Boston to Managua (scratch that… Coral Gables)
After celebrating a friend’s 30th birthday with a weekend ski trip in Maine, I spent my New Year’s Eve packing for Nicaragua. (What better way to prep for a trip to the equator than by sliding down a snow-covered mountain?)
After a french toast breakfast with a few friends, I then headed for Logan, lugging my gear plus an extra suitcase filled to the brim with art supplies, books, photos, and various other materials destined for the SJDS Biblioteca Movil.
My flight from Boston to Miami arrived an hour late, and by the time I made it off the plane the connecting flight to Managua was already in the air. So, courtesy of American Airlines, I’m now spending a night (sans luggage) at the beautiful Coral Gables hotel here in Florida. American also chipped in a voucher for dinner – but unfortunately the hotel restauarant wasn’t open on New Years Day. So I used the voucher to pick up a cold ham sandwich and a nutrigrain bar from the hotel’s tiny convenience store. Yum.
While I was waiting in line to change my ticket at the airport, I met Eben Forbes, who was also making the trek from Boston to Managua. Forbes is the field director of the Norwalk (Ct.) – Nagarote Sister City Project. This project is similar to the Newton-San Juan project, but is unique in that it has the full-time director position in country. Eben was hired for the job earlier this year after answering an ad on idealist.org.
His wife works with the UN and is currently stationed in Laos, but will be moving to Nicaragua to join him in a few months.
Naragote is further north in Nicaragua than I’ve yet been. I’ve been considering a side trip to the Spanish colonial city of Leon, and if I’m in the area Eben invited me to stop by Naragote. He is very interested in library project, and I’m also going to provide him with some more information on that. (We’re at the same hotel tonight, and are booked on the same flight to Managua tomorrow – so we’ll probably see each other again.)
I’m planning to catch a ride down to San Juan del Sur tomorrow with another group from Simmons that is coincidentally going to the town at the same time with Professor David Gullette. After a few last minute e-mails and phone calls with David, it looks like this plan will still work even though I won’t be arriving in Managua until tomorrow.