On Tuesday morning (July 8) Lisa Guedea Carreno and Maria left Matagalpa and took an hour-long bus ride north over a high mountain pass with a spectacular view of the Jinotega valley below. At 3,000 feet above sea level, Jinotega is higher, colder, and wetter than any other city in Nicaragua. Often blanketed in clouds, it is nicknamed La Ciudad de las Brumas (The City of Mists).

Not surprisingly, it was rainy when Maria and Lisa arrived at Alli and Lindsey’s home in time for a lunch of cuajada, (a mild Nicaraguan cheese that takes only a couple hours to make from milk), rice and beans, tortillas, and -- made by Alli and Lindsey themselves -- tostones (thick, fried plantain chips). The students are intensely proud that they have also learned to make authentic gallo pinto. Part of the house they live in is a pulperia (small general store), the family’s main source of income.

Lindsey and Alli work for Los Pipitos (The Little Ones), an organization that serves handicapped children and is run by parents. Alli and Lindsey’s family belong to the organization because one of their sons, Jose Ramon, has Down’s syndrome (see Lindsey’s journal entry).

The GC students work mornings as teacher assistants at a special school for handicapped children that is owned by Los Pipitos but staffed by the Nicaraguan government. They say it is hard to “do” much, other than struggle to keep kids inside the room and in their seats. At noon they return home for a 2-hour lunch break, and then work three hours in the afternoons at the local Los Pipitos center. On Mondays the center has dance classes, Tuesdays they do handicrafts, Wednesdays they have Youth Club, Thursdays are for sports, and Fridays they do either painting or computer classes.

Alli and Lindsey have also taken a few trips with Los Pipitos staff, including one to the rural community of Pantasma to set up a new Los Pipitos branch. They were told ahead of time that the trip would take 1.5 hours, but have now learned that in gringo time this really means 3 hours.

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Journal Entry from Lindsey, “Things to Remember”

Last night I began compiling a list of things in Jinotega that I don’t want to forget. There are many things, but here are just a few:

1. Old Cowboy. Everyday, rain or shine, a really, really old man slowly walks to our pulperia. This man is hunched way over, with a cane in this hand to aid his journey. On rainy days, he wears a big green poncho, but everyday he’s wearing his cowboy hat and boots. I want to know him and his story.

2. Missing mountaintops. Every morning the first thing we do is open the door to our patio and look out. Every morning the top of the mountains are missing because they are covered by clouds. While looking at the mountains you can see the clouds slowly changing shape and moving by. I love mornings in Nicaragua. They are beautiful and innocent and peaceful. They are untampered with and pure. The problems of the day have no effect on the mornings.

3. Jose Ramon. My brother, who has Downs syndrome, laughs a lot. His laugh is unpredictable, contagious and is generally accompanied by his elbows tucked in at this sides and 2 thumbs up. After spending enough time with him, it becomes quite easy to imitate.

4. Sergio. Occasionally, when Alli and I look out at the mountains in the mornings, Sergio, our little 4-year-old neighbor, peers out his door. As soon as he sees us he squeals loudly and then smiles. Sergio has the cutest smile!

Thus far, these are some of the things I don’t want to forget.

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A Journal Entry from Alli, “Reflections on Faith.”

SST has really strengthened my relationship with God. Before coming here I would say my relationship was fairly consistent. Being here has really solidified that relationship in many ways, including:

1. Before leaving for SST, there were a million things going through my mind that I was thinking about. That included all the things that could go wrong, and I was just feeling really nervous. But a few days leading up to our departure from the States I felt an incredible sense of calm that everything would be alright and that I was ready to go.

2. My family in Jinotepe included a grandma who I quickly became attached to. She was so sweet and so energetic about life. She often talked with me about the Bible and God, and she would always pray for us before we left her house. Her faith was a god example for me.

3. Along with, “Where are you from?” and, “How many hermanos do you have?” I often got asked about my religious affiliation, what it stood for, and what it means. Answering those questions in Spanish has at times been difficult, but it really helped me to realize how faith and my religion have played (and play) a role in my life.

4. I have also experienced some low points in Nicaragua, sometimes dealing with culture shock or homesickness. Sometimes when I think things will just never look up, I find myself able to push through those hard times. That’s when I feel God’s presence.

5. Being here in the mountains has definitely shown the beauty of God’s creation. Everyday I wake up and am in awe as to what I see out of my window. The beauty of this place is amazing, and God’s hand is so evident in nature, especially here in the mountains of Jinotega.