We are here!

After our adventures at the airports, we have finally made it to Managua! We all met at Langley CanRC at around 7 and then hitched a ride to YVR (Thanks Jerry & Nellie!) We intended on coasting through bag drop off and security, but that didn't quite happen. A person who shall not be named (Alyson Bosch), has a passport that doesn't get along with machines... and a completely suspicious profile (so do Alicia, and Steve because they all got "randomly selected for extra searches too). To top that all off, she (Alyson) had the audacity to try smuggle some hand sanitizer onto the plane. Big. No-no. After a lengthly interrogation of which she is legally required to keep completely silent (that, or she was sick of being asked rapid-fire questions), we made it to the gate, enjoyed a round of dutch blitz, got delayed for about a half-hour, we were off! (to Houston anyways).

After a restful red-eye, we arrived in Texas! (Restful meaning the most amount of sleep any of us had was 2 hours... and that was Hannah who was creative enough to curl up on the floor). First thing we had to do after landing: clear customs. All of us Canadians and Hannah (the Yank) went into line at customs while David, (Aka: Cha Ching) our resident Taiwanese/Chinese/almost Canadian, was diverted to the international traveller's line... which was about three times as long as ours. Harold, in the meantime, had been flagged as a suspicious individual diverting him to yet a different line, also three times as long. We went down to collect our bags, only to encounter another very. long. line. Some went through, some waited for Harold and David, and I (Karen) was randomly selected for a bag search. It took a while for us all to make it through that point making more than a couple of us slightly nervous about making our connection! 

After that we only had one more security chech left! Thankfully, none of us were randomly selected :D We even had time to catch some breakfast before we left for Managua! After a 3 hour flight, we made it! Descending into Managua was breathtakingly beautiful. We spied the volcano which we will visit on Saturday and the beautiful tropical foliage. This was juxtaposed with the rusty rooves of the crowded houses of Managua. 

Once we had landed, cleared customs, and collected our luggage (note to travelling persons: black suitcases are overrated), we met up with Nathan Boersma and our translator Lesther (who, by the way, is incredibly hilarious). We went to the Nehemiah Center to get settled in for the night. The drive there was eye-opening in a way that is hard to express. A mass of street vendors all selling the same thing, gaunt horses pulling families on carts, an over-abundance of Toyotas, and some post-modernistic metal yellow tree statues (marks left by the latest dictator's wife) were a few of the sights seen.

Once at the Nehemiah Center, we enjoyed a lunch of beets, rice, beans, and fried papya (yum!). We had a tour of the school and a run-down of it's origins and objectives. To sum it up, what they are doing here is incredibly important, is a massive job, and is so completely blessed by God!

After that we popped over to Nathan Boersma's house. On the streets to get there was a wild assortment of people with no concern for the machines on the road, chickens (so many chickens), a herd of running cows, and a lot of feral dogs. Once we passed the armed gaurd at the gate of their house's compound, we visited with Kim & the kids, enjoyed swimming in the pool and meeting their neighbour's monkey!

But now I'm being yelled at to eat some dinner. Goodbye!