GIVE Nicaragua: Cultural immersion and Surfing

never knew that 2 weeks could make such an impact on my life and change my perspective of life. This trip has shown me what true love, community, family, and happiness looks like. Being in rural communities that have nothing and being immersed in their world and seeing how happy, welcoming, kind, and generous they were was truly a privilege to witness, I want to thank all the wonderful people I met during this trip who made me feel like I had a family here in Nicaragua I will forever carry you in my heart. To my students your presence, personality’s , and character have left everlasting memories and joy on me and I will never forget you or our memories together. I want to encourage everyone to take a step out of your comfort zone, no matter what it may be because it may reveal something within you heart you never knew was there before. I am extremely proud of myself for deciding to take the risk and do this trip because it enabled me to witness rich culture and the most beautiful places I have ever seen

What made this experience so great wasn't just the cool things we got to do or see but the connections and impact we were able to make. As someone who had never been outside the United States, I had many preconceived assumptions and fears about where I was going would be like. However, as each day went by throughout the trip, I got more and more comfortable about where I was, grateful for everything I had, and above all, excited about the fact that all of my fears and worries couldn't have been farther from the truth. Every Single Person throughout the trip was kind, compassionate, helpful, and thankful for us being there, despite any language barriers there might have been. Throughout the trip, we were able to make positive changes in both ourselves and the communities we were in. From helping the community's environment, children, and families to even helping its infrastructure, we were able to make a difference for good. Additionally, getting to see life from such a drastically different perspective truly was life-changing in the best way. No matter how long your trip is, it will feel like a lifetime, it will change you and those around you for the better, and it will be worth every penny...

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.