Nicaragua

The past two spring breaks I have been fortunate enough to travel to Tepeyac, Nicaragua, a small town outside of Managua, with the TCU Catholic Community. I don’t actually know why I was interested in the trip aside from the fact that I love to travel. I signed up not knowing who else would be going but excited to go to the country nonetheless.

On March 13^th, 2009 my group of 21 about people (TCU students and faculty) ventured out to Nicaragua and arrived at the local convent in Tepeyac. For only $100 each, the nuns at the convent served us breakfast, lunch, and dinner and provided us with our own rooms for the week—such a deal! We worked on their banana plantation in the mornings, clearing the field and digging holes, as another form of payment to the nuns. Mornings were probably my least favorite part of the day! After working in the field, we would go to the small school to observe classes and play with the kids. I will never forget the day I was observing the 5^th grade class when the teacher asked me to help teach the class…in SPANISH! I reluctantly agreed and ended up teaching math to those students for about 20 minutes (the scariest yet most thrilling 20 minutes ever). We did a few touristy things too that included visiting Ometepe, an island formed by 2 volcanoes, spending the night in Granada, and going to San Juan del Sur, a beach along the Atlantic Ocean. My first trip to Nicaragua was amazing; I fell in love with the food, the students, the Tepeyac community, and the country. I was sad to leave Tepeyac knowing the conditions in which people lived in and not being certain if I would ever see the community again.

Upon returning to Fort Worth, my group decided to raise money for the Tepeyac community through multiple fundraisers and events at TCU. Our goal was to raise enough money to build a fence around the school in order to prevent local gangs from breaking into the classrooms. We ended up raising around $5,000! I signed up for the trip again and flew back to Nicaragua for spring break 2010.

My second trip to Nicaragua was about 10x more amazing than the first, if that’s even possible. The most amazing part about returning to the country was seeing the community again—and having them remember my name! Although there are many groups that travel to Tepeyac, not many return and maintain a relationship with the community. The Tepeyac community was thrilled to see us TCU students return because it meant we did not forget about them. The goal of the second trip was much different than that of the first. First of all, we planned to use our $5000 we raised to buy supplies for the fence that would go around the school. Secondly, we brought dentists and nurses from Texas to Nicaragua so we could help out at the local medical center. I served as a translator between the dentists, nurses, and patients. I noticed how much more comfortable I felt with the community my second time around; there was so much more acceptance and trust between our small TCU group and the community of Tepeyac. I know it’s not nice to have favorites, but a 9-year-old boy named Jordín stole my heart and was definitely my favorite student at the school. He followed me around and was my best buddy there! During my second visit to Nicaragua we visited a market, revisited the beach and Granada, and hiked around a volcano. We were able to begin the fence and also set up an irrigation system in the banana plantation. Once again, I left the country sad yet satisfied with the progress and impact our small group had in the town.

Building an international relationship with the community of Tepeyac is an experience so unique and special. I’m not sure if I will be able to visit again for spring break 2011, but I will definitely be thinking about the community, especially Jordín, for a long time. Visiting such a poor country is a definite eye-opener; I am so much more appreciative for the things I have, like clean drinking water, an opportunity to attend college, the ability to travel, etc. One thing is for sure, part of my heart is still in Tepeyac!

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Anne Frank

Gymnastics

I started gymnastics when I was 7, not knowing the sport would take over my life for the next 10 years. I remember my gym classes were so fun—what 7-year-old wouldn’t love running around and doing flips 3 hours a week? By the time I was 11, I was competing level 5 and loving everything gymnastics-related. The sport was a big time commitment; I was practicing 12 hours a week along with a few hours of dance and tennis. My true passion for gymnastics was realized when I got so busy I had to pick one sport to stick with and could not imagine my life without gymnastics.

Gymnastics has its advantages and disadvantages. I’ll start with the positives. As a gymnast, you learn to listen and follow directions very well. Your coach is the voice of authority and your mentor as well. I think that my relationship with my coach helped me do better in school, allowing me to listen and learn from my teachers. Another positive: gymnastics is a great way to stay in shape—I had a six-pack of abs before I was 10! I was a bundle of muscle and was almost the pull-up champion of my 6^th grade P.E. class (yes, I’m still proud of that). My gymnastics team was my second family and I loved spending the second half of my day with them. Gymnastics taught me how to work hard and push myself past my own limits. Again, I feel that these characteristics have spilled over into my daily life, especially as a college student.

With the pros come many cons as well. Risks are high when it comes to flipping on a 4-inch wide balance beam or tumbling across the floor and trying to land perfectly. I suffered 3 broken fingers, a fractured tibia, a torn tricep muscle, and multiple ankle sprains throughout my 10 years as a gymnast. My hands were calloused and ripped up from bars and I was sore most days from practice. Punishments given by my coach were brutal when I couldn’t do a skill she asked me to do. Practices were at times filled with tears and fear of doing specific skills and flips.

Looking back at my life as a gymnast, I sometimes wonder why I put myself through the sport when I recall the negative side. But even though I hated the sport at times, I cannot imagine my life without all those memories. Gymnastics helped me meet my best friends, give me life skills, and provide me with some of the greatest moments ever. I have still yet to part with the sport—I’m active with TCU Gymnastics club and try to visit my old gym when I’m back home. Gymnastics will always be a big part of me and has shaped who I am…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

"Three essentials: Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. Believe in what you are doing."

Heart of life

Hello world!

My name is Bianca Castro (no relation to Fidel Castro, just going to throw that out there!) and I’m a junior at a wonderful school called Texas Christian University (TCU). If you take a look at my header, you can see that the title of my blog is “Heart of Life.” I actually got the title from my favorite John Mayer song—I felt it described the theme of my blog perfectly. Over the next couple of weeks I will be writing about things that are near and dear to my heart and have had an impact on my life. I hope you enjoy reading about me!

“Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” Bob Marley