On January 4th, 2018, I boarded a plane to Atlanta to get on my connecting flight to Managua, Nicaragua. I went with DePauw and many awesome friends. Nervous but excited, I threw my bag up with the carry-ons and sat down. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into.
When we arrived at our village, Aguas Caliente, we were greeted by many smiling families, balloons, streamers, and flags that read, “¡Bienvenido!” My best friend and I met our host family and immediately dove into the culture. We loved to help with anything we could because our family was so welcoming. However, we were building a preschool for the little babies in the village and needed to spend a lot of our time on the construction site.
We played with the kids in a field and brought out some baseball gear we brought them and started a game. We had so much fun, and I wasn’t even thinking about being nervous. It was so natural, so comfortable. Each day, we helped the women of the village with laundry, kitchen duty, farming, and some students even got to help out in the school.
This wonderful community fought a long time to get a preschool for their little ones, and I was so happy to help out. But honestly, they gave me a lot more than I gave them. I gained a better appreciation for culture, human life, and the value of family. They showed me a whole new part of the world I didn’t know existed, and for that I will be forever grateful. Much love to my Nicaraguan family and all the wonderful kids that will go through that preschool!
Picture 1- The worksite! Also, Cassie proudly standing in front of it!!
Picture 2- THE CUTEST BABY EVER! She became family and will always have a piece of my heart!
Picture 3- There were such cute puppies everywhere. They loved to be pet and loved on, and puppies just make anything 10000x better!
Picture 4- My little buddy angel eating his noodles in his Big Bird shirt…the most precious!
Picture 5- We climbed a mountain and survived! Here’s the amazing view!
Picture 6- From the welcoming ceremony the first day!
Picture 7- Another amazing view, this time from a local shop with a huge mountain behind it! Breathtaking!
Picture 8- Cassie having fun with the kids on baseball day!!
Picture 9- My little brother and I playing on my phone after a busy day.
Picture 10- The final day…my beautiful Nicaraguan family…¡Te amo!