Nicaragua ‘16

On March 13th, 2016 I went somewhere not many people choose or have the opportunity to visit for their Spring Break.  Most don’t even know where Nicaragua is located (it’s above Costa Rica and below Honduras in Central America).  Nicaragua is not one of those tourist destinations where you can stay at a five-star resort on a beach along with thousands of other people; it’s a place where you can enjoy walking on a beach with only a handful of other people that you can see: you can simply enjoy the peaceful rolling of the waves and the company you’re with.  In this case, my company consisted of Brentonians Maria, Cindy, and Ms. Murtland. Together, we explored the beautiful beaches of Jiquilillo, befriended and taught English to many of the kind-hearted Nicaraguans, took part in many of the wonderful local activities and experienced the Nicaraguan culture firsthand. Our first real activity and one of my personal highlights of the trip was Volcano Surfing. After a gruelling hour-long hike up Cerro Negro we took a moment to feel the volcano’s spirit, as Ms. Murtland put it, and then tobogganed down. It was the perfect start to our trip and that spirit stayed with us for the rest of our time.  We enjoyed other fun activities such as sunrise kayaking and paddle boarding, releasing baby turtles, surfing, exploring the colourful city of León, and our Saturday Night Fever dancing at a Nicaraguan Disco! The main reason we went to Nicaragua, however, was to help the community and the Together Works Society http://www.togetherworkssociety.com/what-we-do/ as much as we could. Many afternoons were spent teaching English, playing soccer on the beach, and getting to know our hosts better. We were also a part of projects such as clearing brush so that this summer 30 houses can be built for those who have lost theirs to the rising tide. We also spent a day unloading shipment containers full of donated shoes, soap, and fire extinguishers.  Probably the most powerful experience I had was the trip to El Limonal, a small village right outside of Chinandega that is the city’s dump. Many people who have very little live there and spend their days scavenging through the garbage to find anything that they can keep or sell. We travelled to El Limonal to make soup to feed the entire village. We were chopping veggies and meat when many families started to line up with their children. In the time waiting for the soup to be done we painted nails, gave temporary tattoos to the children, and made friendship bracelets. It’s the kind of experience you can’t really put into words. As the trip came to an end, we were all very sad to leave. We had made long-lasting friendships and shared some great experiences with some really great people. I know that this trip will always be special to me and my fellow Brentonians.  A special thank you to Ms. Murtland for putting the trip together and bringing us along, and to the Together Works Society for all of the important work they do. Jade M, Allard ‘17