May Day

May 1st was a holiday in Nicaragua--International Workers' Day or Labour Day (a commemoration of the Haymarket martyrs who were arrested after the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago).

Fred Wall is a retired MEDA board member who volunteers a lot of his time helping MiCredito. He was in Nicaragua the first week in May and asked if I wanted to go to San Juan Del Sur on the holiday Tuesday. Serge LeVert-Chiasson, who is working for MiCredito for 3 months, joined us as well. We had a motorboat take us to a secluded beach and on the way to and from the beach we were entertained by dolphins! It was great...but very difficult to capture a good jump. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

Montelimar

I visit a church called International Christian Fellowship (ICF). It's an English speaking church (I tried a Nicaraguan Baptist church service--far too hard on my brain). At the end of April, ICF held a retreat at the beautiful beach resort of Montelimar. It is southwest of Managua on the Pacific Coast. Very much enjoyed the beach, was spoiled by the nice facilities and loved getting to know lots of new faces. My roommate, Pam Neumann, is from San Antonio, Texas. She's in Nicaragua working with Food for the Hungry on a 3-year contract. We had a great time and just last weekend got together at her place to cook and enjoy supper.

La Dalia

In April I visited an eco-lodge outside of La Dalia. This place is north of Managua in the mountainous (and oh-so-nice-and-cool climate) of Nicaragua's Matagalpa region. The lodge is situated on a large coffee farm. Enjoyed the hiking trails, a refreshing waterfall, good food and the beautiful and peaceful setting.