Reflections, Perceptions

I am back! I had an extraordinary trip, and learned so much! The trip was everything I expected and more. I am so thankful and grateful for this opportunity. Nicaragua is such a beautiful country, filled with beautiful people! I sincerely loved volunteering, and I know I will do much more in the future.  My team was awesome, we grew so close! This service trip was absolutely amazing.

The last few days, we were rewarded for our hard work. We took a ferry to an island, where we hiked to a gorgeous waterfall and went zip lining. We watched Ms. Lisa-Marie’s boyfriend, Brody, surf, and went swimming. We went deep sea fishing and traveled all around Nicaragua. While driving around, it was cool to see how the majority Nicaraguans lived. As we drove further from Rivas, the homes grew farther apart and each house began to have their own well and washboards! As we drove along, we handed out soccer balls to children. It warmed my heart to see children’s’ faces burst when receiving a soccer ball!  

I learned many things from the trip, but one, very important lesson stuck out in my mind. Perception is everything. How you choose to see and experience things sticks with you forever. I think that perception was a major factor on this trip. When driving across the country, and doing home visits, your perception was outstandingly important. Are you going to see this home as a Vail local, or a volunteering, caring student? Are you going to compare a child’s home to your own, or value the little things, medications and strollers, that they are able to afford? My perception was my reality. I now look at all things I used to take advantage of, with changed eyes. This trip was forever life changing.

I thank Children’s Global Alliance for this experience. I loved Nicaragua and all the volunteer work and heartwarming, breath taking moments I was granted on this service trip!!!