Hello all!
We spent our first full day in Matagalpa with Seeds of Learning relaxing, eating delicious food, and exploring a new town and culture!
This morning we had omelettes, fresh homemade bread and fresh fruit. Then we had a chance to go out an explore the town. Matagalpa is a beautiful town. There are lots of street vendors and small shops selling miscellaneous items like clothing, shoes, food, and household items. The streets are pretty hilly, so we all got our workout for the day! The climate is much cooler than Managua, and we are all enjoying the sunny weather and the strong breeze. After we finished exploring the town, we headed off to lunch at a cafe where we enjoyed club sandwiches and jamaica (hibiscus tea).
After lunch a group of us went to a black pottery workshop with two sisters. Black pottery is a dying art because the process takes so long to do. First, 5 meter holes are dug to extract the clay. Then the clay is mixed with other materials. The pottery is so dark because of the temperature it is cooked at. We each were given a piece of clay so we could make our own piece of black pottery. I made a turtle and a spoon! We get to pick up our pieces in a week after they are fired.
We spent the rest of the day talking, bonding, and eating a delicious dinner (steak!). Because many people aren’t feeling 100% healthy, Seeds of Learning is giving us lots of time to recover and gather our strength for our first workday (we start Monday!).
Hopefully the beautiful weather continues. Stay tuned for more adventures!
-Jaclyn
P.S. Lots of love to all of my family reading this blog! (Mom, Dad and Kristina especially)