Safe Arrival

We are safely in Managua, Nicaragua staying with our first non-governmental organization: Jubilee House Community in Cuidad Sandino. The plane ride went smoothly the bus ride on the other hand, was a different story. Amidst honking cars and bareoot street vendors selling us everything from mangos to water in plastic bags, the accelorator completely stopped working and we came to a screeching halt at the base of a small mountain. although we were all slightly freaking out, we were in good company. An older man approached the bus ringing a bell and selling a cartful of ice cream. So, we munched on ice cream on the side of the road while help arrived to fix the bus. When we finished our ice cream the ice cream man insisted that it was perfectly acceptable to throw our trash anywhere. However, everyone felt uncomfortable and refused to do so. When the bus finally started going, we drove past Lake Managua where a colorful structure was situated. we later found out that this was where Somoza and his 'thugs' threw dead bodies into Lake managua, hundreds of feet below. The volunteer coordinator of Jubilee House, Felicia told us that women would go to the bottom of the cliff and look for their husbands and sons or any other family member that went missing. This definitely brought Nicaragua's tortured history to light.
Managua is a unique, colorul city littered with trash and run down buildings amidst huge 'americanized' bill boards. however, the culture here is bustling with statues and our forms of Nicaraguan pride. We are all so excited to be here and can't wait for all of the adventures to come. Thanks for following us!!