In Nicaragua After Months of Agonizing Anticipation

Well, I made it to Nicaragua. I was met in the airport by a
friend-of-an-acquaintance, holding up a big sign that said ¨Carolyn
Fisher¨, which was a huge morale booster. I´ve decided that every
time I meet someone at an airport in future, I´m making a sign, even
if I know them very well.

So Managua is... hot. I´ve got a room with AC for tonight,
thank goodness, but just walking around is a bit of a chore. So
Vilma, this friend, met me at the airport and her brother, who has a
cab, drove us
all around. First to the hotel, then to a restaurant where I had
lunch and we all had some juice, and then to the university.
We showed up without an appointment at this office which organizes
cooperatives and a man was nice enough to give me a general overview
of what´s been going on re: cooperatives and landownership lately. He
also gave me some reading materials.
Vilma made another appointment for tomorrow, early morning, with one of
her professors. I´ll read some of the materials tonight and try to
formulate some intelligent questions.
Vilma and her brother are staunch Sandinistas, to
the point where they even support Daniel Ortega for the next election.
I don´t know if that´s such a pragmatic attitude--the US ambassador
has evidently been making proclamations that if Daniel wins, the US
won´t recognize his government, a la Hamas. And that is a pretty
scary prospect for the country´s economic future.
It´s hot, but I´m feeling happy to be back here and excited to be
finally starting this project!
-Carrie