Howdy y’all! Our apologies for the late post, we’ve been rather internet-less for quite awhile and will continue to be. Anywho here’s our blog from last week!
¡Hola! ¡Hola! From Rancho Esperanza…though I must say we’re severely lacking in hope (esperanza) at the moment. Here’s our eventful yet unfortunate update of the past week:
Thursday we spent the day at Bonafide hard at work with our machetes…some of us even got blisters *cough*cough* Maya. While the rest of us sewed hammocks and attended the last of our Spanish lessons.
Friday was our last day at Bonafide. We passed the morning making endless yet delicious tamales–Got our hands all nice ‘n’ goopy. Mmm. That night we headed down to Mano Amigo (a local community center started by Bonafide) for pizza night and farewells to our friends on the farm. We were actually quite upset to leave the farm and all the amazing volunteers we met. It was an incredible experience and truly bonding for the group. Quite a few of us have actually expressed desires to return someday. Such a feared experience became one of our favorites. We will miss ya Bonafide! (http://projectbonafide.com/)
Saturday we awoke at the crack of dawn to begin Student Directed Travel in small groups to Granada. The “Good Guys” (Quintin, Maya, and Lisa) joined forces with Shane, Katie, and Ellen for a day of ridiculous fun, including a rooftop ferry party, a crazy bus ride of singing and games, and some super tasty food!
Sophia, Tess, and Jared had a splendidly chill day of sleeping in, then retrieving Jared’s infamous package of goodies (FINALLY)! Being the wonderful guy he is, he of course shared all of his treats–Making for some seriously blissed out group members.
Ricky, Leigha, and Lizza also awoke at the crack of dawn, took the earliest ferry, and then a taxi straight to Granada. If it had been a race, they’d have beat us all by hours! They spent the day indulging in Granada’s scrumptious smoothies, food, and (oh my god!) LAUNDRY!
So woot woot! We all successfully completed the journey from Bonafide to Granada! It was excellent to get a taste of the independence we’d all been craving.
We topped off the day with a group dinner to a local food place in the square downtown. Sounds quaint right? The reality was: cold chicken, microwaved rice and beans, and a ketchup sandwich…Half the group fled the scene for a second dinner at “The Garden.” ‘Twas much better. Apparently our leftovers were pounced on by local children before the rest of the group even left the table.
Sunday morning the group awoke with several hours to eat breakfast and continue exploring the city prior to departing to Rancho Esperanza! We left in two groups. The first group: Ellen, Maya, Lizza, Leigha, Ricky, and Katie, hopped on the wrong bus… Oops? No worries though! We figured it out and even made it to our final bus at the same time as the other group! The second group: Lisa, Tess, Quintin, Sophia, and Shane, budgeted so well that they had left over money for ice cream! (Though I’m not sure they ever got any…).
Upon first and briefly seeing the ocean through the bus windows, our group turned into a squealing, awwing, sappy, yet rowdy mess. We finally made it!
Rancho Esperanza is a lovely little hostel right on the beach of the Northern Pacific Coast. Before we could even get a tour of the place Lisa and Quintin were diving in the waves fully clothed!
Shortly after settling into our cabanas we all leapt into our long awaited ocean bliss. Lisa and Katie even had to give into their argument that lakes were better than oceans…woah. While splashing about, it began to storm on our right and the sun set beautifully on our left. Nothing could have been more serene.
Spirits higher than they’d been all trip, we headed to dinner to be treated to pasta! Boy was Lisa ecstatic. We didn’t think it was possible for the night to get more perfect. We were wrong. We played a game of Scategories–Just to learn our group is bloody awful at it… and far too emotionally charged. But following the game is what really made the night…A spontaneous, moonlit, group skinny dip! We giggled and peeked in and out of waves, absolutely thrilled to have finally made it to the beach together. Finally like family. It drizzled all around us and lightning flashed in the distance as we all got carried along the shore by the current. It was absolutely perfect. ‘Twas my personal favorite group activity of the entire trip. And for the most part, a truly perfect night.
The next morning began the most tragic and awful day of the entire trip. Ironic right? We had group discussions, private conversations, isolation time, and lots of it. None of us knew anything for sure. Finally we were told that there was a possibility that three of our most cherished group members (Jared, Quintin, and Ricky) would be leaving the group due to violations of Carpe Diem’s sacred six policies and rules.
The rest of the group grudgingly and solemnly headed to paint a nearby school, hardly speaking and sometimes crying while awaiting their fates. We returned to see their packs out front and a personal announcement from them of the horrible news. The group broke down in tears. We had all fought to keep our boys–Even requesting to speak to headquarters ourselves. These boys are the glue to our group and nothing has been or will be as devastating as losing them.
We said our goodbyes with a final swim and rather cheery dinner. The boys could not have been more amazing about the whole thing. They were the ones cheering us up when it should have been the opposite way around.
Jared left the group with high hopes for us all and a whole box of treats… Scrumptious! Quintin left everyone with a good smile and chuckle. And Ricky left each of us with a tremendously sweet and clever letter. The minute their taxi whooshed past, the group burst out in a simultaneous sob that lingered through out the evening.
I can’t say any of us know how we are going to continue on with out Quintin, Jared, and Ricky. We’re lost. They are crucial members of our group and family, and always will be. They are all irreplaceable.
Quintin was our fire. Always encouraging everyone to push past their limits, and seize every opportunity. When the group needed entertainment or a giggle we would turn to Quintin and Maya for their hysterical games and humor. He is such a positive force: always looking at the bright side and keeping everyone’s spirits high. A genuine comedian, his light hearted personality allowed him to form easy relationships with each of us. He’s unbelievably witty and keenly intelligent with a knack for keeping an open mind. Quintin was not only the life of the group but our fundamental building block. Without him we are nothing but a bunch of Jenga blocks scattered around a table.
Jared was our endearing gentleman. He was always the first to comfort any of us when we were down. He pursued such deep conversations with each of us one on one. Making us feel special and independent. Something you don’t always feel in a group atmosphere. He was by far the most motivated. Always diving into his home stays and other cultural experiences. He was king of food as well. And surely to be the most successful of all of us.
Ricky was our heart and source of all ridiculousness. He is so genuine and empathetic. He reached each of us on an incredibly deep emotional level and stole all of our hearts. Though he was terribly modest about it, he was also our group artist, visually and musically. And an exquisite one at that. Dogs, kittens, chickens, pigs, and all sorts of animals love him almost as much as we do. His frequent and infectious laugh brought light to each and every moment of the trip. The sincerity and joy he brought to our group will never be matched. What in the world are we going to do with out our Rickitini?
Quintin, Jared, and Ricky made tremendous impacts on all of us, individually and on our Carpe Diem group as a whole. We would do anything to bring them back. They are so so so missed, more than they will ever know. They will always be a part of our family. The group isn’t “the group” with out them. We love you Quintin! We love you Jared! We love you Ricky! Best of luck with everything. We miss y’all!
Tuesday was spent mourning our losses and beaching it up. Some of us learned to surf, while the others climbed coconut trees…or should I say we tried…falling was a common theme of the day. We spent the afternoon finishing up our paint job at the school, playing upbeat of music as possible. We are all still in a bit of a funk. We have the rest of the week to kick back–kayak, surf, crab, skinny dip, and readjust. Then we’re headed to Masaya and San Juan del Sur!
We miss y’all at home terribly. Especially right now. Wish us luck!
Solemnly Yours,
Katie & Sophia