We're Here!

 

We made it safely to Granada - staying at Dona Fatima's, along with two single mom's from Toronto and their four (collective) kids, ages 6-8. Most fortuitous! Making up, I guess, for the crazy landing in a monsoon-like rainstorm last night. After an aborted landing attempt and half an hour circling over Managua, the pilot told us over the intercom that he was waiting until he could see the runway (always prudent) - and that if we started running out of fuel we could always go to Liberia. I thought this was really funny, as did several other people, until we realized that he wasn't talking about the small dangerous African country half-way around the world (hahaha); there's actually a small city in Costa Rica named Liberia, evidently with a landing strip. 

When we finally landed (with all the grace of a wounded elephant), the entire plane burst into applause. I had been mercifully engrossed in a conversation with a gentleman from Managua, but Elliot, it turns out, had been silently white-knuckled in fear. When the plane finally landed, he lost it, and it took quite a while for him to calm down. ("Don't worry, honey, we're safe, nobody's going to die"...)

Anyway, we're finally here, and we both got a good night's sleep. I'm still trying to sort out wifi - supposedly they have it here but I can't seem to get it on my iphone yet. I'm using my fellow traveler's macbook to write this.

Elliot's bored - gotta run.

Elliot in Dona Fatima's courtyard, Granada

Pre-trip Freakout

It just occurred to me that I am about to spend two solid weeks in the second-poorest country in the Americas alone with my six year old. What the fuck am I doing?!

Countdown to Nicaragua

Elliot & I are leaving Friday morning for Nicaragua... studying Spanish and living with a host family in Granada for three weeks, then on the beach for a week. Nik and some friends from Seattle will join us for the last two weeks. Takes me back to the summer I spent in Guatemala, 14 years ago... though of course, with a 6year old in tow it will be a totally different story. No naked butt bumpers likely on this trip, for one thing.

Would you go to prison for your principles?

Josh Wolf is being held in a US prison for refusing to comply with a federal grand jury subpoena. His refusal is based on the principle that, as a journalist, he should not be compelled to reveal his sources to the government. He has been jailed longer than any other journalist in US history for protecting his sources' confidentiality and defending the first amendment. Please watch the video, and join me in supporting Josh in his courageous effort to restore justice and freedom of the press to the US.

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See the Free Josh Website for more information on his case, and how you can help.