Yeah Man

We on vacation!

Last Thursday (when I wrote that I was getting over dengue), we had our last class for over a week! Friday we went to the beach at Poneloya, about 20 minutes from Leon. I went with the Hannahs and their boyfriends, who were visiting on their break. We spent the night on the beach: swimming, watching the sunset, arguing whether or not that boat out there was a cruise ship, freaking out over all the little crabs on the beach (I was mostly the only one freaking out), and laying on our backs looking at the stars. It was a great weekend! We swam and walked a lot on Saturday, and others met up with us.

Sunday, I had bonding time with my papa. He, Alejandro (the 2 year old), and I were the only ones from my family who went to church. He played guitar to accompany all the songs, and I liked it. It was the first time I'd been to church with him. Afterwards, we ate lunch together at a comedor (he had traditional Nica soup, and I had roast chicken. Yum!), and I watched as he and Alejandro got their hair cut. I really enjoyed spending time with him because we don't see each other very much. We have an amiable relationship even though we don't know each other very well, though.

After getting back to the house on Sunday, I packed my stuff for 2 weeks and took a bus to Managua with the Hannahs, their boyfriends, John, and Daniel. John and Daniel got off the bus before us, and the rest of us got off and walked to the Nehemiah Center, where we spent the night. The boyfriends left the next morning at 5 a.m., and we girls took a taxi to the bus station at 9. A bus ride, taxi ride, ferry ride, and microbus ride later, we were at Hacienda Merida, our home for the next three days.

Hacienda Merida is on the island of Ometepe, in Lake Nicaragua. Hannah P, Hannah C, and I shared a room. We brought our own groceries, but we ate supper at the hostel's restaurant. The first night all three of us laid in a hammock together (they had HUGE hammocks!), and we saw some very large spiders. Like the size of a saucer... They freaked us out so the first night, I kept waking up and shaking my sheet, imagining spiders in my bed!

The next day, we were going to hike the extinct volcano Maderas, but after reading signs about how it took 10 hours, required a guide, and was a very difficult, we skipped it. Then we were going to hike to the San Ramon waterfall, but when we woke up in the morning, we decided we'd seen several waterfalls in Nicaragua, and it wasn't worth a 5 hour hike. So we relaxed, took a little walk, and swam in the lake.

The next day, we kayaked to Monkey Island in the morning. Everyone told us not to get close to the monkeys because they are aggressive, and we believed them! But we saw them, and we took pictures. :) At noon, we baked bread with the staff in the kitchen, and they let us try our handiwork - so we got free lunch! Then we embarked on a three hour tour...

We kayaked to the Rio Istiam, in between the two volcanoes on Ometepe Island. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, but we made pit stop so I could take a dip in the water. The river is actually more of a swamp, and we manuevered our way through plants, trees, and narrow passages. It was an interesting experience! We paddled back to Hacienda Merida, very tired because we were fighting the waves and wind, and relaxed that evening. The next morning, our microbus driver picked us up and we left the island.

Us girls had a great time hanging out together. I really appreciate the Hannahs. It is easy to lump them together because they have the same name, but they ARE actually different people, with different personalities. :) They have really blessed me here in Nicaragua, and we are becoming good friends. I could not have asked God to provide better companionship for this trip. I really enjoy spending time with them. We have our funny experiences, shared quotes, etc. Therefore, we have had a great break, hanging out with just the three of us.

Yesterday, we met up with some other guys. Evan, his friend Mike, and Alex, plus us girls, are at San Juan del Sur, a beach in southern Nicaragua on the Pacific. We have rented a house together, up in the mountains. Today we learned how to surf. Plans for tomorrow are pending. We go back to Managua on Sunday. I think that all in all, it has been a great break, and going with other students means that we are all scrambling to finish our homework!

So I'm thankful for good friends, good views, good times, and a good God!

P.S. The title is what Hannah, Hannah, and I say a lot on this trip. :)