For my A-Term 2017, I participated in the Managua Field School course and travelled to Nicaragua, for the purpose of volunteering and helping its communities. I decided to come to Nicaragua for the sake of understanding the real meaning of poverty and experiencing what the impoverished go through on a daily basis. I thought that this was the perfect opportunity for me to interact with them, work with them, maybe build relationships, and most importantly comprehend how poverty affects their lives and makes them less privileged. This was an amazing experience, as it challenged my perspectives and taught me new things.
We, first, spent a couple days in Managua working in construction: we partnered with the Jubilee House Community and helped them build a second building for their clinic. This project means a lot to the habitants for the community because this location would benefit them daily, as it will be offering yoga classes for relaxation, instructive health classes to teach them how to take care of their bodies, and other great options. Helping in construction was definitely not an easy job, especially that the temperature was very hot and the conditions of living weren't as great as we are used to. But, it was an experience worth the time and effort because it opened my eyes on how poorly the quality of life of some can be. Afterwards, we headed to Ometepe Island and taught english at the Ometepe Bilingual School. This task was really fun because I got to interact with many kids and was able to teach them some english vocabularies and help them with their homework. Honestly, it ended up being a learning experience for both the student and us, as we had to use spanish in order for the kids to understand us. Lastly, we went to Granada for the sake of visiting the city and relaxing.
Nicaragua has been a thought provoking and life changing trip, as it exposed me to a world where poverty reigns. Not only it made me feel guilty for having a luxurious life knowing that others are suffering, but it also made me grateful for everything I have.
For more informations, visit our official blog and read from everyone's perspective: http://managuafieldschool2017.blogspot.com
