Day 1 Wrap-up: Meeting the Ninos

Nicaragua sun
Putting a smile on my face
Just like those great kids

Getting off the plane and feeling the warmth of the sun was all the recharging I needed. Driving through the city the bright colors reawakened my senses that were shut off during the winter. After a quick jump in the pool we were off to meet the orphans for the first time. Nerves were setting in and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to connect with kids who have a life so different then mine. That feeling disappeared as soon as I saw their bright faces. Kids are kids regardless of where they're from. It's comforting to know that deep cultural divides came be overcome by a tennis ball and some playground games. Hope I don't get burn on the beach tomorrow. - Luca Gus

Whose tired? Not me...still going strong. That's a lie. I'm pretty spent. Didn't get too much shuteye last night on the plane but it's all good. All that matters is that we made it to Managua and I didn't even have to use my parachute. Today was awesome though, walked out of the airport and saw palm trees everywhere. Blue skies and it was about 85 degrees....picture perfect. We cruised through the streets down to our little village called Hotel Ticomo. It's a lot nicer than I expected. We hit up the pool, then had some lunch at the dining hall, which was really good. Afterwards, we hopped back in the bus and headed to the orphange where we met all the little ninos and ninas. The kids were so happy that we were there. I pretty much just played baseball, soccer, and football with them for a good three hours. Tomorrow we are going to the beach with all of them, so I'm pumped for that. I'm going to bring my camera and take some good snapshots and try to get them up here sometime. Hopefully there's some good waves....I need a good wave sesh. Catch you on the flip. -RW Gus


So as you know we're here. I think I got a total of 3 hours of sleep last night max. It's only 9 15 but I'm really hitting a wall right now. Enough complaining though because today was really pretty cool. Getting off the plane and feeling the heat was exactly what I needed. Our "5 star" hotel is actually really sweet. By no means is this place 5 stars by U.S. standards, but it really is a great place that's got a pool, mini bball hoop and even a crazy acting parrot! After settling in we headed to the orphanage. Our time at the orphanage was definitely a bit difficult to make connections at the beginning. The langauge barrier made it tough but by 20 minutes in we were all playing soccer, football, bball or just hanging out. Tomorrow it's off to the beach with the kids and should be a great time. We'll keep you updated.
-DH gus

Today was pretty good overall --- I was pretty sad to hear that Angel was back with his mom, but living in terrible conditions in what is essentially a slum village. It makes you question --- is he better off without a family and living in good conditions at the orphanage or with his family and living in extreme poverty with little hope of a future? It was fun to see some of the older kids that I have gotten to know over the years though. Jordan is 17, Hairo is 15 and Franklin is now 8. I brought some tennis balls along and we basically threw them around for a few hours and the kids had a blast. Tomorrow we are hitting the Pacific coast for a beach day with the kids from our orphanage (El Canyon) and the main orphanage (Bernabe) that UVA and W&M are working with this week. VaTech is arriving tomorrow morning but won't be joining us at the beach --- they are staying at our "hotel" (which is really a fenced in village of bungalos) so things will get pretty busy tomorrow. That's all for now!
AT