Photo Update!

As the weather is getting hotter (which I didn’t think was possible), life in Managua seems to be getting busier! This past month was packed full of trips, visitors, and quality community time. And I have pictures to share of all of life’s recent happenings!

El Salvador 

March 24^th marked the 30^th Anniversary of Oscar Romero’s death. Romero was a bishop in El Salvador in the late 70’s who spoke out for the rights of the poor was killed by the military in the middle of offering a Mass. Even 30 years after his death, Romero symbolizes empowerment of the poor and fidelity to the Church in Latin America. As Jesuit Volunteers in Nicaragua, Romero’s life is an inspiration to us and a reminder of our call of accompaniment of the people in Latin America so all seven of us decided to travel to El Salvador for the annual march commemorating Romero’s death. 

This is a statue of Romero where the march began. We marched from this statue to the Cathedral downtown where we all celebrated Mass together. 

 
There was plenty of time to hang out before the march and all seven of us took advantage of that!    

Before we started walking to the Cathedral, there were a number of speakers. Patrick and I, along with our friend Bridget, are intently listening to one of them. 

Beach Trip!

Two times every years, Pajarito Azul packs up two school buses with food, sunscreen, towels and takes a trip to a beach called Pochomil. I always love going to the beach and going with Pajarito was extra special and extra fun! Here’s a few candid shots of some of the residents and workers as they take a dip. (You might notice that there is a lack of bathing suits… Well, Nicaraguans don’t wear them. They simply swim in underwear or shorts and shirts.) 

   
Semana Santa (Holy Week)

For Holy Week this year, three JV’s from Belize City came to visit. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with some people I had met this past summer at Orientation. 

  
Easter just isn’t complete without a good Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning. In order to properly prepare for the egg hunt, we dedicated a few hours to decorating eggs.  
 

  
On Holy Saturday, we attended Mass at this community called Batahola Norte. They have incredible services there and, as you can see in this picture, there is a beautiful mural at the front of the Church. This is all of the Nica JV’s plus the visiting JV’s. 

Retreat

The final highlight of this past month was retreat last weekend. We traveled to a small community called La Garnacha about four hours outside of Managua. La Garnacha is up in the mountains so the weather was cool and the scenery breathtaking. The retreat provided us with a much-needed chance to spend time together, reflect on our work and lives, and share our highs and lows. 

The view of the sunsets from La Garnacha is absolutely breathtaking... I couldn`t get enough!

 
After one of the morning sessions, Amber and I were doing some re-energizing for the following session. 

Since the nights were cooler (I actually wore a sweatshirt!) we would gather around the warmth of a fire. Here are the boys and Lauren trying to get the fire started. 


Well, that hits all of the major highlights from the last month of life in Nicaragua. I hope you enjoyed the visual update! Thanks for stopping by the blog. :)