Devon's Visit

Patrick's sister, Devon, came to visit us for the last 10 days of June. We had a great time while she was here, and it was really nice to share our new world with someone else for awhile.

We didn't let Devon rest much before initiating her to the Nicaraguan experience. She flew in at midnight on a Saturday, and we got up the next morning and had a "quick" breakfast (And by quick, I mean it took about 2.5 hours - we are on Nica time down here. And, for those of you who like to talk about "Melissa time", Nica time blows that out of the water. The two aren't even on the same playing field). Shortly after breakfast and a quick museum trip, a bus picked us up for a zipline tour. The Mombotour Canopy Tour is apparently the "original canopy tour". It is where the whole sport started, and they even have copyrights to prove it. The tour is located 9 miles south of Granada, on the Cutirre Coffee Plantation and the eastern foothills of Mombacho (the volcano that you can see from our house). What Mombotour doesn't tell you about the zipline is that the adventure isn't so much the canopy tour, but the ride up there. I can say without hesitation that the nine miles from our house to the tour site were the longest 9 miles of my life. We rode with four other tourists to the top of this foothill in the back of a Land Rover that had been completely gutted and only contained two bench-like metal seats running perpendicular to the front seat. The road up the mountain was probably the roughest 4-wheel drive road I have ever been on (yes, Josh, you would have been having a blast with your Jeep on this road). The difference here was that our driver considered it just another regular Nica highway, and drove up at about 15 - 25 miles per hour (or so Patrick tells me. I would have guessed at least 40). We were all holding on with both hands so as not to fly out of the vehicle or hit our heads against the windows. Ugh! An adventure to say the least. I laughed most of the way but didn't feel too well at the end.

It was all worth it, though, as the Canopy Tour was beautiful. The forest was lush with coffee plants and the biggest trees and ants I have ever seen in my life. And, at the end of the tour, we got to repel down a tree from 18 meters up. We all had a great time.

Devon worked with us the rest of the week in the office. She was a huge help, being completely fluent in Spanish. She did a lot of translating. Our favorite part of her trip, though, was probably the trip we took to the barrio with her. Volunteers all have the opportunity to visit the barrio and read stories to the younger children if they would like. Devon was very excited about the opportunity. So, we gathered about 25 or so little kids from the program in one of the courtyards of one of the houses in the barrio, and Devon read 4-5 stories to them. The kids loved it! They all paid great attention, and when I asked them what the stories were about in the end, they repeated the information back to me.

After reading the stories, we decided to play some "baseball" in an open field with the kids. The only equipment that we had was a tennis ball - no bases, bats, gloves, or helmets. Given the lack of equipment, we have actually learned the game's rightful name is "handball", though the kids will swear it is baseball. Basically, the way it works is that there are three bases - first, second, and home - and these are marked by some fallen leaves and branches. You divide up into teams of 5 and take the field. There is a first baseman, second baseman, a short-stop of sorts who plays between them, and two fielders. The person batting steps up to the plate, throws the ball in the air with one hand and uses his or her other hand like a bat to hit the ball. Despite the lack of equipment, I have never had so much fun playing "baseball". The kids were so excited. We played boys against girls, with 2-3 teams of each. And overall, the boys, with Patrick coaching, won. But, I do have to say that my team, the Chicas Superas (Super Girls), beat Patrick's personal team. Take that, boys!

What really made that day for all of us, is that we really got to bond with the kids. We all made a lot of friends. I singled out a few girls who kept stealing glances at me and really got to know them. And, of course, we bonded with our teams. Now, whenever we visit the barrio or meet the kids somewhere, we get lots of hugs, and the kids are always eager to hold hands and walk with us. It is nice for us to have the opportunity to become close with these kids, but it is a little sad too. Part of reason they are so eager to be our friends is because we give them attention, which is something they don't get much of at home. But, the relationship is mutually rewarding. We get so much from these kids. They are so generous and loving despite the hand they have been dealt in life. They might have been working from the time they turned eight, only to make a mere $1 - $3 per day. Yet, they always offer to share whatever it is they have - fruit, homemade candy, gum, or even just a chair, as sometimes that is all they have to offer. But, they want you to have it. When we were playing handball, Patrick and I had to be on the field at the same time one game, and we needed one of the kids to hold our backpack. Four or five of the little girls were literally fighting over who was going to get to hold this backpack that probably weighed more than they did. The girl who won held it so proudly, with a smile the whole time. These kids are truly amazing, and they have already burned a spot into our hearts.

The rest of Devon's trip was equally as fun. The Saturday that she was here was distribution day as the kids were just finishing the first semester of school, and we needed to get them supplies for the second semester. All of the kids and parents from the Villa de Esperanza Barrio gathered at a local school to pick up their supplies and write letters and draw pictures for their sponsors back in the states (shameless plug, but if you are interested in sponsoring a child, there is going to be a fundraiser at the Butterfly Pavilions on Sept. 6 - my bday - where you can learn more about the program and sponsor a child for only a little more than $100). It was a lot of fun. The kids were all so excited to see us again and get their supplies. We also got to take a lot of pictures, which they just love! Cameras are the coolest thing for them. After distributing the supplies there, we got to take another trip to the Santa Ana Barrio, which was another rewarding experience. Since Patrick's mom and her company have donated the money to buy the children there boots, we got to get their shoe sizes (most of which they didn't know) and tell them about the boots. The kids and parents were so excited. And, at the end of the day, one of the mother's came up to each of the 10 or so volunteers there that day to thank us all for our work. It was so heartwarming.

For the last couple days of Devon's trip, we took a trip to San Juan Del Sur (a well-known beach town on the Pacific Coast). It was fun to relax a little, and the Maderas beach just north of San Juan Del Sur was beautiful. Given that it is known for its great surf, Patrick rented a surf board and gave the sport a whirl. He got up on his second try! Devon, another volunteer from the program who was visited for two weeks (Kristi), and I stuck with boogie boarding, but we all had a blast! We also saw some howler monkeys, these crazy crabs with fluorescent-orange-colored legs and purple bodies, and a Spanish-speaking parrot!

Alright, that's all for now. We will try to let you know what we have been up to these last couple of weeks soon. In the meantime, thanks for following our adventures and for the wonderful comments. It is so nice to hear back from all of you and to know that somebody is actually reading these things. We miss you all!

Melissa