Hardhats and Bats

October is here. In other words, perfect time to explore a bat cave! 

Before we met the bats, we checked out Masaya Volcano. It is active, has many craters, and is a little smelly - yay sulfur!

A look into one of the craters

Another crater, home to monkeys, snakes, deer, anteaters, bobcats, and some old bones.

The sun went down, we picked out our gear (hard hats and almost-dead flashlights), and got ready to hit the trail to the bat cave.

"Yay can't wait to go on this trail!"

"What was that? There are vipers that hang from the trees and the bats might fly in our faces?"

I don't think it was wise for our guide to tell us the bit about the snakes, but he did. We did some hiking and found the bats (and thankfully no snakes).

Just like the ones at the zoo, minus the cages.

Before we went into the cave, the guide took out his flashlight and started examining the trees for snakes. WHY?!

The above cave is not the one we explored, due to large quantities of bats and fumes, and small quantities of oxygen. We chose this one:

Lovely, isn't it? The bottom of the cave is covered with large tree roots. People used to hide in here during war times, and looonnng ago it was used for sacrifices.

The coolest part of the night was standing on the edge of the volcano and listening. You could here the magma and gases moving below. On some nights you can see some of the lava. Unfortunately, this was not one of those nights.

I find it impossible not to see God's craftsmanship in this country. As we were hiking, I looked out and saw the sunset. I looked down and saw the mouth of a volcano. I looked up and saw the crescent moon. How can I not notice Him? 
....

That was my Saturday night. My weeks have been just as entertaining, only instead of bats and caves I have little 4th graders and earthquake drills. Earthquake drills are slightly more enjoyable than fire drills, tornado drills, and lock down drills that I practiced in the States. No more squeezing in small bathrooms or filing hundreds of students down flights of stairs. Here is the average earthquake drill:
Hear the alarm.
Get under your desk and cover your head.
Count out loud to 30.
Line up and walk quickly to the soccer field.
Hold up your green all clear sign if you have all your students and no injuries, hold up red if there is a problem.

This week we also did some crafts that our St. Paul pen pals sent us:

xoxoxo
Laura