Sunday evening - January 16th

We made it to our resting place for the week today. We're back at the Community Center where we stayed last year and am sitting on my bed, which is a mattress on the floor, writing this entry.

The day started at 7:00 when Jenise woke up realizing her alarm had not gone off. The good news was that she hadn't moved the time forward so we had plenty of time to get ready for breakfast.


Today we went on a tour of Mombacho, a long extinct volcano located about 12 kilometers from Granda. It was a bit of a drive to get there, I think it took us about an hour so we had to leave El Raizon at 9. I expected it to be like last year, a black lava volcano largely free of vegetation. Was I wrong! It is actually a long extinct volcano that it is actually a rain forest filled with luscious green vegetation. We boarded an old military troop carrier and ascended to the peak of the volcano which was about 1300 meters, roughly equivalent to 3700 feet. On the way up I saw at least 10 -15 varieties of butterflies and was awestruck. They were large and colorful similar to the ones I had seen just two weeks ago at the museum of Natural History. I was tempted to jump out of the transport and yell pick me up on the way back. Alas, I thought better of that and proceeded along with the others to the top. In the adjacent picture you can see Denise, in the front, with Michelle behind her and Anna playing around.


At the top there were several trails that would lead you around the twin craters. The paths were somewhat structured like a large figure 8. We went one the shorter hike, which was around a mile in length, but had some inclines and declines. We had an English speaking guide who stopped along the way to describe all kinds of interesting facts. The vegetation along the way was something to behold; Orchids, bromeliads, moss and other plant material abounded. Apparently Mombacha is home to the 7 small orchids in the world. We learned about the parasitic relationship between the orchids, moss and bromeliads and the trees upon which they live. To the right, the guide points out a bromeliad, which is especially important to the "cloud rainforest" as it's long leaves catch water and subsequently provides nourishment to surrounding vegetation. One tree that had over 50 different species living on it. On our way down to one of the scenic overlooks, we went through "the tunnel." It was a small opening between dense rock. It was filled with moss as the sun doesn't make it down to the bottom. From here it was not to far to an amazing overlook with vistas of the islands of Granada, formed by a volcanic eruptions years ago. Not the clearest of days but below is one picture that attempts to give you a sense of the view. I really would like to have spent more time here. Apparently there is an evening hike that affords you the opportunity to see the creatures that only come out in the dark. There are numerous that fit this bill including the red eye tree frog. Mombacho has some rudimentary bunks, sleeping 8, if one is so inclined. I would love to sign up for one of these hikes to see the sites.

After this fantastic tour, we descended the peak and headed straight to the community in which we would work this week. One of the Bridges traditions is that the community assemble with the volunteers on Sunday afternoon and evening to get acquainted and also to celebrate the beginning of what will be a life altering experience for all involved. We arrived to the sounds of music playing over some extra large speakers. Music was blasting and members of the community were out to celebrate. Balloons lined the entrance and at least 30 - 40 people were gathered to join in the festivities. Our group immediately started mixing with the folks. Several, who have the gift of rhythm, started dancing. This tactic seemed to ease the mixing as several of the kids asked us to dance with them. I have to say this was a bit of a contrast to the event I attended last year, which was much more of a formal event. Since my Spanish has only made minor improvements and my Italian is as useless as it was last year, I started taking pictures of people and children and showing it to them. They reacted with enthusiasm and several of the children took my camera and started shooting pictures. An interesting common thread - people like to see pictures of themselves. There was one girl, Jocelyn, in a wheel chair with waist high castes. (see picture left) Apparently a genetic problem where her legs bend inward. They cast her with her legs bent outward for 2 months. They repeat this process until the issue is resolved. (It's not clear to me when that will be) Anyway, she's on a countdown... 4 more days and her casts would be off. Despite the heat and the discomfort that must accompany the casts, her spirit was amazing. So happy and eager to have her picture taken, she wanted a second shot where she posed like a model. (see picture right) I continue to be amazed by the human condition. She reminded me that so much in life is about attitude. Greatness reveals itself frequently and despite her young age she seemed to have a presence and persistence that we can all learn from.



One other person that struck me during this interaction was a boy named Martin. Very gregarious, he came up and asked me to dance. Now, those of you that know me know that rhythm is not one of my gifts... I decided to forgo conventional wisdom and jump right it. He had great energy and I very much enjoyed dancing with him. Note: I didn't ask whether he enjoyed dancing with me. That is left as an exercise for the reader. :)


After the celebration we headed to the community center. Katie and I wondered if we would be greeted by Clara, one of the high spirited kids from last year. We were not disappointed when we pulled up and saw her bright shinning face. Later in the evening we would play with bubbles. She wanted me to take the bubble she had blown and was yelling toma. The rest of the week Clara referred to me as "toma." Everytime she or Ashley would see me they would yell, "Toma, toma, toma." I suppose there are worse nicknames.


I was also glad to see Anna, the woman who was our security person last year. She remembered me and we spoke in broken Spanish about her daughters Catherine and Marsielle. Very nice. Well need to get ready for bed. It's almost 10 and we need to be at breakfast by 7. To the left is a picture of Anna and Marsielle. It really felt nice to know that they remembered me... despite my completely ineffective ability to speak their language.