Day Seven (Second to last day but seriously tomorrow we are only going to pack)

Today was a day of relaxation and reflection! We chilled by the water, Paddle boarded, kayaked and relaxed all day. Dinner was focused on reflecting about the trip; the pros and cons, regrets and opportunities, thoughts and feelings about the trip. The group overall felt like they contributed to a greater cause and made an impact in the community down here. We did small tasks that will make a big difference in educating the local population as well as creating a variety of opportunities.

Lauren's Reflection of the trip:

We made it to the lagoon and the everything seems so perfect! The view is breathtaking the water and waves are just right, you can swim, kayak, play ping pong, rest whatever you desire. Paradiso definitely lives up to its name. We got here late afternoon yesterday and stayed up most of the night playing card games and talking as a large group. Today we swam almost all day and I fell asleep on the beach. I can't wait until tomorrow for my much needed massage.

Another big shock was the animals freely roaming the streets it was such a weird sight to see horses in the middle of the highway and cows roaming around the streets in herds. One day a dog even followed Hanna and I to the market and back to our hostel. Back home you would never see animals roaming freely unless they broke the fence or got out.

Nicaragua isn't a third world country that's an archaic term it's a developing country it's clear throughout our journey between the different areas of Nicaragua that this wording is true people have moved from dirt roads to stone, no running water to water and electricity and this trend will continue with education they will develop even quicker.

Our trip as a whole couldn't have been any better we worked hard as a group in the heat and managed to mix lots of concrete by hand. The language barrier caused a few construction bumps, but it wasn't nearly as hard to communicate as I expected. I was surprised how welcoming the locals were to us especially the children. Children tend to be shy, but every kid we met would wave, shout hi, or give us great big hugs. Their reactions made our work feel like it had a purpose and made it more rewarding in my opinion. Along with our work we did lots of exciting things like zip lining upside down, seeing the glowing lava inside a volcano, walking around an abandoned prison, boating across lake Nicaragua every part of our trip was a great experience, something I'll never forget!

Xoxo Burn (Ms Keenan got sunburned)

Hannah K's Reflection of the trip:

The past two days have held much contrast. On Saturday we finished our time at the work site in Pancasan. We then went and visited a community outside of Granada that Amped for Education first started called Pantenal. We saw the elementary school, the high school that Amped had contributed to, and the first learning center Amped had ever built. Compared to Pancasan, Pantenal did not have as much infrastructure. There was more rural land and pigs basking in the sun on the side of the road did not seem uncommon. What was similar about the two however, was that both communities are working to grow and develop. Once we visited Pantenal, we packed our bags and drove 30 minutes away to stay at a new hostel in laguna de apoyo. The purpose of this was to give us two days of rest after five days of grueling work.

Laguna de apoyo is beautiful. It's a closed lake with a high mineral content that much resembles the ocean and it occupies the caldera of an extinct volcano. Because of its beauty and affordability, it is a popular tourist attraction. The paradiso hostel where we are staying is by far the most touristy thing we have done. The contrast of walking through a community such as Pantenal and then going to a tourist attraction and over hearing discussion from Americans about the new season of Game of Thrones really forces you to reevaluate what you find important in your life as well as what should count as meaningful conversation.

As we are reaching the end of this trip that has provided us all with enriching and culturally immersive experiences, we had a group reflection of the trip over dinner. We talked about what we took away as well as what we gave. This volunteer trip has made us all more aware and sensitive to other people's way of life.  Jeff made a comment about how to describe Nicaragua that I think is very important and affects how we as Americans view other countries, especially the ones that do not have all the privileges that we do. He said that using the term "3rd world country" is archaic and instead a more appropriate name would be "developing country" that's because 3rd world implies that this is a poor country and always will be a poor country but as guests in Nicaragua we now know this is far from the truth. Nicaragua is ever changing and is taking serious initiative in providing more services and opportunities for it's people to change and take steps forward in the right direction. I know for a fact that if I come back here in 3 or 4 years and visit the same communities and go to the same cities, that much will have changed for the better. This trip has changed my life and my world views. I have learned so much more than I could have ever possibly imagined and I learned to push my boundaries pasty previous comfort level. Coming away from this trip, I feel infinitely more confident and indebted to Jeff and Sarah for providing us with this opportunity that I have used every minute of. I hope to return here again just to see how much has changed as well as re-experience the amazingness of this trip all over again.

Scott's Reflection of the trip:

As my last entry to the Frontier Goes to Nicaragua blog I just want to tell everyone I have had an amazing time this week! This was my second trip to Nicaragua and I've loved every day I've been here, this trip even more so than the last. The culture here is an ever changing entity and even things like the currency are drastically different. This country may be known as a third world country but Amped has made me realize it is truly a developing one. An example of how quickly Nicaragua is growing is how when I came two years ago, none of the towns just outside the city of Granada had over head power line, running water, or even paved roads. Just in the past two years however all of the towns that we went to on this trip in 2017 had these things. These thins were a big part of what made coming back here to Nicaragua such a good experience for me. Being able to literally watch how the entire country has developed in just a couple of years is very eye opening. The market in Granada is also very interesting to talk about because unlike the towns that have been drastically changed over time the market hasn't changed much at all. I remembered most of the shacks that were in the market. I am not sure if this is because the market is always to busy to be built up or if it's because the people who sell goods at the market don't make enough money to build a new shacks. (By the way right now there is a scorpion two feet to the right of my foot) Now I have moved out of the way because I am going to bed so peace out Frontier✌🏻

Hanna's Reflection of the trip:

These six days have been an amazing experience and it was a great way to wrap up my career at Frontier Regional High School. This trip has thought me many things; people may not have a lot but they make due with what they have, making relations with people will go a long way, Nicaragua is a developing country not a third world country, in the long run giving knowledge is the best way to help others; you have to be independent in life, and you can balance life with fun and work.

Going to the market to get fruit twice this week was a very unexpected experience, it felt like a very messy farmers market, but instead of just fruits there are cloths, meat, fruit, vegetables, oils, phones and other weird thing. Seeing Nicaraguan people and the different living conditions that they live with was eye opening. For example, you will see three people riding on the same bike to get some where.

Having the opportunity to help build a learning center was a great experience to help provide a place where young kids can learn basic skills to help them provide for themselves instead of relying on others. Going to a learning center that was completed was an amazing experience to see what all of our hard work would accomplish. Seeing the kids that want to be there (they don't have to go to school), having fun, and learning at the same time made all my hard work seem worth every minute.

After mixing cement by hand, nailing wood into cement, sifting sand, and hitting cement with a hatchet we got to unwind by going to a lagoon, playing ping pong, having fancy drinks, and just relaxing. But after everything that I have done, my relationships with people is the thing I will remember most; my friendships that have grown, and my new friendships that will always be with me.

Lexi's Reflection of the trip:

Resilience has become common theme of this trip. Whether it is us learning how to use the tools at the construction site or children learning to overcome obstacles placed in front of them, and those obstacles range from lack of funds, clean water or food.  

There is a difference between going to a country and being a tourist, looking at the popular sites but I think we traveled, developing relationships and trying to make the community a better environment. On our final day of volunteering we went to Pantanal. The contrast between the city that’s 10 minutes away and the village is vast.  The city bustles with tourism, people from all over the world restaurants litter the streets and vendors circle the streets, cars navigate through narrow alleys it is always bustling. But the village has dirt roads and farm animals roaming, looking for food. There are worn down houses in desperate need of repair, it is almost hard to find words to describe this because regardless of the circumstances, the people were still happy, and the village had developed having paved roads and power lines,  although the work we did, mixing cement for the concrete floor or nailing and measuring boards, these were small feats and the things that are going to accomplished will be astounding. As education develops Nicaragua will be able to solve problems with a foundation of critical thinking and problem solving skills that will be able to be carried through generations. The purpose is not to feel pity but empathy, understanding. By coming here we are able to help further the resources and opportunities available for Nicaragua. The resilience of the Nicaraguan people will allow them to pursue all the challenges an obstacles that they will face in developing and allow them to grow as a country and as a people.