Semana Santa

Hello Everybody!
First off many apologies for the length of time it has been since the last post!  This past week has been a process of getting back into the groove of work and programs since the week before was Semana Santa, which is the real culprit behind this tardy blog.   Semana Santa, or Holy week, is the week before Easter and an annual holiday here in Nicaragua, meaning kids the the week off from school, adults get off work, and everyone heads out the nearest body of water, or at least most people do.  In the Manna house the program directors all went in different directions, most traveling to at least two or three separate places throughout the week.  Katie and Luke headed up North to Jinotega and then to León, while Steph, Amanda, and new PD Carly visited Esteli, Ometepe, and León as well.  Matt, Zach, and Dane traveled north as well to Cosiguina to stay with a friend and his family, Megan went to San Juan with her family, and Will went back to the States for the week.  Literally all over the place.  Below is a map of Nicaragua so you can better visually understand the different towns that were visited.  Everyone had a really great time seeing the country and furthering their relationships with each other and the culture.  Also everyone came back safe and sound and without any trouble, which is always good news to report!

Map of Nicaragua

As it was already mentioned briefly before, we have a new program director named Carly Rees. Carly is friend of Steph's from Purcellville, Virginia and is here with us until August.  Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to PD Joanna Lang the Wednesday before Semana Santa, who left to begin physician's assistant school at George Washington University in Washington, DC.  So even though it was hard to say goodbye to Joanna, we are all excited to welcome a fresh new pair of eyes, ideas, and help to our team!