Corn Islands, Part 2

About a kilometer away from our hotel on Big Corn was an incredibly gorgeous beach that, apparently, no one liked to go to.  The water was clear and gorgeous, the sand was soft, there was no trash...and yet, the tourists tended to prefer another, more restaurant-filled, beach instead.  This was much to our delight, since we got the run of the place.  We spent our first day at this beach, after checking into our hotel at around 8:30 a.m. (hooray for early flights!), along with several other of our days.  

At our favorite beach, Long Bay. 

Where is everybody?

Our spot

Daniel really loves the underwater camera. 

I made a few friends along the way.  

I guess I should mention that, aside from the amazing beauty and friendly people, I don't have a whole lot to share with you about the trip.  This is not the place for someone looking for an eco-adventure or a lot of night life (although, admittedly, we didn't really seek out the latter...).  If your idea of a great getaway is laying around ALL day in paradise, reading... then Big Corn is great!

Little Corn Island, on the other had, we found to offer a bit more for the tourists.  This was the place to find the scuba divers, the hippies, the backpackers, the expatriots who made excellent food, and the snorkeling tours.  The island is small, and there are no cars.  We arrived to a muchacho, Mizael, holding up a sign with our names on it. He led us past the divers, hippies, backpackers, and restaurants, then cut across the jungle-y part of the island to the tranquil coast on the opposite side.  After a short hike through the sand we reached our awesome, rustic, beach cabañas.

Over all, this trip was unforgettable.  I can't believe it's so undiscovered, and yet that's exactly what I loved about it.  

Corn Islands, Part One

Tomorrow I go back to work for the last nine weeks of school! I can hardly believe that we're in the fourth quarter and the end is near.  

For those who are keeping us in your prayers, Daniel's Visa appointment at the embassy is in ONE week, on Monday the 16th.  Please pray that we have everything in order and that all goes well. 

And now I shall recant the gloriousness that was our past week....but in parts. As you may know, Daniel and I went with three of my friends to a place called Big Corn Island in Nicaragua.  To get there, we first travelled by bus to Managua, Nicaragua.  Around 3:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, we stepped out of our rolling refrigerator (aka TicaBus, with central air) and caught our first glimpse of Nicaragua.  It wasn't a flattering first impression.  Aside from the sweltering heat, I recall barefoot boys begging and offering to help us with bags and a pair of skinny pigs rummaging through trash.

We were not there yet--just at the border. After passing through customs-part-one we got back on the bus and headed on our way... or so I thought.  Really, we just crossed a bridge and stopped again at another checkpoint.  Parking in a line of vehicles waiting to be fumigated, our bus gave an abrupt shudder and turned off.  Seconds later we could hear the driver, now outside, shout that the bus broke.  I'll skip ahead (past my unreasonably hopeful optimism that it was all just a misunderstanding...) to the part where the bus person informed us that we had to wait there until they could send another bus from Managua (at least 3 hours away..)  Let me just summarize by saying that there is not much nothing to do at the border of Nicaragua.

The beginning of our wait... still in fairly good spirits (and
still trying to pretend it wasn't actually happening)

A little big later, boredom had set in even further.  

Nighttime at the border.  Not fun. 

The surprising highlight of our stay at Nicaraguan customs was when a bus full of fellow Pinares teachers, en route to Costa Rica, rolled in.  Sadly for them, they told us all about how their bus had broken down only an hour into their trip.  However, unlike ours which died in a fairly civilized place, theirs decided to stop in the middle of nowhere, where they were forced to sit on the side of the road for THREE hours waiting for a replacement.  Eeww....

Finally, around 7:00, our new bus came for us and we reached Managua around 10:30.  We checked into a hotel that was far too cute for our meager six-hour stay.  At 5:00 a.m. the next morning we trekked to the airport, gallo-pinto breakfast in hand.

"Gallo Pinto" is the Costa Rican/Nicaraguan
name for rice and beans... and it's oh-so-yummy!

The national flights terminal at the airport

Our boarding passes

Friends on the trip.  The girls were Cara, Sarah, and Stacy.
Let me just say that it is lots of fun introducing yourself
to people when most of your names rhyme.  We changed Stacy's
nameto Farrah by the end of the week, and Daniel became
Ezra, too... for consistency, you know.  

 Finally, after an evening and a morning of far too many lines and far too much waiting, we disembarked our small plane and stepped onto the most beautiful island I've seen!  

More to come! 

homesick

Today I was watching a movie, with the Spanish subtitles (only because they came on and I didn't bother to remove them...), and I noticed that the word "homesick" was translated as nostalgia. It got me thinking about the word, and I looked in my dictionary. The only thing it listed under homesick were nostalgia and to miss. I must say, however, that the way I feel today... the day after leaving my family after a beautiful vacation, is not nostalgia and it's more than missing. It's the first time I can say that I truly feel sick about not being there and utter dread at the prospect of working in the morning. That can't be a good way to get started again. And yet, I know, deep down, that God is faithful. He is constant. And even though I feel like a leave being tossed in the wind, not even knowing what I feel, God knows it all and is in control.

I just looked up and saw this verse that I had posted over my desk, and it seems fitting. Acts 17:26-28:

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'

Third Time's a Charm

I had been to the beach town of Manzanillo twice last year. I really didn't need to go again. However, when the opportunity presented itself to rent a private house on the beach - splitting the cost to make it affordable - I had to jump on it. Especially since it came after a particularly hard week and a year that, to date, hadn't given a day off yet.
I owe a big thank -you to Charla for spending most of Friday (our surprise day off of school) on the phone with a travel agent in Texas, and for getting us a price that ended up being $200 cheaper than the listed low-season price.
Can you believe that we could only round up 4 people to go? Well.. I guess that making the decision the day we wanted to leave didn't help our cause. At 6:00 p.m. we had the OK to come to the house that night. So Charla, Megan, Becca and I left at 6:40 to get to the bus stop at 7.
It was pretty spontaneous. But totally worth it . Check out the pictures below.

Waiting for the bus on the side of the street.

The front of the house.



One of the bedrooms. I am in love with the paintings in this house!

Grilling up some veggies!

A breakfast with a view!

This is our private pool/bar/grill in the back of the house, ON the beach.

The sunset view from the house.

Becca, Me, and Charla in our pool.

You can't help but praise the Creator at times like this!


The dining room... with more awesome art!


The inside view from the back doors




A pretty flower in a photo that I didn't rotate (sorry)!

Independence Day Fun

Click to see pictures!

September 2007 at Lincoln School

September has come and is halfway over. The mid point was marked by the celebration of Mexican Independence Day at Lincoln School. On Friday we had a special flag ceremony with Mariachi guests and costumes. Some of my parents sent in cakes, drinks, and candies for a party. (Unknown by me until that morning!) It was a busy, but fun day... a good prelude to the holiday this weekend!