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Nicaragua SST

Despedida

Thursday was our last full day in Carazo. After finishing Spanish final exams that morning, most of the students spent the afternoon relaxing and preparing for the evening's despedida, or farewell ceremony. Emceed by Kaleb and Brian, the evening got off to a lively start with a folk dance troupe from the Universidad de Central Nicaragua, where we have held most of our afternoon lectures. Then each of the three Spanish classes took the stage. Doña Mirna's advanced class (Kaleb and Jacy) tore up the floor with a salsa dance. Don Rene's class sang a lovely a cappella version of the ever-popular "Ay Nicaragua, Nicaragüita." The big hit of the evening was Don Ramón's class performing an original drama entitled "El Machete de Oro," (the golden machete).

Masaya and San Juan del Oriente

Our final day trip as a group was last Friday, when we visited an active volcano in nearby Masaya, a lookout point over Laguna de Apoyo, and a village of artisans specializing in ceramics. We had two special guests along with us -- next year's Nicaragua SST leaders Deanna and Tamara, who are here for a week of orientation. Volcán Masaya last erupted in 1772 but continues to emit a nearly constant stream of sulfurous gas and smoke. When the breeze is strong, the fumes can be hard on anyone standing downwind. After learning about the geology and wildlife of the area in the museum at the base of the volcano, we were advised by park rangers to keep our exposure to a minimum by staying on the mountain for a short time only and keeping our mouths and noses covered. Consequently we had to nix our plans to hike around the rim of the crater.