Hey guys!

This past week was a stressful one. It was my final week of Intermediate 1 Spanish, and we had a presentation and final exam! I’m happy to say that I got an exceptionally well grade in the class, so now I will be moving forward to Intermediate 2!

And, it just so happened that I had been planning to go to Nicaragua that weekend. Perfect timing for celebration!

To get to Nicaragua was a hassle because getting through customs and migration took forever. It took 9 hours to get to our destination, Granada. But, it was well worth it. Granada was breathtaking. Colorful colonial and neoclassical buildings fill the city. I didn’t want to leave! In Nicaragua, American Dollars and Nicaraguan Cordobas are used, so I exchanged my money. It’s so interesting to use a different form of money and learn its equivalencies!

Saturday morning, we went on a tour..for almost 8 hours! It was exhausting but informative and fun. We even received personalized maracas with our names on them! We went to the National Park of Masaya, where we saw a volcano and crater. The views were breathtaking. The craters fumes even had us coughing because they were so strong! We also took a hike up to the top of a huge steep hill. It was a little scary because the dirt was loose making it kind of slippery. But, it as a reward getting to the top and seeing the Caterina Lagoon and Masaya Volcano.

We then took a ride to the city of Caterina for lunch and to check out the artisanal markets. Nicaragua’s specialty materials are leather and ceramics. We also were closer to the Caterina Lagoon, so beautiful! We headed to an indigenous neighborhood where all of the families make livings off of making pottery and selling it. We watched a tutorial and learned every step. For example, they use seeds of fruits to make the exterior shiny-so fascinating!

The day wasn’t over yet! We headed to the city of Masaya to see its famous markets. It had crafts and every day necessities; it was like walking through a maze. We were exhausted at this point, and headed back to the Hotel Real Granada.

The next day, we went on a city tour of Granada. We rode in horse carriages through the city. I got to sit next to the “driver” of the carriage, and got to practice my Spanish very well. He brought us to Lake Nicaragua for us to take a tour of the lake, where there were many private islands, or “isletas,” that people can buy or rent. To our surprise, we saw monkeys! We stopped when we saw them and they were interested in us, coming very close. One monkey was hanging by its tail and drinking water. It was a site to see!

After the lake tour, we got back on the horse carriage to go to the hotel. We had the whole day free after that, so we ate lunch and walked around the whole city. It was amazing experiencing a typical day of a Nicaraguan in Granada.

I honestly didn’t want to leave Granada! But, I will definitely be going back, especially because everything is so cheap there!

Today starts the first day of Intermediate 2 Spanish…wish me luck!

Laura