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  Achuapa, Nicaragua
Friday, July 4, 2008

I am slotting this entry in now as I now have some time to sit and recall my return visit to Achuapa and La Vainilla, the places I previously spent several months slogging away with a pick and spade with Raleigh International. We had to make a special effort and leave Betsy in Esteli as the roads were allegedly not suitable. They were however in much better condition than 3 years ago and there were even bridges over the rivers that we previously waded through.  So we took a bus to Achuapa, a small farming town in the middle of the mountains in the north west of Nicaragua and visited the coopertiva with which I worked. It has grown in leaps and bounds, new building were everywhere thanks to a large donation from a US benefactor and they have expanded from microcredit loans and sesame producttion into herbal tea and the ubiquitous frijole distribution. Also the auberge project on which I worked during the early stages, shifting mud out of the foundations, is complete and has 20 or so school children running arounda and causing mayhem

Back with my brothers and sisters

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A great thing to see.

I also visited my 'Mum' in Achuapa and then we trekked out to La Vainilla, a small village even further out in the hills to visit my other host families with whom I spent 2 months living and working. It was a littl enervewracking but in the end was great and quite emotional. We chatted, hung out and played with the kids taking a bigilliion photos. As before they were ultrahospitable and we spent the night sleeping in Don Joaquim and Dona Paula's adobe house with 6 family members, several pigs and chickens. Needless to say even though we went to bed at 8pm we didn;t get too much sleep. THe water system was still functioning although the pump had broken and some houses now had solar electricity but otherwise little had changed apart form the heights of the children.
It was really special to be able to visist the village again and a highlight of my trip. I will try to post some photies when I get the chance.
Finally a quick message for Marissa and Zoe> all in La Vainilla and Alba Lydia and family send their love and want to know if Marissa will visit soon! We are always welcome!!

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Gilbert, Sergio and Frania	Mi madre Dona Lydia y familia	Pinata making in the finished auberge	Simon on the trek into La Vainilla
The biggest tope in the world?

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