Andrea's Adventures: No One Sweats Alone

The easiest way to describe the spectacular past week I had on GW's Alternative Break to Nicaragua, is to break it down by our schedule. Here is a typical day at El Coco Loco and working with Waves of Hope:

7am Get out of bed to enjoy a beautiful yoga class taught by Christine in the two story yoga cabana

8am Enjoy an amazing breakfast of eggs, gallo pinto, homemade bread, and the most delicious homemade peanut butter you have ever tasted.

8:45 Off to the worksite where we would split the group between refurbishing Manzanillo Primary School and working on the Bodega for the High school

One of our favorite activities: Mixing Cement by hand

Day 2 at the high school site

Daniela and Michelle touching up blue paint at Manzanillo

A view of Manzanillo Primary School

Day three: the walls are coming together (notice the dog)

Building rebar for the Bodega Walls by hand

Day 5: the Bodega is coming together

Day 5: Carlos basking in the clean and finished Manzanillo Classrooms

12pm Head back to El Coco Loco for lunch and siesta in one of the many hammocks

2pm Head back to the worksite, except on Tuesday and Thursday when it was time for Kids Club. At Kids Club, kids up to age 13 come from all over the community to read, play soccer and do arts and crafts. These were the kids who would go to school at Manzanillo Primary school and later at the High School.

Reading Harry Potter in Spanish to the Kids

Michelle dancing with one of the Kids

Dance Party

The Nicaraguans killing the "Gringoes" in soccer

Lounging in the hammocks at Kids Club

4:30pm Play Volleyball with our group or the local Nicaraguans our age

5:45pm Watch the beautiful sunset

6:30pm Dinner time, which at El Coco Loco means feast time where we ate freshly caught fish, stuffed veggies and always had some kind of delicious dessert.

8pm Reflection under the stars

On Saturday we left for Granada with Carlos, Kathia, Lisseth and Francisco, locals of El Manzano Uno who we had spent all week getting to know. We went zip-lining, explored the beautiful city of Granada, ate some questionable food, and went dancing. It was very difficult to say goodbye to the four of them at the airport on Sunday but made easier by knowing a new group of GW students would be back next year!

We spent the past week working hard, mixing cement, painting a school, building a bodega, driving in old trucks, eating delicious food, walking the beach, learning how to surf, taking yoga classes, stumbling through Spanglish conversations (well some of us), getting rid of giant spiders, learning space facts, playing so much volleyball, sweating in the heat, making cow sounds with Kathia, joking around with Carlos, making tortillas with Guilhermina, learning how Waves of Hope and El Coco Loco came together from Jamie and Ben, bonding as a group throughout the week, and most importantly building a long last relationship with the community of El Manzano Uno.

I cannot thank Waves of Hope, Jamie and Ben, the community of El Manzano Uno, Michael, Sarah, Michelle, Kelts, and all of our participants enough for making last week one of the most inspiring, eye-opening and best weeks of my life!