Hello all!
Sorry its been a while, but we have been a bit busy here. We had a great thanksgiving celebration. Amy, our boss, and Wilson, her husband, came over to join the volunteers and a couple of local peace corps volunteers for a modified feast. I made my first turkey, and luckily, no one got sick! Success! There were also an abundance of deserts (we kept the Mahler family tradition alive) and also enjoyed lots of veggies, home made gravy, and some nice rolls. Nothing like the thanksgiving of the past, but certainly something to be thankful for none the less. I think it definitely put a lot of things into perspective here, and I was happy to celebrate with other gringos that happened to also be very thankful for their time here. I also enjoyed bringing leftovers to some of the people we work with, giving them their first tastes of pumpkin pie, turkey, and the veggie casserole. Although people did not have the same sentiments attached, everyone agreed that the day was a worthwhile one, and shared with us some of the things they were thankful for as well.
I guess it just made me realize, more than ever, just how much we have. We were able to buy food and put together a great meal for everyone, we were able to share in our celebration. Although we weren’t at home with the people we would have all loved to have been with, we had each other, which is more than many people can say during the holiday season.
Saturday night we passed the time in Tegucigalpa, in preparation for our early departure to Nicaragua. Melissa, Joe, Sean and I then spent about five days around Nicaragua, and had a beautiful experience there. The first day we got into Managua, then promptly headed to Leon, a great colonial town that actually used to be the capital, and is now the second largest city. We walked around, found a hostel to stay at, and got some great grub. The next morning we toured the city’s parks, churches and some ruins, then caught a bus to Poneloya and Las Penitas, two beautiful beaches about an hour away. We found another hostel right on the beach, and remained there for two nights, soaking in the sun and sand, not to mention the peace and quiet we had all been in search of. A couple days later we took a bus to Grenada, another great colonial town a bit further south, and situated on a huge lake that takes up a large part of Nicaragua. We enjoyed the town, the food and the pool our hostel had to offer. The next day we stayed in Managua, so we could catch the 3:30 bus back to Tegucigalpa. It was a bit of a whirlwind experience, but it was lovely and refreshing. We all had a great time, and everyone came back refreshed for our busy Christmas season.
Upon our return we slept and unpacked, and found out about the events over the next couple weeks. There are eight different communities here within the City of Talanga, each one having a group for prayer and masses. For the weeks leading up to Christmas, they will each have a mass and a celebration, and our job is to help them. I think it will be a good chance to meet more people, and share in celebration with them, in the ways they choose to celebrate.
Also, as a group we will be doing a food drive at the church so we can bring what we receive to the poorer sections of town and into the aldeas. I think that there is enough financial diversity here that a lot of people, at least within town, will be able to give something, be it a pound of rice (about 50 cents) or a pound of beans (about 70 cents). It will definitely be interesting to see the fruits of our labors.
That’s all for now, but there are some pics attached I hope you enjoy. It was great to talk to a lot of my family on Thanksgiving, and it made the holiday that much richer to be able to hear the voices and the warm wishes of the people I care about. Thanks again for all the support!

Sunset at the beach!



The beach we stayed at two nights (polenoya and las pinitas)



The welcome to Nicaragua sign, cheesy, but I like it!



A cross in Grenada, near the big church and the town square



The main street in Grenada



Melissa and I one night in Grenada



Another church in Grenada at sunset



The church at the center of Grenada, next to the park

A picture Melissa took, while we were at Penelyoa (?sp) at sunset




In Leon, in the center park there were some rides that people were conviently drying their clothes on!




Another big beautiful church in Leon





A Huge church in the center of Leon