X-ray Ten update from Samantha Malvern

X-Ray Ten woke to the pouring rain on deployment day but it didn’t dampen our spirits as we packed up the bus and set off for two days travelling to Nicaragua with the other two X-Ray groups also heading to their Nicaraguan project sites.

We spent the first night in a school just over the Nicaraguan border. The school was built by previous Raleigh venturers and it was inspiring to see what we could achieve on our community project in El Terrero & Las Palmas.

We split from the groups in Esteli where we then travelled another 45 minutes to El Terrero. There were times when X-Ray Ten wondered if the bus was going to make it due to the steep valleys and the struggling gear changes. Finally we arrived at our new home for the next few weeks.

We met our new families and spent the afternoon settling in and practicing our Spanish. The Nicaraguan culture is so friendly and hospitable. They’ve made every effort to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Even though our families don’t speak English, and most of X-Ray Ten can speak only limited Spanish phrases, this hasn’t prevented the efforts to communicate with one another. We have been playing card games with the children, sharing photos from home and even attempting to teach them some English.

For most of us the lifestyle here is very different to that at home. The traditional cuisine is rice and beans and on Saturday we woke to the sound of a pig being slaughtered which we then ate for lunch!

X-Ray Ten are lucky enough to be working on two community projects. In El Terrero we are helping to build a community centre next to the local school. This will act as a focal point in the village where the community can meet. At the moment we are working on the building’s foundations, digging holes, collecting rocks and twisting wires. We are all learning new skills and as we work with the locals we feel we are really helping the community.

In Las Palmas, we are helping with the finishing touches of a museum. So far we have been collecting rocks for the wall that surrounds the museum. It’s hard work but seeing the results makes it all worthwhile and the two hour walk home is good practice for those of us that haven’t trekked yet, and a walk in the park for those who have! We work six days a week and enjoy a day off on Sunday - today we made it to a local baseball match!

Check back on Tuesday for the latest news from our other Nicaraguan community projects - Los Tololos and Caña Florida