Fall Break 08: Don't Die

Nicaragua was absolutely amazing and a part of my heart will always be there. Those people taught me the real meaning of love and just living life to live and not for your goals and plans but just to live and enjoy life. I learned so much by just being with them. I had no idea that one week could change my life so much and I'm still processing it all and trying to figure out what all I learned and took away from it and what that means for the rest of my life. I definitely want to return some day. I absolutely loved it there. The people were great and friendly and open. They really impacted me in more ways then I know.

My Nica house
My Nica sisters
Me and Jonathan :)
The girls and Keyla. She was such a sweetheart and I'm glad we are keeping in touch. Hopefully I'll return someday to stay with her or she'll be able to come to the states and stay with me.
Me and the guys...these were the guys that were our age...kinda they were 14-20. We had a lot of fun getting to know them over the week and spending time with them. They had a real impact on me and I hope that we all are able to keep in contact for a long time.
Me and David! He was a young boy who would come and help out at the church every morning with us. He was so sweet and such a good friend. Our last night at church he sang a song for us and then waited at the church until we had all left. I will never forget him and his smile.
Roomies! We shared a room at the first hostel in Nicaragua where we spent our first 3 nights before heading to our home stays.
Sandino is a national hero and was a pretty cool guy. You should check out some information on him and the revolutions he inspired in Nicaragua.
This is a huge silhouette of Sandino that is located at Loma Tiscapa in Managua (the capital of Nicaragua). You can see this statue all around town. It was really cool.


I got to spend our Fall Break in a beautiful cloud forest in the middle of Costa Rica. It reminded me a lot of the Northwest with it's mountains, river, and waterfall. It was also cold and the leaves were falling...it actually felt like fall compared to the rest of Costa Rica and Nicaragua we had been too. It was definitely different then the extreme heat in Nicaragua. One morning we got up at 4:30 and got in the back of a truck and drove up to the top of the second largest mountain in Costa Rica. The view was gorgeous but it was freezing cold so we didn't stay there long. I also got addicted to The Office...we watched Seasons 1 and 2 and the first disc of Season 3. Now I can't wait to be back in the states to finish watching it. I have to know what happens with Jim and Pam. I also found someone else who knew how to play Pinochle and then we taught 4 more people and were able to play some Pinochle every night. We had one of the closest games I have ever played in my life. It was so much fun. The whole trip was just so relaxing...we definitely needed that. I never went to the beach because I didn't want to have to deal with more traveling and finding a hostel. It was just easier to stay at the beautiful retreat center in the cloud forest. I also was able to make some better friendships with some people in the group and reflect a little on Nicaragua.
This week we have classes and then Monday I head to my new town in Costa Rica for 3 and a half weeks. It is very possible that I won't have internet there because it is a very small rural town. I'll be working in a daycare there. Hopefully I will travel back to San Jose one weekend so that I can answer emails and update my blog. Oh...today we also found out that we are for sure going to Cuba!!! I am soooo excited! Cuba is going to be amazing!