March 15 pm - March 16 pm.

Surprise! Today, Ileabeth and Cheri are writing. After lunch, we met up with the graduating class of La Nicaraguita, accompanied by their PE teacher (Alan, Kevin´s host father). We walked to a public park where we waited for a soccer field to vacate before we occupied it. Some of us played a friendly game of soccer whilfe others played volleyball or just chatted with our new friends. Lots of dust and sweat produced some pretty amazingly filthy legs by the time it was all done.
Dinner at 6:00 where we had crepes with cheese (yum) and gallo pinto, the staple dish of Nicaragua. At every meal, we also enjoy freshly squeezed juice of some sort. After dinner, we played our usual game of cards as the students waited for their host families to pick them up. The students are great at using their time together playing cards, goofy, active games, and are never at a loss for what to do. We are actually really quite happy with how patient they are when they need to wait for the next activity. They don´t complain about anything and we LIKE that.
This morning by 7:00, all eleven of them were ready to eat breakfast as we prepared to go to Leon, a large colonial city to the northwest of Managua. A two hour bus ride with the 6th and 11th graders was an active event.... Leon is HOT. The sun was burning all day, but we at least were inside to see the Cathedral and a museum of historical legends. We downed LOTS of water, had a delicious lunch, and probably ate too much ice cream to cool us off. One of our daily checks with the students is to make sure they drink plenty of water. Those crazy kids even played a game of kickball in front of the cathedral on the plaza.
We want you to know how much we are enjoying getting to know your children. They´re really happy to get to know each other and comment how in GS they didn´t interact much and that this trip has given them the opportunity to bond. Their Spanish is progressing largely due to their relationships that have grown after only one week. Some of them are even saying that they want to come back soon....