Dear Mom and Dad,
Everything is going fine. I am enjoying Nicaragua and I think you will too! Nicaragua is very different than New York, and it has the same temperature all year round. I like the siestas, that is when you take a nap after lunch (you don't have to). There are a lot of celebrations that you will probably like, I know I did.
The climate here is HOT, just how you like it. The average temperature is 78° F. When you come here you will have to wear light clothing like T-shirts and shorts. Barney might not like the hot weather because of his black fur coat. When you get here you will have to build him a doghouse and install a fan. The climate here might be a lot hotter than usually, but you will get used to it. Yesterday I went to the Pacific Coast and there and there were several volcanoes. A man said that the volcanoes were active. We will have to go see them.
I am visiting Matagalpa, a very old, beautiful city and an important commercial center. Matagalpa is located in the central highlands of Nicaragua. It is surrounded by the green mountains of the coffee growing region. Either of you can work in coffee producing, flour milling or textile manufacturing. Today I also visited an old catholic church built in the Spanish colonial period . Since you like to hike you can explore the coffee plantation in the Green Mountains around the city. I think Matagalpa will be an exiting place to live.
I was looking at some schools to find out where I should go and I found out a lot of information. Did you know that only 36% of people in Nicaragua complete school? Students have to pay for their own supplies, uniforms and expenses. But there is one good thing, schooling here is free between ages 6-13. I will stay in school even after I am 13 and will be one of the 36%.
Here are some fun facts you might want to know about Nicaragua. Nicaragua is about the size of Iowa in the U.S. People in Nicaragua have two last names. The mother's name goes before the father's name. Our last name would be Matassi-Kappmeyer.
Nicaragua's flag shows their cultural pride. The badge is a triangle, which bears a landscape consisting of five mountains rising out of the sea. A pole rises out of the middle mountain, a red cap of liberty being placed there on. The sun is rising between the two right mountains. Encircling the triangle is the legend." Republic De Nicaragua American" in gold letters.
Nicaragua has a strong Spanish and Catholic influence.
They have a lot of celebrations about local saints. Maybe we should go to some. Most of the people here are a mix of Native Americans and Spanish. I think that we will have a lot of fun here with all the celebrations and meeting new people.
Nicaragua is very rural, and there are a lot of farms. Farmers plant commercial crops like sugarcane, cotton, and bananas. Some other crops farmers grow are coffee, maize and rice. Nicaragua agriculture affects the whole country.
I hope this information will help you when you get here. You are going to like Nicaragua, I know it. We will have a lot of fun. You can think of this trip as one long vacation.
Love,
Kim