GIVE Nicaragua: Cultural immersion and Surfing

My overall experience was excellent! I really felt like a family in the community through our various community service activities such as painting houses, releasing baby sea turtles, teaching English to the local kids, and participating in beach clean ups. I really enjoyed feeling welcomed into the country by the locals and not simply feeling as a disconnected tourist. Nicaragua is a beautiful country and I am so glad GIVE allowed me the opportunity to experience it in the way I did and really feel connected with the locals. If I were to have traveled on my own to Nicaragua, it wouldn't have been the same. All of the transportation (aside from flights) was taken care of by the organization which made the trip stress free! We went from a small fishing town Jiquilillo, to the City of Leon to Volcan Telica, to Cerro Negro, to Laguna de Apoyo, and ended it in Managua before we went home. I recommend traveling with give at least once in your life to truly experience the culture to where you're traveling to.

This trip truly changed my life. It was my first solo international trip and I couldn't have felt more taken care of prior, during and after by the GIVE community. Despite being very nervous going in knowing no one, I made friends right off the bat and felt so welcomed by everyone. Jiquillilo also welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to learn from them about their culture, way of life and food and connect in a level I didn't know was possible. I loved my time in Nicaragua and especially loved surfing with the local guides, learning about sea turtle rescuing from Ramon and facing my fears sandboarding down the volcano. I will be going on another trip with GIVE for sure. If you are thinking about going, please do, it is such a fulfilling trip in so may ways!

My experience with GIVE while visiting Nicaragua was absolutely incredible and deeply meaningful. The local guide, Moises, was not only knowledgeable but also passionate about sharing his country’s rich history and culture. The other guides, Megan and Tanner, brought so much warmth, energy, and support to the entire trip. As a Muslim, I had hoped to visit the only mosque in the country, and GIVE went out of their way to make that possible for me. I’m already in the process of planning my next trip with GIVE for next summer. I would absolutely recommend GIVE to anyone looking for a purposeful, culturally immersive, and life-changing experience.