Hanna L's Reflections:
Today was a whole different experience then the first day, we went to the new learning center to help shovel and score the walls to make them even. It was exciting being in the poor part of the city because you got to see two different ways of living; in the city and not. The first job we did at the learning center was to shovel loose dirt to make a court yard even, but locals saw the opportunity and asked if they could have the dirt to fill in a pot hole. This little thing made me realize in Nicaragua neighbors help neighbors out but in the USA people assuming asking for help is a sign of weakness. The second task we had to tackle was scoring the wall with hatchets to even out the walls so we can poor concrete on them tomorrow. After a lot of digging we had an amazing lunch of chicken, rice, salad, avocado, and plantains that was provided La Esperanza de Granada.
Lauren's Reflections:
This trip is amazing so far! Yesterday we learned about the historic ties between Nicaragua and the US while touring an old political prison. We visited a local market filled with vendors and their crafts. We had some awesome smoothies and awesome food. We brushed up on our Spanish and returned to Masaya around sunset to get a view of the glowing lava inside an active volcano. The views were breathtaking. Then today we started the good part. We drove out to one of the newest learning centers still in the process of being built. We spent the day shoveling dirt which locals used to improve their roads, as well as a load of rocks which will be used to mix concrete. We also spent time with a small hatchet putting grooves into the already made walls to help the next layer of concrete stick. It was a lot of hard work, but it is rewarding knowing we are helping other kids just like us achieve a higher education so they aren't stuck selling goods to the loads of tourists on the street. Education will give them a chance to follow their own dreams one day. So far I have noticed a larger sense of community. The people here are willing to ask for help in order to better themselves and they don't see it as a weakness. They are also more than willing to help you by speaking their best English or navigating through your broken Spanish. I can't even describe how great this trip is and I can't wait to see what comes next!
Scott's Reflections:
Today was our first day volunteering in the community here in Nicaragua. It was exciting to finally be able to see what we would be spending the majority of the trip working on. We will be working with one of Amped for Education's sister groups which is called Esperanza de Granada. They are a very similar group to Amped and we are helping them finish a learning center that is currently still under construction. I realized more today then on my previous trip that it is very easy to learn easier ways to do some of the simple tasks like shoveling gravel by watching how the Nicaraguan contractors we work with do things. I am looking forward to tomorrow when we will get to pour concrete and also visit an operational learning center in a different town.
