Hola de Nicaragua! Upon safe arrival in Managua, I made the fairly short drive north into Esteli, located in the nicaraguan highlands. The city, with more than 100,000 inhabitants, is loud, colorful, and bustling with activity. Because of it's rich revolutionary past, many of the people here are direct descendents of the sandanista's and speak openly of their political views. I am currently living only a block from my spanish school, with a wonderfully polite family (abuelita, padres, y dos ninos) and a medical student visiting from San Francisco.
Classes are draining, and I am discovering my love of the afternoon siesta. Each day, the other students and I are taken to a different place of cultural interest. On Monday, we visited the Casa de Cultura and learned about Nicaragua's rich artistic culture. Esteli, in particular, is known for it's vast amount of colorful murals, which grace the walls of many of the buildings here. Yesterday, we visited Las Mujeres, a group of women who use the town's trash to make organic compost and paper. They then use the paper to create beautiful arts and crafts for sale to both Nicaraguenses and tourists. Today we visited the local library, which is powered by a solar panel! Classes are taught there, and the children learn about the various forms of renewable energy that can be employed in the more rural areas of Nicaragua. I checked out a book of famous Nicaraguan poems, for there is a saying here that, loosely translated, says, “everyone in Nicaragua is a poet until they prove otherwise.” The poems are tragic, symbolic, sensual, political, social, and above all, beautiful. What a way to view the Spanish language!

I haven't managed to take many pictures, but since it was father's day at my host family's house this last Sunday, I couldn't help snapping a few photos of their adorable children, Katherine and Michael (named after the one and only Michael Jackson. I kid you not, they share birthdays.)

Too cute!

I can't wait to get out of the city and into the Nicaraguan countryside, but for now, there is an endless supply of this fabulous country right here in Esteli, and I can't wait to discover more of it.
I miss you all back in Santa Cruz and beyond.

Abrazos y Besos

Taylor