NICARAGUA 2015: PROGRESSIO ICS

Still to this day my volunteer trip out to Nicaragua crosses my mind. I think it's important for young people to see the world for what it really is, to experience the world beyond their television screens.





In July 2015 I had the opportunity to go out and volunteer with Progressio ICS in Central America. During the 10 weeks I met a number of outstanding people who I still stay in contact with. Although it may seem a bit intimidating going out to another country on your own, both the British and in country volunteers were very supportive. You quickly realize that you're not just a team but friends. From day 1 my host family treated us like one of their own, which made it easier for the days I felt homesick.

Within my volunteer group we focused on building 20 vegetable patches, running educational workshops for the community and building a playground for a local school. Before I went out to Nicaragua I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up with everyone else, in theory it seemed almost impossible for me to do such a thing. But that was the case for a lot of us, including the Nicaraguan volunteers. The work days were long and at times it felt like we were constantly digging and getting nowhere. But by the end of the day when you look at everything you've done the feeling of accomplishment is definitely worth it. If it wasn't for this volunteer trip I don't think I would've ever thought I could achieve so much.

Nicaragua in itself is a beautiful country and we definitely took advantage of our free time when possible. As soon as we'd get back from a long working day, there was usually a rush between us girls seeing who could get to the shower first and out of our muddy clothes. I think when you're out working under the sun throughout the day it's important to find the time to relax, whether it's simply going for a walk or going out for a meal. Some days it was just nice to stay in and watch a movie with all the other volunteers.

One thing I didn't except to be so thankful for, was our Spanish lessons. Before leaving for Nicaragua I knew a bit of Spanish to get me by but it wasn't enough to hold a conversation. So having a Spanish tutor made the time out there so much easier. After every lesson many of us would try to use our new vocabulary with the Nicaraguan volunteers. Although in my case, I generally relied on using various hand gestures. It's funny because now I'm back home in London I seem to remember more and more Spanish than I did then.

The trip affected us all in many ways. For some, the trip taught them how to become independent and for others, the trip taught them why it is so important to have NGOs and other organisations working to better the world. For me this trip taught me a lot about myself, what my limits are, how confident I really am etc. There is nothing I would change about the whole experience however if given the chance to go back and visit Nicaragua there's so much more I wish to do.