2nd week in Nicaragua
Geplaatst
op 06 mei 2018 om 21:26 uur
As some of
you may know, the reason I am in Nicaragua is because I am currently doing a
minor, called Global Health. Last week I had to write my first reflection for
school purposes. After writing it and rereading it I thought; might as well
post it online for more people to read, so I did. The reason I’m writing this
now is because my teacher came back to me reminding me of the fact that this is
an international minor and that I should not forget that even now, everything
still has to be written in English in order to be graded sufficiently (oops…).
So if anyone was wondering what the change of languages is about, well this is.
If anything though, it just makes it possible for more people to read.
Another
week in Nicaragua has passed, which means that I now have received my Spanish
certificate. I can’t exactly say that I’m super pro in Spanish now, but when I
ask people to speak slowly I can kind of figure it out. Those verbs are a thing
though… Did you know that there are 14 tenses? It’s impossible! I think I’ll
just write them all down and carry it with me in my back pocket, if my pocket
is big enough…
This week
started off with a visit to San Juan Oriente, which is a little place near
Granada. A lot of the pottery that is being sold on the markets, is made here.
We got some instructions and then it was time for us to give it a go. I made my
own little vase and it did not look like the work of a two-year-old (not disappointed)!
After, we went to Catarina, a place that has a nice view over Laguna de Apoyo.
They had the most beautiful horses there, but not the way I’m used to seeing
them. They were only being used for pictures with tourists, so they had to
stand still in the sun all day with their heads pulled down. I kind of struggle
with the different view on horses here. I guess when you grow up with them,
learning about how sensitive they are, it’s strange to see it being so different
here. Here they are nothing more than a creature that has the strength to pull
an incredible amount of weight for a very long time. And as long as they don’t nearly
collapse, they don’t need any food or water, so why waste the time right? They
are incredibly skinny and so tired that when you leave them in the street they
won’t move a leg. I try not to look them in the eye and just accept that this
is a different culture that is just new to me.
On Tuesday I
went to the market for the first time. It’s not a very big one but it is nice
to walk through. It kind of feels like Bangkok with all the funky foods, the
amount of people and the honking taxi’s trying to get through. I don’t know why
but, on a market, that’s when I always specifically realise that I’m on the
other side of the world.
Another
visit that I made was to volcano Masaya. This is an active, but mellow volcano.
Sometimes you can actually spot the lava. But during the day you’re often not that
lucky (we weren’t). The smoke is quite impressive as well, so it wasn’t a dull
trip. The smell of the smoke is really strange and after 20 minutes you have to
leave because supposedly it’s not good for your health if you stay longer. I
really want to go back there during the night to hopefully see the lava.
Yesterday
we had quite the extreme day. We decided to climb all the way to the top of the
Mombacho volcano. The only information we got is that it was a 2,5h walk to the
top and that we could do a nice hike up there. So we did! We started a little early
so it wouldn’t be so hot, but after half an hour we were soaking wet. The roads
were so incredibly steep, that even the trucks with the people that weren’t
walking (everybody except us) really struggled. As someone who doesn’t exercise
on a weekly basis (or monthly for that matter, oops) this was quite the
challenge. When the roads just kept coming and kept getting steeper to a point
where it was easier to just use your hands besides your feet I really didn’t
think I was going to make it. So when we made it to the top I was super
relieved and proud of myself. After resting for a bit we did the 1h trail which
was nice and less extreme than the way up. We had a great view up there because
it is at a height of about 1400m. When going back down we hesitated for a second
to just hop on a truck that could take us downhill. But we came this far, we
were going to finish it. And downhill, I thought, isn’t very intensive. That’s
where I was wrong, again. It’s not as active but man, I don’t think my legs
have ever been shaking so much (I clearly skipped leg-day, a few hundred times).
The way back took us about 1h15, I was super relieved when we got there. This
might be the hardest thing I ever did, but I did it! We took the old yellow school
bus back to Granada, which only costs 10 cordobas (1US$). We still went out for
drinks last night, after the hike. But I was very happy to be in bed after!
This week
has been another great week for me. I love discovering the country and I have only
yet seen the tiniest part. Next weekend we might try to go a little further, to
the coast.
Tomorrow I
start working at the school in Pantanal, the slum next to Granada. I’m curious
to see what it will be like. Next week I’ll be writing about that a little
more.
Reacties
Peter Clark
Geplaatst op 07 mei 2018 om 09:54 uur
Good luck today!
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Ina
Geplaatst op 06 mei 2018 om 22:29 uur
Hartstikke leuk Iek!
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Krista
Geplaatst op 06 mei 2018 om 21:47 uur
Leuk verslag Iek, goed geschreven ook! Veel succes met je eerste werkdag morgen! ????????????
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Caroline
Geplaatst op 06 mei 2018 om 21:36 uur
Super weer iek! Succes morgen!
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