Today our group went to Cerro Negro, an active volcano you can sled down. It was quite the experience and very fun! We took a van out into the country to the base of the volcano. From there we hiked up with the boards and equipment on our backs. Our tour guide, Danilo, had many interesting stories of people he had taken up the mountain and was very entertaining. He allowed us each to take a small volcanic rock as a souvenir, although I just realized that I left mine in my backpack, so I don’t actually have one.
It was a very beautiful hike and from the top we could see Leon 25 kilometers away. Once at the top, we took some time to do jumping pictures and then suited up to slide down. The tour company provided elbow pads, knee pads, a full body suit, goggles, gloves, and wrist guards for us to wear down. It may seem excessive, but I definitely appreciated all the gear once I got to the bottom. I actually wish we would have gotten whole face masks! Megan and I went down first and both crashed quite a few times. They hadn’t warned us about that before we took off. I took one big tumble towards the bottom of the hill, tumbling head over heels and losing my goggles in the process. Because of this, I am proud to say I was the dirtiest of the group at the end of the ride. Once Megan and I got to the bottom, we watched the others come down and lastly Danilo ran down the mountain. It felt so good to take off all the equipment at the end, but we were still all very covered in ash/dirt. In our mouths, down our clothes, in our shoes, hair, pretty much everywhere, but it was so worth it. Once I got home, my family was very entertained at how dirty I was and I took a much needed shower.
One of the many pretty views
All suited up and ready to go
Yep I was just a little dirty
Other happenings this past week:
· Another week of Spanish class done, plus an exam
· Pizza night with the group
· Met my abuelita finally
· Nights sitting out on the front steps chatting
· Visited art gallery and Ruben Dario museum for class
· Funeral at a house down the street which took up the whole intersection with people and chairs, very different than funerals in the States
· Witnessed a fight across the street which brings everyone, including kids, out of their houses to watch
· Discovered Chia, a delicious drink
· Helped my sister and her friend with some English homework
This week is our last week of Spanish class before we start travelling a lot and doing many exciting things. I found out this past week that I will for sure be working with Rancho Ebenezer for my elective course and my service learning course. I am very excited for this as I miss being on a farm and working with animals. Today as we drove to Cerro Negro, I was excited to see pigs and farm land. I am really looking forward to seeing all that they do at Rancho Ebenezer and see if it’s something I would like to do in the future. I am adding many pictures to Facebook, so check those out for a more in depth look at what I’ve done so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment