All in all a really lovely day, with smiles all around.

A brief respite on a passing log.

The kids were very keen on these action shots, of which I must have about 20, of them leaping off a small platform in to the water below.

Enjoying the crystal clear water after the sweaty hike.

A few of the students on arrival. Some began the day hesitant to get in the water, as an urban legend says that random whirlpools can suck you in and in fact the actual depth has not yet been ascertained, but at the end no one could resist. Those without swimsuits just went ahead in their uniforms.

A view of the laguna on the short, steep hike down to the crater's edge.

As a reward for a well-completed summer-session, a group of us organized a day trip for about 50 of the secondary students to the Laguna del Apoyo, a beautiful lagoon in the crater of the small volcano just outside the city. An older brother of one of the students provided transportation for all in the back of his pick-up truck. Here we are piling in.

Yours truly with Fatima (left) and Alison (in lap.)

Another preschool student, Luis, in a very typical shy and gentle moment.

Four of the some thirty total students in the preschool class with which I work. Alison, with a big smile as usual, in the back. Jordy on the left- a bit camera shy, it would appear, as he strikes similar poses in almost every photo I take of him. Ana Lucia in the middle, and finally Eliseo on the right.
Working with this sizable class of kids, from three to five years old, was admittedly daunting at first (and still presents its challenges), but I'm settling in nicely I think. It's a great pleasure for me to get to know each one's very unique personality a little more each day.

Judith (Holland) with Gregorio in the classroom. Judith and I work together as teacher´s assistants in the pre-school. (Again, sorry it´s sideways.)

A group of the students at the school where I work, Elba Zamora, modeling the hats we made in art class. We hold art class there two days a week. It´s a favorite of all the students, as well as mine.

Elba Zamora, named after one of its first and most beloved profesoras, consists of three classrooms: one for pre-school (where I work), another for the first and second grades, and the third for grades four through six.

This past weekend a group of us took a trip to Leon, the second largest city in Nicaragua, north of Managua. Leon is perhaps best known for being home to the nation´s major university, as well as to Nicaragua´s highly revered poet Ruben Dario, and for its active leftist history.
This particular photo is of Becca (Silver Spring), Lizzie (London), and Fenna (Holland) on our way to the modern art museum there. (Sorry it's sideways, I´m still learning.)





This is one of the walls within the cultural center. The graffiti above the roof is a typical sight in Leon, where political murals decorate a great many public and private places alike.

Looking north up the beautiful beach of Maderas, a more secluded surf spot in the popular beach town of San Juan del Sur. A group of us took a weekend trip there, about 2 hr. south by bus. Much fun was had by all.

The facade of the Franciscan church a few blocks away from our house, appropriately named La Iglesia San Francisca. Mass is held there every day at 5pm, and the church connects to a sizeable [former] convent that has been transformed into a cultural museum which includes art from pre-columbian times to the present.

Myself and my roomate Lizzie Dipple heading home on the path that runs up a large hill to la Prusia, the pueblo where we work with the women's cooperative. As Nicaragua is moving towards the height of the dry season, there was a ''controlled burn'' of all the brush along this path the week after this photo was taken- leaving it safer but much less picturesque. The photo was taken by Fiona, the third and final member of out little team for this particular project. In the didtance is the dormant volcano Mombacho.

A group of kids from the neighborhood who showed up to help us celebrate Becca´s birthday on the 22nd. The figure in pink is a larger-than-life puppet, apparently a common sight at Nicaraguan fiestas. One person gets inside- that is, under the skirt- to make it dance and spin to the beat of the drums being played. All the while a third boy was calling out some rhyming lyrics as most everyone else jumped about as well.

This is a view of my new house from the back side. Along the wall on the left are the bedrooms. On the right, as you see, is the garden. Beyond that is the kitchen -note the hammock on the edge, a very popular spot- continuing on into the living room, and then the front door.