We´ve had an incredibly laid-back week. We took the weekend to recuperate from Agüizotes and explore the city of Masaya, finding our favorite smoothie shop in town, the Frutería, and going through multiple punch cards during the week. On Monday we started our classes during the afternoons, having the mornings and evenings to do as we please. This was the first time that we´ve had Spanish classes in groups, in which we all experienced very odd topics of discussion including ´What would you do if you were a doctor and ____ happened?´ and ´What would you do if you were in your sibling´s body for a day?´.
Monday was Alli´s birthday and she had set the bar very high for us after having thrown Lucie and Keelyn an amazing party last week. Nevertheless the party was a hit with lots of yummy pizza (with the exception of Keelyn´s vegan anchovy pizza), Alli breaking open her piñada of presents, a cake fight, and lots of laughs while playing Cards Against Humanity and taking pictures on Alli´s camera.
Tuesday and Thursday, after class, we went to a Language Exchange at the local high school where went and spoke English and Spanish with locals. The best part of this, though, was definitely the dance class that was going on the floor below, and there is still talk of us having a dance exchange instead.
On Wednesday morning we had the opportunity to go as a group to the fortress of Cayotope. After much confusion over how to get there and a 40 minute walk, we finally arrived at the fortress atop the hill. The view was amazing, but exploring the creepy dungeons and chambers where prisoners were kept was definitely the highlight. Byron, Kaitlin, Alexa, Keelyn and I decided to take advantage of this prime opportunity and make a video of Kaitlin being chased through the seemingly haunted dungeon, the video also featured Keelyn lying dead in the hall, Alexa creepily singing children´s songs, blood-curdling screams and more.
Before class on Thursday some people in our group went to the Artisan Market, where they bought beautiful, touristy things that were actually made in the homes of ordinary people. First they went to a woodshop that made traditional Nicaraguan chairs and they saw a man weaving the seats of chairs at the speed of light. Then they went to a sweets shop of traditional Central American candies, seeing workers rolling dough and stirring vats of candy batter with a stick. After the dulces the group went to a local woman´s home where she made and sold shirts, then they saw a very talented artist who carves wood into things such as doll figurines.
Friday evening, in the spirit of Halloween, we took a night tour of Volcan Masaya and caves – dressed up in costumes, naturally. Kevin and Ashley dressed up as each other, while the rest of us dressed up as things including: tourists, the devil, Graham Marshall, a Messi fan, bank robber, Adam and Eve, and Russel Brand – unfortunately, the Adam and Eve costume did not make it out of the house. During the tour we walked to different places to see into the crater, one at which we could see lava. We also got to explore a cave that had been created by lava flow and see a cave that over 14,000 bats fly in and out of each night, but we weren´t able to enter this one due to the sea of bats we saw inside. When we returned to Casa Nica we decided on staying in for the night and ended up having a _very_ intricate discussion on what each person´s spirit animal is, but this was interrupted by watching a 2 minute video of goats screaming like humans.
Today we are enjoying our last day in Masaya by relaxing at a perfect little hostel on the shore of Laguna Apoyo. Tonight we have plans of taking on the discoteca scene of Masaya and showing the locals how us Americans (and a Canadian) bust a move. We are going to miss Masaya and especially Josh, the director at Casa Nica, but we are all too eager to get far away from the aerobic studio next door and its loud music in the early mornings and evenings. Specifically, we are excited to no longer hear their cool-down soundtrack of ´My Heart Will Go On´… On repeat.
Grahamism of the Week: laughing and then saying in his sleep ´Yo yo yo yo yo! Qué paso?!!´
Hey Moms! I promise you your child is still alive and doing well.