By Kai, Charles, and the sleepy airport crew
Later that same monday we went to a fritanga. Most of you guys have seen street vendors on the corner selling their treats and such, well a fritanga is like a giant one of those. Once again we had a choice of three meats: pork, chicken, and beef. We ate at the tables provided in the area and this was one of the restaurants that we could not get reservations for so you ate at a free table and some people didn't necessarily get to eat with all of their friends. The fritangas were really cheap and we spent way less than we had planned so the teachers took us to a nearby super market and we got to get ice cream pops.
The next day we woke up bright and early and went to La Laguna de Apollo. La Laguna de Apollo is a volcanic crater lake that gets fed from underground, it was really big and the water was really blue. There we went swimming and had a load of fun. We also got a chance to go in inter tubes to float just float around and have fun. After our adventure at the laguna we went to a nice restaurant. Once again we were offered the same choices; beef, pork and chicken. The meat was served on a steaming hot plate with a side of plantains and rice beans. After we were done eating we went to go buy things at the market. They had bracelets, necklaces and all sorts of arts and crafts for us to buy for our family. We had our last meal together in Nicaragua inside the market, it was Caballo Bayo style. We had our last meeting then, wrote letters to our selves that the trip leaders will later send to us, we woke up the next morning at 4:30.
Which leaves us now writing in the airport back to Philly summing up the days events. Most of the students said that they are sad to go but it will be nice to go back home and sleep in their own beds. But something better that all the kids said was that they are ready to come on back to Nicaragua. I guess it is just the way the people acted and the sense of community that always seemed to be in the atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who helped us to broaden our view of the world, to see a different country, and to see how exceedingly privileged we are. On behalf of the whole Take Flight crew, we thank you all for helping us experience life in another culture and for following our travels on the blog.
So excited to finally leave a comment on our blog! I've had so many thoughts and emotions swirling around in my mind and heart since we first landed in Nicaragua on the 28th. I'm still not sure I've gotten a good grasp on all of them. But what I'm sure of is that this was the best trip I've taken in my entire life.
ReplyDeleteTo all of the Take Flight travelers: the chance to experience Nicaragua again for the first time through your eyes has been priceless. Since 2003, Nicaragua has been my other home, and it occupies an enormous space in my heart. Most of the people in my U.S. life have never had the chance to travel there, and so can never truly understand that part of me. It's so hard not to be able to share that part of who I am with people that matter so much to me.
Now the 18 of you are part of a very small group of people in my life that can truly understand just how beautiful and intoxicating Nicaragua is, and by extension truly understand who I am. Hearing so many of you say that you would love to live there reminds me of how I felt after my first visit, and makes me feel a little less "weird" for having stayed for 5 years! Because of you, the portion of my heart devoted to Nicaragua has grown even larger. I'm so grateful to all of you for that.
I don't think that Tr. Lacey and I could have selected a more mature, caring, or thoughtful group of 7th graders to take on this trip. You amazed me at every turn with your energy, devotion, and insight. As I said on the bus after our second day at Chacocente, I've never been more impressed by a group of students than I was looking at your filthy, sweaty faces after that day of hard work. Seeing you that day, and hearing from our Nicaraguan partners (Don Pablo included!) how equally impressed they were by your spirit and dedication, made me so proud, and reminded me yet again of how privileged I am to get to teach all of you. Thank you for being exactly who you are, and for bringing all of yourselves to this trip. I am so proud and humbled and amazed by you.
To the parents: Lacey and I tried to share with you a little bit of our pride and gratitude on Wednesday night, but long days, late nights, and the excitement at seeing family after a long separation occupied most of our minds. Let me say to you, and the wide world, again that your children are the most impressive group of young people that I've ever taught. You've raised kind, thoughtful, respectful, caring, analytical, and FUNNY children, and they shone on this trip because of you. I wish you could have been with us every day to see them in action; you would have bursted with love and pride even more than Lacey and I did.
Thank you for raising such remarkable human beings. And thank you even more for sharing them with us, and for trusting us to take care of them. For the last year, I've been thinking of Take Flight as a chance to expand students' horizons. But this trip, and your children, have made me a better teacher, and probably even a better person. The credit for that goes to you.
Thank you.
Tr. Kate
(wiping away my tears!) thank you this was so lovely to read! And Isabel has not stopped talking about this trip, she is a very lucky girl and I thank you for sharing Nicaragua with her! xo
DeleteAlso teary-eyed, I just want to say what a lovely expression of what this experience meant to you, T. Kate. Thank you for writing such a heartfelt message but especially for caring so generously for our kids. They are immensely enriched by this trip because of your thoughtful, energetic, fun-loving, and great spirit! Thanks, T. Kate. Rosina
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for sharing this wonderful adventure with our kids. This is something I have always wanted for Sabine and wasn't sure I'd be able to give her...
ReplyDeleteTr. Kate has already said most everything I wanted to say and then some, but after ten days and a still very full heart, I wanted to once again thank the students, parents, and community members who have followed our journey on this blog. This experience has been nothing short of life-changing for both the students and myself. I believe that Take Flight is an expression of ICS' mission and vision at is best, and I can't thank those individuals who made this possible enough: Laura, our families here at ICS, the students, and also the teachers who have prepared these 7th grade students throughout their ICS career to be the thoughtful, caring, and adventurous global citizens that they have shown themselves to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for reading - but don't worry, this won't be the last time you hear from us. Our crew is beginning work on a video to present during Global Citizenship Day on May 4th that we will be sure to share here on the blog as well!