By Jake Marcus
The week started off with a three-hour ride from the so-called “San Fransisco” of Nicaragua: Matagalpa, to the vibrant community of La Concha (a smaller, more rural version of the big city of Matagalpa). We arrived in the afternoon at the Mariposa Spanish school, with a very warm welcome from our Nicaraguan host families. Our last week of Spanish school and homestays started off with an incredible gallo pinto dinner, followed by total Nicaraguan immersion. The houses in La Concha were much smaller and simpler than the other houses we have been staying at. Only a couple rooms for sleeping, eating, and watching TV. No running water, no toilet (only latrine), no shower, only a bucket with soap. Even with the rustic conditions, our families made us feel incredibly comfortable and we were excited to start the week with this loving community.
Each morning started off with a variety of different service projects. Three of the sites revolved around working with kids as well as helping teachers. The other was a nature reserve which seemed to be the group’s favorite. Imagine a luscious green forest in the middle of a bustling city. Then imagine that forest is full of fresh fruits, chirping birds, and warm smiles. That’s the biosphere reserve that we volunteered at this week. Volunteering at the reserve included hard and dirty work with the feeling of meaningful accomplishment. From shoveling dirt to picking oranges, the reserve was an extraordinary opportunity.
After the service projects in the morning, we had four-hour Spanish classes in the afternoon. There were four groups of students and every student was put into one of the four groups based on skill level. During our break, we snacked on the hanging banana racks, averaging four bananas per person, per day—a definite highlight of the week. The end of our last Spanish class of the trip, we had a small ceremony thanking the teachers and celebrating all that we have learned. That night we headed back to our homestay families for the last time. The next morning we packed our bags and said our final goodbyes to our homestay families and headed off to Leon, our next destination.