We, Lisa and Gwen, arrived in Jinotepe on Friday after a restful sleep in Managua. That afternoon the unit furniture arrived in a couple of pickup truck loads, and then we walked down the street for a few groceries.

So far our funniest embarrassing moment was not being able to light the propane stove. So the landlord called a technician, and it turns out we had put the burners together wrong. We all had a good laugh about it. This week we can venture into some cooking, although we’re not complaining about the fresh mangoes we gather from our back yard each morning or the incredible avocados we’ve been buying at the outdoor market.

This morning we began the home visits for the student housing and encountered the friendliest welcoming families. It makes us a little jealous about living in a house by ourselves.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a 5-7 day holiday here (listen up over- worked North Americans), and tonight there is a great deal of laughter and noise coming through the slated windows. Apparently the next several days will be devoted to parties, family time and church. We’ll be planning and preparing for the arrival of the students in three short weeks, but we’ll take some time to relax and celebrate Easter as well.