Monday and Tuesday both had morning Spanish classes, along with a lecture Monday afternoon on the history of religion in the Dominican Republic.  The next afternoon we took a field trip into the center of the city to the largest university in the country, Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD).  The university was founded in … Keep reading »

On Saturday the softball (softbol in Spanish) had their first game against a local community team.  GC started out strong and kept the lead through the game to a 7-3 win.  A game scheduled for the basketball team fell through, so they’ll have another game scheduled on Wednesday of next week.  Before that, on Tuesday, … Keep reading »

On Friday the students had their first “typical” day: Spanish classes from 9:00-11:30, lunch, and an afternoon lecture or field trip. Afterwards the students will have practice some days, games some days, or go home to their Dominican families. Classes, lunch and lectures are held at a Mennonite school, Colegio Evangelico Oriental, which also helped … Keep reading »

After a 2-day delay due to a cancelled flight to Miami because of weather, the 18 students arrived on Wednesday to a sunny welcome.  The highs every day here are in the mid-80s this time of the year.  We took a (hot and crowded) bus across Santo Domingo to a church retreat center where the … Keep reading »

May 31, Tuesday – June 3, Thursday On Tuesday we took a field trip to the small town (pop. 3,500) of San Juan del Oriente, where most of the locals work in some capacity producing artisan pottery.  In addition to buying souvenirs, we learned about how the pottery is made, what some of the artistic … Keep reading »

May 28, Saturday The students were woken early Saturday morning by the sounds of roosters (at about 4 a.m.) and the clapping of tortillas being made (at about 5 a.m.).  After breakfasts in our different homes we met at 8:30 to hear some community members talk about an attack by Contra guerrillas in 1984 that … Keep reading »

May 27, Friday Today we left for a two-day field trip to a small mountain community about a four-hour drive away.  About a third of Nicaraguans live in Managua, the largest city, and the students have experienced what that is like.  About a third live in smaller cities, like Jinotepe, and we’ve experienced that.  But … Keep reading »

May 25-26, Wednesday and Thursday Before Spanish class on Wednesday the students had a 30-minute visit from a Nicaraguan college student, Aldair Ortiz Vasquez, describing his work at a call center for Target credit cards.  Students who can speak English can make $500-700 per month, about double the salary of a public school teacher, by … Keep reading »

May 28, Sat. We’ve been out of town the past 3 days, but an update will be posted tomorrow.  On Thursday we played the Universidad American College in Managua’s National Stadium, and on Friday and Saturday we had an overnight field trip in the mountains about 4 hours away, where we played our last game … Keep reading »

May 24, Tuesday The students took a field trip to the Mombacho Volcano National Park, home to a cloud forest ecosystem.  Unlike the Masaya Volcano, this volcano is extinct and much taller, rising to heights above 3,500 feet that are frequently bathed in clouds.  Compared to the flat, low elevation plains at the foot of … Keep reading »