WF Nicaragua Travel

I’ve been home for less than 24 hours and I already miss Nicaragua.

Although it is nice to have my big soft bed and a 100% decrease in the amount of bugs orbiting my face, there are a lot of things we experienced in Nicaragua that I am really going to miss. Following Diana’s tribute to her ten favorite memories, here are the ten things I will (and already do) miss the most about Nicaragua:

1. Espresso brownies at El Negro Gato. Yum. I could go for one right now…

2. Ometepe Island. Our whole weekend there was so beautiful.

3. The storms. Getting caught in the rain and falling asleep to it at night.

4. Our many hand washing classes. Watching the kids laugh and have fun but knowing we taught them something useful was so rewarding.

5. The beach. Oh, San Juan del Sur! I will miss you dearly.

6. Prices! Fine dining will unfortunately cost more than five dollars back in the U.S.

7. The animals. Seeing a spider monkey eat a mango 10 feet from me? Incredible.

8. “The Nica Way”. This phrase refers to the fact that nothing went according to plan…ever. But once we came to understand this, it became one of Nicaragua’s most endearing qualities.

9. The car rides. Okay maybe not the super bumpy one on the way to ziplining (thanks Dr. Miller!) but looking out the window in the car and never knowing what I would see..the sun setting over a volcano, traditional Nicaraguan homes lining the road, little boys on horseback carrying fish, etc.

10. Our “Nicaragua family”. I feel so lucky to have just experienced the past 3 weeks with the people in our group, and we truly became a family. I have been thinking about you all day (including Team Giles- we would not have had half the excitement or humor without our favorite team!).

Adios,

Maria

As the week comes to an end, we are back in the beautiful Los Pinos hotel enjoying a warm night by the pool. I can’t believe that we have only been here for a week, it feels more like a month! As of last Tuesday, I have been in North Carolina, Atlanta, Guatemala, Ometepe Island, Chinandega, and Managua.

Looking back at this week, I am grateful that I have gotten to have such awesome experiences with the group. One of the coolest things that happened this week was on Wednesday night in Chinandega. We had gone to the Amigos for Christ farm for a cookout, but right as we got there it began to get dark and windy. The leaders told us that if we didn’t leave before the storm, the rain would flood the streets and we wouldn’t be able to leave at all so we all piled back into the uncovered flatbed truck right as it started to storm. We rode the entire way back in the metal truck as lightning and thunder struck all around us. I was completely terrified, not to mention soaked, and wondered if we would make it out alive.

Looking back at our storm experience, I realize what a ridiculous sight we were, riding through the middle of Nicaragua in a thunderstorm, holding onto each other and screaming with the rain pelting us. It was a huge bonding experience for our group, who for the most part didn’t know each other before May, and after we made it back safely, I felt like our group had become more like a family than a class of students. I have never had an experience quite like that storm, but I am looking forward to having many more experiences that are scary, challenging, and bring our group closer together.

(Hi mom and dad and everyone at home! I miss you a lot!)

Until next time,

Maria