Good morning from the beautiful fishing village of El Tránsito! Since we arrived well after sunset last night we were unable to truly visualize the beauty and simplicity of our new home away from home. The photos below capture what we saw when we first looked outside this morning.

We are staying at a beachfront hotel called the Alive Beach House. It is a gorgeous 9 room hotel with a small oceanfront pool, yoga studio, restaurant and bar and beautifully decorated rooms. Our room is on the second floor and has a spectacular oceanfront balcony. Here are some pictures taking at or just in front of the hotel this morning.

After breakfast this morning, our guide Carlos took us on a walking tour of the village. I snapped some quick photos as we walked. El Tránsito has a population of around 3,500 residents. We visited the local school (no photos permitted) as well as the community center which is supported by NICA (Nicaragua Initiative for Community Advancement), a nonprofit group that partners with community members to support sustainable development and lasting change. Much of their work is focused on improved outcomes in education and job training. We are learning about the impact that responsible volunteerism and true partnerships with community members have created a village that is not only incredibly beautiful, but also self-directed, sustainable and inclusive. It’s hard to truly define in words what’s happening here, but it feels different than other types of mission or volunteer trips. This isn’t about fixing what’s broken or spreading faith. It’s about empowering people and letting them tell us what they want and need in their community in order to continue raising families and supporting themselves using the resources they have. What they’ve done here is remarkable and ongoing.

After a delicious lunch at the Surf Cafe followed by a quick siesta, we went with our guide to explore the tide pools right outside our hotel. Both Kevin and I thoroughly enjoyed this. The Pacific water is so warm right now that it almost felt like we were exploring hot springs. The waves crashed all around us as the tide went out. Our host’s children were with us and helped us to identify several sea creatures along the way. I’m not a beach person. The idea of sitting on a beach in the hot sun all day is NOT my idea of a relaxing vacation. Exploring tide pools in warm water with gentle breezes and powerful, rhythmic waves in the background is about as close to perfect as it gets, in my opinion!

One of the best parts about traveling to Central America is the opportunity to eat simple, yet healthy, delicious and unprocessed foods all day every day. For breakfast, I chose the fruit bowl with Bulgarian yogurt and homemade granola. I LOVE to eat fruit! However, the amount of red dragon fruit, pineapple and watermelon in this fruit bowl was too much for even me to finish! It was so fresh and sweet! I did miss having papaya, but am hoping I will get to have some on another morning. For lunch, I had a buddha bowl and a papaya smoothie at the cafe. Dinner was shrimp and rice at the hotel with red dragon fruit juice. As is typical for me on these trips, I never felt hungry but managed to eat every single bite and sip that was placed in front of me! What a treat it is to eat locally!

Kevin and I are here with 6 other teachers/spouses from the states. It has been really fun getting to know them. We are from many walks of life, but teaching and traveling is what connects us and what led us each to sign up for this trip. One of the best parts about doing trips like this is the connections you make and the experiences that you share over a hotel breakfast or during a walk to the tide pools. I look forward to getting to know each of them this week.

Tomorrow we are having a cooking class and taking a hillside hike. I can’t wait to learn more about the typical Nicaraguan dishes from a local resident! Apparently, what we are making takes four hours. I hope it’s worth it!