Days 1 and 2: From Seattle to Granada!

Christine, Lily, and Bill

How exciting! Christine, Lily, and I met up with Bill at the airport in Seattle and finally learned a lot of the information we were missing about the start of Los Pipitos and what we can expect. We spent the layover time in Houston in the President's Lounge as Bill's guests (a great way to spend the time!) and we were finally on our way to Managua at 5:50 p.m.!

Hotel con Corazon: Breakfast Area

My Cozy Room!

Bill had a bus waiting at the airport and we arrived in Granada at 10:00 p.m. There wasn't anyone at the reception desk at that hour, but I was given my room and had a very restless night in the heat and humidity! The air conditioner did work, but is set at a constant 75 degrees, and when nobody is in the room, it's off. When we arrived, it was pretty hot and humid, so it took much of the night to cool off the room.

Bill and Penny's Pool Area

Today was a real adventure! Bill and his wife, Penny, graciously had Christine and Lily spend the night so they wouldn't have to go to their rented apartment in the dark. What a house they have! 13,000 square feet of pure beauty! Penny is an artist, and her paintings and sculptures are amazing! 

Yummy Snack by the Lake!

We went on a whirlwind tour of Granada, stopping for a snack at the Lake Nicaragua beach area. Food is wonderful! We ate fried plantains and a bean dish, fried fish, beef and a fried cheese and what seemed like potato with a salsa and dipping sauce. It was very resort-like and we wanted to just stay there for the day!

Lily, Christine, and Nancy (owner of the apartment)

But, we had a lot to do, so Bill continued his guided tour, showing us where all the best restaurants are, the gym, the central plaza, and how to find each other! We got Christine and Lily settled into their apartment, and when we returned to Bill's place, Paloma was there! I had spoken with her via Skype, communicated via E-mail, and today I finally met her!

Paloma

We listened to the dreams Paloma has for Los Pipitos and the many challenges she faces making them happen. How can we help to engage the parents of the children in the development of the program? What can be done to identify children who are born with disabilities early and get them involved in the program? The government is not helpful, money is hard to come by, and parents are too burdened with day-to-day concerns, like where is the food coming from and how can they pay for the expensive electricity? The children are lost in the shuffle.  Sadly, doctors are not involved with Los Pipitos. Here, life is so hard, it's easy for them to become hardened with all of the people needing so much! 

We talked about how we might try to connect with the nursing school in Managua to set up some kind of clinical experience for the students on a regular basis. This would be an opportunity for our College of Nursing to partner with the Nicaraguan College of Nursing as well as partner with Los Pipitos. Tomorrow we will continue our discussions and decide how we will approach our work during these 4 weeks. 

It is the rainy season here in Nicaragua, and it rained all afternoon - torrents of rain! By evening it was drizzling and Christine, Lily and I walked to El Garaje (The Garage) for dinner. Bill recommended the place, which is owned by Canadians, and the food was great! 

Well, it's been a very long day and we'll have another one like it tomorrow - so adios! Hasta manana!