Preparing for my Newest Adventure

Last fall I saw a scholarship announcement for an agriculturally focused trip to Nicaragua, including rice production, and thought, "Why not?". I should at least put my name in the hat. I was so excited when I found out I had been selected! Finally, after 2 years back in the U.S. I was stepping out again. I immediately began Google-ing things in Nicaragua to get an idea of what I was in for. It seemed at least that the potential to get sick was much reduced as compared to Senegal. I had never really thought about the agricultural products of Central America, and was excited to learn that I would experience production of some crops I had never seen before.

I began making a list of some "must see" places even though I knew most of the trip would be predetermined destinations of agricultural interest. I knew I wanted to go down a day or two before the rest of the group to be able to see a few more places. I also wanted to make sure I would be able to comfortably move all of the belongings I took on my own. This caused me to reach out to some friends who could suggest backpacks. Thanks to Jessica Wesling, I was able to select and buy a sweet pack amongst other goodies. Thank you Jess!

I love this pack. It was all I took for the week. Note the awesome orange zombie water bottle that is still in Nicaragua. I bet it's the only zombie related item in the country ha!

The time before the trip seemed to creep by. Finally, we were told to purchase our tickets. I wanted the cheapest flight I could get. I ended up finding one that put me there a mere 24 hours before the rest of the group. Just enough time to see the capitol Managua. I was pretty happy about this as the city was not one of the places on our itinerary. I thought about arriving at the airport and worried a little that my Spanish skills wouldn't come back. I took the opportunity to practice with some friends before going, and I am very grateful for their help!

When the day to leave came (a Friday) I finished up my packing, stopped by the lab, hugged Kiki, and went for a final run before going down to try all of the street food I could get my hands on. So excited!!

Kiki wants to travel too!