokie Reunion
All in all, it was a great trip, but I was excited to get back to Ecuador and the work I've been involved in. Ecuador has truly become home, and we have nowhere to go but up.
