EMILY WIECHMANN:
What have I learned form the Nicaraguans?
I have learned to live humbly, love much, and let your soul flourish; for it is the only way to live.
LEANN OLSEN: I cannot describe how much this experience has changed my life.It is hard to describe the feeling I have inside.
"After visiting Nicaragua, I realize how truly blessed I am. Sometimes I take things for granted in the United States, and now my new experiences have allowed me to cherish life in all facets. Also, my favorite bible verse, Philippians 4:11-12, now has more meaning to me."
COLE WUBBENA:
This experience in Nicaragua was an experience of a lifetime. I grew more as a person in ten days than I did this past year. There are so many things that happened on the trip that I can use and plan on using in my future career. Teachers have always stressed working in a group but I never knew why until after this trip. When a group of eight individuals with different work ethics and personality come together you have to learn to get along with them. It may not be as easy as it first appears, patience becomes critical.
I never realized how easy it is to fall in love with people you hardly know and may never see again. There five words that I learned more about in ten days than I ever thought I could learn about... perseverance, honesty, integrity, humility, and love.
This experience in Nicaragua has helped me step outside of my life here in the U.S. and truly evaluate it. I was able to question the negative aspects as well as be proud of the advantages we have as U.S. Citizens.
The thing I am most proud of is how relaxed I have become, it took me a while but I realized that I used to put way too much emphasis on getting things done on time, right and perfect. I learned it is much more important to take time with activities and enjoy them rather than torturing yourself to get it done fast.
"The trip to Nicaragua is one of the best trips I have gone on thus far. It was my first trip outside of the United States, with many more to come. I couldn't have picked a better crew to go with. I never thought I could learn so much in 10 days. My experiences will last a lifetime. The people are very kind and welcome foreigners with open arms. The best advice I can give to a person planning on going on this trip is to "live it up, laugh a lot, open your mind, relax and go with the flow."
"I have a friend who just spent six months in Wales and traveling around Europe, and I think she described the study abroad experience pretty well: 'I just spent so much time expanding my outlook and hearing opinions from a different side of the world, and now I've come back here and it doesn't seem like anything has changed or progressed. It has just stayed the same, it's like no one has learned anything new.' Nicaragua will change your life, so be prepared and go for it!"
JESSICA YOUNG:
Traveling to Nicaragua was an amazing experience. There are some things that are much better learned outside of the classroom. I will never forget the people that I talked to and the things I saw. I not only had fun, but will be able to use the lessons that I learned in Nicaragua throughout my life.
I think I really took some of my everyday simple things in my house for granted before this experience! One thing I really like about Nicaraguans is that they are very caring and loving people. They are of a free spirit and are taught to love one's self and not material things.