We arrived on the 2nd July in the evening and despite being tired from a full day of travel we were all excited and eager to get stuck in.
On our first day in Nicaragua we visited a museum to learn about the country´s indigenous origins and culture which we all found fascinating. We saw various artefacts, paintings and exhibits all of which differed greatly from our western culture.
The next morning after breakfast we met the national volunteers for the first time. Some of the group was a bit nervous about the language barrier but these worries were soon put to rest after a day of integration activities. These included many games such as ice breakers, name games, dancing, making posters and singing. This was a great way to bring the group together through fun and laughter.
On Saturday we exchanged presentations and dances from British and Nicaraguan cultures, which all volunteers and Progressio staff found very entertaining. The traditional Nicaraguan folk dance to ´Mi Linda Masaya´ was followed by a mash up of British pop music including Kate Bush, The Spice Girls and Oasis.
The evenings were a great time for all of the volunteers to spend time together and form friendships. One evening we all took a bus to a nearby football ground were we played against each other in mixed teams, some of us showed off our amazing football skills whilst others gave it their best shot.
Sunday morning was spent learning about our eco-latrine project and our partner organisation, Alcadia de Vara de Monimbó. After lunch, we all finished packing our bags and loaded them onto a yellow, American style school bus to head onto Masaya and our host families.
Written by ICS volunteer Pamela Koleosho-Davies.
