Hello from Nicaragua!
When we last sent a story to the Observer on this trip, we had just arrived in Granada, a major city south of Managua the capital of Nicaragua.
Our plan was to spend the first week getting settled and acquainted with the city, the climate and local customs. The plan worked.
In the first few days, we walked many kilometres through the historic districts of the city, while getting very accustomed to the friendly greetings that came from almost every doorstep we passed.
We visited the numerous churches and made an effort to fit each of them into the evolution of this part of Nicaragua.
Not surprisingly, they’re a parallel symbol to the European conquest of Central America.
That said, they’re beautiful examples of religious architecture from as far back as the mid-1500s.
The second major part of our plan was to complete some much-needed Spanish language schooling.
Having travelled many times to Mexico and Central America, we’ve always regretted not taking the time to learn the language.
It would be so nice to carry on a conversation with the people we meet!
Before we left Quesnel, we chose a school and arranged for a three-week “immersion” program.
Bring it on!
The immersion was literally that.
We stayed with a lovely Nicaraguan family in their home just 10 minutes walk from the school. It was not only an immersion in the language but one of culture as well. The food was typical Nicaraguan fare and the family was devoutly religious.
We were respectful of their customs and appreciated everything they did for us during our stay.
When I say typical “fare,” many meals included Gallo Pinto, the rice and beans mixture that can be served for breakfast lunch or dinner.
We also had many panqueques for breakfast along with delicious fresh tropical fruits, including papaya, watermelon, pineapple and the local favorite “mandarinos” – the super delicious orange grown locally.
The experience at the language school, Spanish Dale was both rewarding and exhausting.
Starting every day at 8 a.m., we’d typically begin the day’s lesson with a conversation around the table with our instructor, Arleen.
All sorts of topics were covered in the 15 days we were with her: weather; characteristics of food in Nicaragua; and in Canada; living in British Columbia; living in Nicaragua; how we live with bears; and she lives with scorpions; religion and politics.
Oh, and the major differences between the English and Spanish languages.
During the “conversations” if we didn’t know or understand a word, we’d stop, Arleen would write it out and we’d record it for future us. (We have TONS of these notes!)
After the morning discussion, we’d start into structured lesson plans covering the basics of every necessary combination of verbs – regular/irregular – even the ones that end in irse-erse or arse, feminine/masculine nouns, adjectives, idioms, prepositions and all the exceptions to the primary rules.
In the first week, we made major progress with common introductions and questions.
By the third week, it settled into a fairly intense information storm.
As the linguistic wave crashed over us, we felt a little overwhelmed but willing to push on through this chunky bit.
It paid off. We are conversing and we are understanding. Wow!
Our stay in Granada was a truly wonderful time. We met many people and made many friends.
At the end of January, with tons of memories in our backpacks, we travelled west to the incredible Laguna (lake) de Apoyo.
According to Wikipedia, it’s an endorheic lake, meaning the influx and outflow of underground water plays a major role in the lake’s water balance.
Water flows in, and water flows out.
Formed around 23,000 years ago, the deep thermally heated lake is almost seven km across and is round in shape. No wonder, it’s a volcanic crater!
The water is full of natural minerals and when you’re swimming in the warm crystal clear water, it tastes salty!
Our stay was at a deluxe hostel with the appropriate name “Paradiso.”
So, our first month has been a total success.
Every day, we practice more of our Spanish and it’s even getting comfortable to talk to people from Nicaragua.
Next stop? The island of Ometepe.
An incredible sight from a distance, the island was formed around the base of two volcanoes. Incredible.
We’ll send an update to the Observer from down the road. Thanks for reading, and thanks to the Observer for allowing us to send you these stories.
If you’d like to have a peek at our blog and many more photos please visit: http://quesnelbikers.com
Chris and Heather Hartridge are residents of Quesnel who have recently embarked on a journey through various Central American countries.
