VIII. A Day in Granada

As promised, report of a typical day at the circus school. The description could pretty much apply to any Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

In the morning, I am usually awakened early by light and noises. When I look out of the back window, I can see the neighbor's cows grazing right behind me (there are no fenced pastures here). Usually, I quickly dash into the covered outdoor shower before the muchachos wake up.

For breakfast, I am always cooked for, there are usually different combinations of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans - the most delicious in the world), tortillas, eggs and fried bananas (hallelujah!) - sometimes pancakes, granola or sandwiches.

After breakfast comes the so-called green hour - I think it's an invention of the house - when the other volunteers are not yet there, the temperature is still pleasant, and everyone is still a little sleepy. Usually, I spend the green hour petting cats or reading a little in the hammock.

At ten o'clock, the other volunteers trickle in and work starts slowly and relaxed. This morning, I captured the whole thing with my camera and I think I reflected the mood quite well. This is how the first little film from Nicaragua was created - you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irmifD23lpQ (The one from Panama is also coming very soon, I promise! There were a few technical problems that have now been overcome.)

But before lunch, there is another burst of energy. From 11 o'clock onwards, some children always come, either keeping themselves busy with stilts and unicycles or learning something new if one of the artists or volunteers has time. But there is usually also a lot to do in and around the hostel, for example, yesterday Vera and I decorated the toilet doors together, today I helped with laying a pipeline for storing rainwater.

Then there are huge, delicious mountains for lunch, always accompanied by homemade lemonade, either with limes or star fruits from the garden - mega delicious and refreshing!

After a little siesta, it's time to work again, workshops for the kids or whatever else needs to be done. It's also time for our own training. At the moment, my priority is to get even better on the slackline and learn juggling, but acrobatics is also on the agenda.

After training until the muscles give out or the sun sets, there are fun things like English lessons, theater exercises, and photography lessons in the sunset.

Sometimes we just sit together in the last evening light to listen to music and chat about everything under the sun (or in my case, mostly listen). Then we have dinner, play a round of UNO, chat and listen to music, and I'm usually one of the first to head towards bed.

I hope that with the help of text, photos, and even video, you were able to get an impression of a typical day in Granada! Until the next blog entry - hasta luego!