2004 - Another full Day!

This morning after breakfast and devotions, I started right in on varnishing wood boxes, with mesh used for catching leaves, in preparation for the rainy season (the varnish seals the wood so it won't split or crack). It was quite peaceful sitting in the front courtyard brushing on varnish and listening to the birdsongs. Although it was rather hot, a breeze would occasionally come sweeping down to cool my perspiring brow.

Later that morning, Mom and I took a walk to the city park and met a good friend of her's who has a vending booth there. Lucrecia is just a couple of years younger than me and we hit it right off. We joked that because my mom is like a mother to her that we must be sisters. Mocha and latte sisters!



The mid-day meal is the main meal at the base. The day staff join the resident staff for a large buffet meal. The last couple of days we have all sat around and talked for nearly two hours. The pace of life is certainly a lot slower than in the USA. It is a nice change to take more time visiting with friends over a good meal.

Each day at 2 p.m. several school girls arrive at the base for English lessons. Michelle, the other short-termer from California, has taken over the classes while she is here and I have had the opportunity to assist her. These girls (ages 12, 13, 14 and 22) really have a desire to learn English as a second language. Because I know practically no Spanish, we have kind of turned it into a Spanish as a second language class for me too. I was able to work with the two newest girls in teaching them the English alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. We had a lot of laughs and fun while learning together.



Near sunset five of us piled into one of the base's vehicles and headed out of town to visit an old abandoned fort situated above Leon. This fort was originally built in the late 1800's. In the 1950's the fort was expanded by the Samoza dictatorship and used to house the National Guard troops. During the Samoza years, Leon was always a hotbed of resistance, due in part to being a university town. However, the more the people cried for change the more repressive the government became.

In 1978-79, during the revolution, the Sandinista's held the fort and defended their city against the Samoza troops. The Contra War (approx. 1980-88) saw the fort still occupied by the Sandinistas.

It is sad to say that many political prisoners were held and tortured at the fort during its long history.

Today the fort is abandoned. There are gun stations positioned around the perimeter of the fort with a underground bunker in the center. Inside the bunker there are still bars on many of the rooms where prisoners were held.





While the history of the fort was heartbreaking, the view from the mountain top fort was breathtaking! We had a panoramic view; from the ocean on one side to the volcanic mountain range on the other. And Leon was nestled down on the valley floor. To top it off, we had a beautiful sunset.