Today was our first full day in country and we hit the ground running!
We started our day with a quick hike up to Coyotepe, a historic fortification with a museum in the old fort. The fort has been around since the 1800s and has been used as a prison and is now owned by the Boy Scouts of NI. We were able to have a wonderful tour from the local groundskeeper. Diana summed it up best by describing it as moving and humbling.
After all the walking we were served a traditional Nicaraguan breakfast that included rice and beans, eggs, sweet bread, the most delicious fruit, and the biggest avocados I've ever seen. Then we had a wonderful orientation by Diana, one of our facility leaders, and Massiel, one of our in country leader. We learned about the country and its customs as well as all about what we will be doing while we are here. We were oriented to our daily schedules and to what are projects are going to entail.
Finally we went off to our afternoon of work, work, work! We had three main groups: the organizers, the builders, and the painters. The organizers were tasked with unpacking and organizing all of the paperwork we brought with us to use in clinic and to leave here. The builders had the task of building two large mat tables from scratch. And finally the painters went to Los Pipitos Nindiri clinic to re-paint the entire clinic. As you can see from our photos the day was a huge success all around.
As our day was winding down we had the privilege of a the best local music you could find. The dance party that ensued was both a blast and hilarious. We then had another fabulous meal before meeting in our project groups to get the game plans ready for our first day in clinic tomorrow!
Wish us luck as we go out into the community to serve and advance medical care for these wonderful people who have so graciously welcomed us into their country.