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