Granada

On Sunday, Gloria and I went to one of the most beautiful towns in Nicaragua. We took a regular bus (think gutted out American school bus with Jesus decals) to the UCA (Universidad Centroamericana, the most prestigious private university in Managua), which takes about 20 minutes, and then we took a microbus (think 12-passenger van with Jesus decals) to Granada, which took about an hour. We spent the day sightseeing, taking pictures, walking down to the huge lake that you see on maps of Nicaragua, Lago de Nicaragua, and eating lunch at a 'gringo' restaurant. (Granada is a big tourist destination filled with lots of 'gringos' or 'chelas' like me.)

On Monday, Garry's best friend Douglas went with me to Granada and helped me get interviews with teachers in four different primary schools. It was such a great opportunity for me to visit the classrooms and see the difference between a public, subsidized, private and non-profit-run school. I asked the teachers about their experiences working in the education system, how things may or may not have changed since Daniel Ortega took office, what they think about the end of the Autonomous Schools Program and how the local Citizen Power Councils function in their neighborhood. The diversity of responses is quite interesting. I already have a ton to write about.

Here are some pictures...



Students measuring out portions of cereal to distribute to their classmates during the school day. Although the government has begun to subsidize lunches in some schools, the bags of basic staples that you see here were donated from a non-profit organization last year.

Here is the outside of the public primary school in Granada, Colegio Escolar Carlos A. Bravo.
Here's a very cute kid who came up and hugged me as the kids were entering classes. Another cutie-pie.

Beautiful, colorful buildings line the stone streets of Granada.
The central park of Granada.

Beautiful remnants from the colonial era (a not-so beautiful time).