DAY TWO

Day 2 was a rewarding day. The experience of exploring vibrant markets, finding beautiful fabrics and seeing the historical depth of Granada was wonderful. Beautiful parks and cobble stone streets while doing a walking tour of the area, ending in a quaint cafe for a cold beverage before heading back to home base.
Sandra and I are ready with our locally sourced soccer balls, ball gloves, balls, bats and the many other craft supplies that we will use to work with the children this week at the schools.
A team effort we compiled 20 first aid kits Janice will have for teaching her first aid classes.
Kim and Cindy will have some great materials to work with the local women creating some beautiful clothing pieces
Fun day had by all today. To bed in good time to be ready to start our week in the villages.

Becky   

Thanks to everyone who donated money towards the sewing program, first aid course and for the sports equipment.

Re: Day 1

Hello everyone! As the newbie in the group (that’s me!), I have the honor of writing the post for Day 1 of our travel to Nicaragua with Commit! There are five of us in total, and so far, it has truly been wonderful to work alongside such a great group. They are energetic humans focused on making a difference in the world.

Day one was a travel day from Toronto to Costa Rica, and then onward to Nicaragua. (And for me, it also included the Vancouver to Toronto leg at the beginning!) The flight to Costa Rica was relatively uneventful—just a cola, a cookie, and one nap, and we were there. The true excitement happened when we arrived in Costa Rica. Having to cart our own luggage down from the plane to the tarmac was a great way (not!) to wake up the body after sitting for over four hours in a fetal position. Passport control was uneventful, and all our humanitarian luggage arrived—yay! Then everything had to be x-rayed... the first of many countless luggage x-rays.

We had a wonderful driver who met us outside the airport, and he was obviously a Tetris expert because he managed to squeeze all our luggage into the back of the van. Then onward we went toward the Nicaraguan border. Ninety minutes later, we were dropped off at the border, where we had to haul our luggage on foot. I thought we were heading to the Nicaraguan border immediately, but nope! We had to “check out” of Costa Rica first. (I think that trip was probably the shortest stay I've had in any country!)

After “checking out,” we walked toward the Nica border with our personal luggage, backpacks, and all the humanitarian bags distributed among ourselves. Did I mention that it was hot? Yeah, it was hot—like, hot hot, and not just hot. We were randomly stopped for passport checks while walking; I have no idea why.

Finally, we arrived at the Nica border, and for a whole US dollar, we were permitted to enter the building. Yes, one dollar—not ten or twenty, but one whole dollar (albeit a US dollar). The process took a long time, but we managed to make it through customs and our luggage through the x-ray machine. My humanitarian bag, filled with art supplies, games, and sports equipment, was opened for inspection, but luckily, nothing was confiscated, and they allowed me to proceed. Having everyone and everything clear customs felt like a bit of a miracle. There were visible sighs of relief once we were all outside.

Then, we had to walk again, dragging all our bags. Did I mention that it was hot? Yeah, it was hot. Eventually, we met up with Edgar, who had hired a van to take us to our casa near Nandaime. The casa is lovely and was a true sight for sore eyes after a long travel day. Romy, our cook, prepared a wonderful home-cooked meal for us. Delish—exactly what we needed! A swim after dinner capped off the night and made for a great first day. Everyone’s looking forward to what’s next!

Sandra