Baseball!

Today we went to a baseball game, the Sharks against the Coffees. We were rooting for the Sharks that is Granada's team and the Coffees are from Carazcos. The Coffees are the number one team in Nicaragua. This is the Major Leagues for Nicaragua. The weird thing about baseball in Nicaragua is that the players are really lazy in running to get the ball. For example if the ball is really close to them they would sometimes miss it because they didn't make an effort is what it looked like. Also they didn't run as fast as they could, which was strange. In the end it was a close game.   The Sharks barely won in the last minute, the guy for once was running as fast as he could and made it!

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Zip Zip Zip Lining and our Forest Adventure :):):):):)

One day I went Zip Lining in the cloud forest.  I had a really fun time!! One of the times I got to go by myself on the zip line!! I got to see monkeys and a sloth on our hike around the crater!! If you ever go zip lining it is a lot of fun and I promise you will enjoy it especially if it is in the cloud forest.

Posted by Andie Guy

Quite Bizarre!

Every once in a while in Nicaragua you will see some cows or horses grazing in the streets. They will just slowly walk on the road even if a car is coming. You just stare at them wondering what are they doing. It is quite bizarre, but also very interesting and crazy. Mainly you will see horses like two or three at the most. They don't even seem to mind you, it is like you are totally invisible to them.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Observations on the people and the country of Nicaragua!!!!!

While on our trip to Nicaragua so far I have made many observations and learned about the history of Nicaragua and its politics. Nicaragua is a developing country which means it has limited infrastructure and an unstable government!!! A developing country is a lot different than our country. Here people don't have clean water, some people only get water once a week. Also people have very limited electricity and always have to wash all of their clothes by hand. A big problem in Nicaragua is education. Schools require students to wear a uniform and shoes. Many poor families can not afford a uniform and then their kids can not go to school. It is very sad the amount of kids that don't go to school because of money. Instead of education these kids end up having to work to raise money for their families. Also I have made a lot of observations on the politics of Nicaragua. Nicaragua is still governed by a dictator, however it is working toward a democracy!! In November Nicaragua will have its 3rd or 4th election. The current president Daniel Ortega will probably win the election and stay in power because there is no one to run against him. Unlike the U.S. the government struggles to keep its people fed and working!! Thats why the U.S. is such a great place to live. We are very lucky to live in such a good country with clean water, lot's of food, work and the right to vote for our government!! That is my observation on Nicaragua and it's people!!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

The Nicaraguan School Uniform -- Blanco and Azul like the Nicaraguan Flag

Monkeys & Sloths

Yesterday, when we were walking around Mumacho above us in the trees were some monkeys there were 3-4 in the tree. They were howler monkeys, our guide Moises knew how to speak the language so he was howling to them. They ended up howling back, they both sounded the same. They were jumping around in the tree howling. A little further down Moises spotted a sloth sleeping way up in the trees. It was crazy how he spotted it, it blended in with the trees so well.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

ZIP LINING!

Yesterday, we went zip lining! It was so much fun, it was cool because it was in the cloud forest. They said that sometimes the monkeys would jump on the lines and just sit there. Andie was the first one to go, she went with Mario because she was to small. There were a few times where Andie could go by herself. There was als different things like the Slack line. They just connected you to the wire and you could jump up and down to make the other people fall. After that one was the swing (another one Andie could go on by herself). This one you were connected to ropes and just dropped down and then swung up. It was a lot of fun, my mom screamed. Then then were a few more and then came the part were you repelled down. Andie went first again with Mario this one they dropped you strait down and then stopped you. We all went fast. I even told the guy to do fast for my mom. She told him slow.  She screamed the whole way down!

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Zip Lining, Monkeys, and Mombacho!!!!

I was really worried I was going to drop my camera down into the trees!

Yesterday/ayer we went to Volcan Mombacho to zip line, see monkeys and and to hike around the crater. First we went zip lining which was very fun. There were 12 lines that we went on which were very fast and exciting. There was also a slack line and a repel which were kinda scary. I really liked the repel though. We were all dropped very fast and close to the ground. He even did it to my mom and dad which was so funny to see the look on my moms face. Priceless!! And there was a swing where you could be George of the Jungle. I enjoyed doing that. After zip lining we had a tour of the crater from Moises who was really really good. He showed us many things and took us to some live thermal vents, which were really cool. If you fell in one after 12 feet you would be dead. We went to the second highest point on Mombacho. From the top you could see all of Granada, Lago de Nicaragua, and the 365 islands of Granada. Next to the crater are cell towers for Claro, the tv station and a bank.  I was surprised there were so many cell towers in a National Park.  We really wanted to see monkeys but we did not see any zip lining or on our hike.  On the final part of our hike, next to the visitor center, we saw four monkeys up in the tree. Moises speaks monkey which was super cool. Seriously he was talking to them and they were grunting back. He tried to teach us but we were not very good. Also on our way down we saw a sloth. It was sleeping up in the tree. So far, this was my favorite day!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Looking at Granada and Lake Nicaragua with Moises

Tortilla Shapes

At dinner one night we made home made tortillas, I started to make shapes out of them. The first shape I made was Mickey Mouse!!! It almost broke while putting it on the tortilla pan but Nielsen fixed it. He was flipping them all over while Andie and I made them. Then Nielsen asked me to make him a Cal Bears or a Green Bay Packers tortilla. I made a Green Bay Packer one for him, it was easier. Andie was also making shapes and she made a Mickey Mouse one.

Posted By Maren Guy<3

Spanish Lessons and the Churches!!!

This morning nosotros/we had Spanish Lessons with Mundo and Flavia! I learned a lot this morning like the days of the week and the month!! Luna is Monday. Hoy which is today is Mercolies, Wednesday!! Enero is January in Spanish!! Today we also visited the churches in Granada!! The first one was Catholic  and named La Merced!! I liked it there. For a dollar we got to go to the top into the bell tower. From the top you could see all of Granda including Mombocho!! Mombocho is a volcano!!  While we were in the bell tower the bells rang. It was very loud but really cool!! The next church we went to was also Catholic but much bigger!! Catedral is bright yellow and in Parque Central!! Again, we went to the top of the bell tower for a dollar!! Up top in the bell tower you had a great view of Lago de Nicaragua and Parque Central. Guess what they also rang the bells while we where up there, which was awesome. I really like both of the churches, which are very important in a Nicaragaun's life!! The churches here are beautiful and have great views!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy!!!

I Don't Get It????

What I really don't get about spanish is that really little words in english can be really long words in spanish. Like for example, We in spanish is Nosotros which is a lot longer than we.  There is also a lot more like, Ask which i spanish is Preguntar. I just don't get it?????



Posted By Maren Guy<3

I got a $100 for my tooth!!!!!!

I got a hundred for my tooth, I was surprised. Especially because I lost my tooth right away. I didn't really get a hundred dollars for my tooth. I got a hundred cordobas, which is really five dollars. The reason I did the dollar sign is because they some times use it for cordobas. I'm excited to use it, but I don't know what to spend it on because there are so many cool things to buy in Nicaragua!!!!!


Posted By Maren Guy<3

The Day I Got My Doll Madison

Yesterday, I got my doll at the Mercado Viejo in Masaaya.  She was made in Nicaragua.  Her name is Madison.  Her dress is orange, white, pink, blue and silver.  I got a dress just like Madison.  I even have her shoes, her bows and her braids.  I also have the white skirt that goes under her dress.  She has black hair and she has the same color of skin as I do.  She can do a cartwheel on the rocking chair.

We took the autobus to the Mercado Viejo in Masaya.  I sat in the back of the bus on my mom's lap.  We sat next to the door.  Every once in awhile the door would fling open.  It was exciting and scary.  Good thing my mom was holding me tight.  I got hot on the bus.

Posted by Andie Guy

Managua, Managua, Managua, Managua!!!

Today, for the first time we rode the public buses. It was so much fun!!! The buses go from Managua to Granda and back and forth. It's crazy and scary in a way!! There are these guys who stand in the front and back doorways yelling "Managua, Managua, Managua" or  "Granda, Granada, Granada."  They hop on and off the bus while it is still moving.  They then shove as many people on as they can!! In the morning it was very crowded because women were bringing large baskets of food on the bus! The bus driver barely stops at the stops. It is really fast moving and they drive super duper fast. It is a bit crazy!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Nicaragua: What do you think of?

Nicaragua is a little known country in Central America--yet we all have images of this country. What are yours? I have three that I remember before visiting.

New Years Day 1973. My mother, a huge baseball fan, tells me at breakfast that Roberto Clemente had just died in a plane crash. At eight years old I had a baseball card of Mr. Clemente, but not much knowledge of him or what he was doing when he died. My father regaled me with Clemente stories--he had the best arm in the majors, could hit for average and hit the long ball--he could do it all and better than his more famous contemporaries such as Aaron and Mays.

My mother told me that he was a good man, a humanitarian, and he had been helping people in the Caribbean and Central America that were suffering. I vaguely remember that he was flying to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake hit Managua around Christmas 1972. We now know that he was flying on a DC-7 on his fourth trip to Managua after it had been reported that the Samoza's were taking the supplies that he and many others provided and selling it to people suffering in Managua.

Fast forward to 1987 and we all remember watching Oliver North on the TV telling Congress about a grand scheme to sell Iran weapons so the money could be funneled into a group called the contras in Nicaragua. Huh? I remember being puzzled about this mess and why people cared about this place called Nicaragua.

At about the same time as the hearings, the band U2 released its now famous album the Joshua Tree, with a stirring song called "Bullet the Blue Sky." This song, which was about civil war in El Salvador and Nicaragua, became a powerful song and political statement on US policy in Central America that has been etched in my mind every time I have seen U2 perform.

Posted By David Guy

Washing Machine

Today, when we were walking to the store to pick up some groceries, there was a man who was caring a washing machine out of a truck in to a store. It almost looked bigger than him. He was caring it by putting a corner on his shoulder, leaning it up against his head and holding it to keep it balanced. It was crazy but amazing! On our way back  from the grocery store there was a little girl with a camera, she took a picture of me and my brother and sister. She probably does not usually see people with blond hair and blue eyes.


Posted By Maren Guy<3

Tortillas are always in your life!

One day I made home-made tortillas with Isabel, our friend in Granada, and my sister Maren. They are really, really good. We added queso to make quesadillas. We first went to the mercado and bought the Mesca, which you then add water to make the tortillas. This tradition began with the Mayan people in this area. We ate the tortillas by the pool while we were having our usual afternoon rain.

Posted by Andie Guy

CHURCH BELLS AND FIREWORKS!!!!!!

The Churches in Granada have bells that toll every hour!! It is very nice to know what time it is!! I even hear them throughout the night!!! It can get annoying at times but its not as bad as the fireworks!! Fireworks are a huge thing in Granada, and none of them are illegal!! Lucky them.. Just in the middle of day at any time you will just hear a pop. People do fireworks all day and night long. It's awesome because in the middle of the night you see fireworks going off!! It's really cool to see them all the time!!

Posted By Nielsen Guy

Chocolate, Yum!

Today at the Choco Museum we learned about chocolate and the cocoa bean.  First, we roasted the cocoa beans over a fire in a big bowl.  We stirred the beans around until we started hearing a popping noise.  It was very hot stirring the beans!  Next, we took the shells off all the cocoa beans and separated the shells for tea and the beans for chocolate.  It was hard to crack the cocoa bean shells.  Then we ground the cocoa beans using a mortar and pestle and turned it into a paste.  We turned the cocoa paste into a drink using water, the cocoa paste, cinnamon and honey.  It was very bitter -- yuck!  The second drink we ground up more cocoa beans into a paste and added cold water, ice, chili, honey, cinnamon and vanilla.  Same -- yuck!  The last drink we ground up more cocoa paste and mixed it with milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. That one was tasty!  When we were done with the drinks we started to make our chocolate bar.  In a machine they were mixing the cocoa paste and sugar for five hours.  Usually they mix the paste for 24 hours.  We were given a small bowl of the mixture and had a choice to add another flavor.  The flavors were bananas, rum, coffee beans, cashews, peanuts and chili powder.  I chose bananas.  Then you mixed it all together and poured it into a chocolate bar mold.  Tomorrow we can pick up our bars!!!!

Posted by Maren Guy<3

TODAY!!!

Today was awesome!!! This morning we had Spanish lessons with Mundo and Flavia! I learned a lot today!! After Spanish lessons we went swimming for a while. We are working with Andie to become a better swimmer! Then we went on a carriage ride around downtown Granada!! It was lots of fun!! Luckily we found a guy who could speak English!! We went around and saw many churches and important places in Granda. I learned there are 11 catholic churches in Granda!! After our carriage tour we went and sat at hotel and watched kids of the street perform a drum dance!! It was very cool, plus we slipped them a tip!! At 4 we went to a chocolate factory!! There we learned how you get coca beans ready to make chocolate!! Then with our coca beans we made three drinks that the Aztec, Mayan and European people drank!! After the three drinks we got to make chocolate bars, which tomorrow we will go pick up!! That was our day today!!  Lots of fun!!!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

By myself and back

Yesterday my brother and sister taught me how to swim across the pool and back without touching the wall.  Sometimes I dove off the side of the wall on the way back.  I really love to swim.  Even though it is too deep for you it doesn't mean you cannot swim.  Swimming in Spanish is called nadar.  Me gusta nadar!

Posted by Andie

Nacatamales!

The nacatamales here are delicious.  It is the best tamale I have ever had.  Our friend Isabel picked some up for us this morning.  The nacatamale is wrapped in a plantain husk and steamed for an entire day.  It is made of corn, tomatoes and pork.   I ate mine for lunch.  Nicaraguans eat their nacatamales for breakfast.  On Monday, Isabel is going to teach us how to make handmade tortillas.  We have to go to the mercado and pick up masaca (corn flour) so she can teach us.  Tomorrow we are going to the Choco Museo and learn how to make chocolate.  I cannot wait!

Posted by Maren Guy<3

Spanish Lessons and going for a Run!!!!

Nielsen, Maren, Andie and Mundo studying Spanish

This morning was great!! We woke up and had breakfast. At 9 we had Spanish lessons with Mundo and Flavia again!!! It was a good lesson!! Maren actully woke up today for Spanish lessons. Mundo had to catch her up. While he was doing that I was going back and forth between Mundo and Flavia!! I learned some new stuff today, not much though!! My dad went for a walk while the 4 of us had Spanish lessons. After Spanish lessons my dad came back and we went for a run down to Lago de Nicaragua!! When we got there two ninos were playing their kind of foot ball/soccer. My dad and I joined them and played football with them. It was lots of fun except they killed us. Well now were going to downtown Granada!!! It has been sunny this morning and is now becoming cloudy!!!!!! :(

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Ingelise and Flavia

DINNER AT DON LUCCA'S!!!!

Well the rest of the day we went swimming!! For dinner we went out to Don Lucca's a pizza place. It was pretty good pizza. It was definately good comfort food!!   Now we are back at the house swimming. Fun!! We are going to go to bed early tonight to get some good sleep!!!!

Posted by Nielsen

OUR FIRST SUPER MARKET SHOPPING TRIP!!!!!

This is Isabel!!!

Our first trip to the super market, wow was it crazy but fun!! We got there and the food looked normal. All of sudden the power went out for a minute. Then it kept turning on and off. It was crazy. We bought a lot of groceries and we had a very full cart!  Then we checked out and it was still dumping down rain!!! We had to wait for a taxi for about 10 minutes in the rain!! Then a taxi picked us up with one man already in the front seat.  So he says all 5 of us can fit in there with all of our grociceries. So we load up all our food and get in. Maren is sitting on my dad's lap, I am in the middle and Andie sat on my mom's lap. We then got back and it started dumping rain again. So we unloaded and made it back safely. Now we are eating lunch and talking to Isabel the future movie star!! She is awesome!!!!

Posted by Nielsen

Spanish Lessons!!!

This morning I woke up to see two people waiting at the living room table!!! It was our Spanish teachers Mundo and Flavia.  Mundo is my teacher and Flavia is for my mom and dad.  Mundo was awesome!! We went over verbs and pronouns.  He is really good. My Mom and Dad also really enjoyed Flavia!! It was fun and I am already speaking some Spanish. We also met Isabel the house cleaner. She is very nice too!! During Spanish lessons Maren slept the whole time. While I was working with Mundo it was sunny then just started to thunderstorm and rain like crazy. Awesome. Now we are going swimming in the pool. Well that was our morning!!!

Posted by Nielsen Guy

WE FINALLY MADE IT TO GRANADA!!!!

Finally we make it  to Granada!!! Yayyyyyyyyy!!!!  We drove through Managua which was a little sad. The people were happy though. That is good!! Our driver Reberto was awesome. He was really funny  and had good info! We made it to the house we are renting. It's amazing. Really big and has a pool in the middle of it.  It's amazing here. The cook Ivania had a delicious meal prepared for us. It was really good. We then toured around Casa Consulado the house we rented, which was great. Then we went swimming in the pool, which was very relaxing!!! Well this is our first night in Nicaragua and we already like it a lot.

Posted by Nielsen Guy

Long Day!

Tired but excited to go to Nicaragua today.  I really want to rent a monkey while in Nicaragua but my mom and dad say no way.  I have been working on my Spanish and I am getting  better.  It will be interesting to see what my tutor says about my Spanish.  I am excited to learn more.  The plane ride was really long.  We are getting on another plane in 30 minutes.  I will let you know what it is like in Granada tomorrow!

By Maren Guy<3

Miami International Airport

It is a pillow it's a pet it's a pillow pet. LOOK the pillow pet  showing the blonde cute girl love!!!

We made it to Miami!!! Yayyyyyyyy!!!!! Five hour flight!!! I had to sit by a really boring and rude guy. Was he the worst. Well anyway otherwise it was a good flight!!!! Well now we have to wait for four hours to get on our next flight to Mangua, Nicaragua. Also two pictures of looking out of the plane and of me drinking orange juice. Ha

Maren was working on her Spanish on the ipad!!! And watching a movie.   Bad girl. Only focus on Spanish. No movie!!!!

American Airlines Lounge!!!!

WOW finally we get in here. It is awesome there's food, drinks, plugs and T.V.'s. The American Airlines Lounge is a really good place to wait for your flight. Well I am enjoying blogging. It's Nielsen that's blogging right now!!!

Airport

This is when i was blogging at 4 in the morning in SFO!!! I was so tired then!!!!

Sitting in the airport waiting for our flight. Had to get up at 2 in the morning!!!
Really excited to go to Nicaragua!!!