Author: nicacollegiate

“The Wifi won’t work”, “My water is warm”, “I’m sweating a lot right now”. These expressions used to show discomfort wouldn’t even run through the head of one of the Quinchos. As we rode away from the kids today, I looked through the back window of our bus to see all of the children waving a sad goodbye as we left them for the final time. Today’s beach trip was a highlight of the trip if not the best part altogether. While we dove into waves with the children riding on our backs, and as the children hunted for shells in the sand, it became clear that our trip was about to come to a close. During our weeklong trip, there were ups and downs, and along with these came some complaints and inversely lots of happy moments. As we left the beach today, we came to the realization that our complaints were not even comparable to the discomforts that the Quinchos have felt in their lives. This past week has definitely been a life changing expirience. I didnt realize how strong of a connection I made with the kids until we finally left the beach. Once saying goodbye I found myself in tears. However, those tears were connected to the fun soccer games, laughs, and jokes made and shared during the week. It was both an empowering but yet humbling expirience. I definitely would want to comeback to los Quinchos again and also just to explore Nicaragua and Central America becuase it has so much to offer. I know that the next time I read a newspaper article or hear a news report involving human rights, I will now see it in a different light. This trip helped me to realize that everybody is human and therefore connected in someway. When you become vulnerable and open yourself up to others, you can create a bond with someone who may be completely different than you. This is the most important thing I’ve learned during this trip. 

EJ and Nicky
   

        Today we visited the girls at La Yahoska for the second time this week. However, today only the girls went to visit while the guys went to La Finca. The girls were definitely more reserved than the boys, but today they came out of their shells and were more animated when it was just girls coming to play with them. Right when I walked in carrying a brand new basketball, an energetic girl named Darling grabbed my hand and we ran over to their basketball court that is on their property. This was espcially fun for me because it was a new way for me to communicate with them since I don’t know any spanish. We played “caballo,” which was the basketball game called “horse” in spanish. It was one of my favorite moments of the trip thus far, and it was fun to see the girls come out of their shells a little bit more. The day was filled with games and hair braiding with the girls, playing with Geoffrey and exploring the property of La Finca with Julian, and losing a salsa dancing competition with Henry, and it was tiring but one of the best days yet. I’ve loved how my language barrier with the kids has seemed mostly non existent and I’m glad that there have been a multitude of ways that I have been able to connect and bond with all of the kids at La Yahoska and La Finca.-AB
        When we arrived at the La Yahoska this morning, we were immediately greeted by a group of girls who wanted to read a book with us.  Although we did not know a lot of the words, they were extremely patient and described the definitions of each unknown word, so that we were able to follow the plot.  Their endless patience with us was particularly surprising to me because I probably would have started getting annoyed within a few sentences.  Afterwards, the girls had a hair braiding party with us, which mostly consisted in them commenting on how we needed to comb our hair or dying it with large quantities of chalk. My favorite part of the day was that although the girls were more subdued than the boys, they really started to get comfortable with us and were a lot more lively today.  It was cool how in just a day, they went from barely speaking to us to playing games and joking around with us.  

-Chelsea

  

This trip is all about immersion and learning from the culture of Nicaragua.  The person that embraces this the most is not a student, but one of our instructors, Mitch.  He graduated from Providence College and might attend MIT for graduate school in the Fall.  With all of his education, he could be making huge amounts of money at some corporate job but instead he chooses to live on an active volcano in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, directing a sustainable farm.  He has been here long enough to appreciate the small things such as  random well in the middle of the country that provided him the best water he had ever tasted.  Mitch encouraged us to travel the world while we are still young, which this trip has inspired all of us to do.
Henry C.

  

       Today we brought the kids the only thing that could cause a greater amount of excitement than our presence itself: soccer balls. We visited the boys side, and when they realized what we had brought, their exuberance was overflowing. The kids quickly separated us all into three teams mixed of Los Quinchos and us, and the games began.

        The kids could not have looked more in their element, as the rest of us ran up and down the field, trying to keep up with the Quinchos who seemed to have an endless amount of energy. While my team may not have scored for any of our three games, playing soccer with those kids was an incredibly powerful experience, and I really felt like it was the most I had connected with the kids so far on the trip. They took me in as their teammate even though my best shot attempt ended up somewhere between 20 and 30 feet above the goal, and it really meant a lot to me. We may not be able to completely communicate with words all the time but being able to connect through our common love for sports and soccer brought us all closer today in a way I will never forget. Hopefully they can teach me some moves, so next time I’m some use to my teammates on the field.

-Ben Greer
“¿Barca o Madrid?” 

“Prefiero Barca, pero mi equipo favorito es Manchester United.” 
With my minimal Spanish abilty, some conversations with Los Quinchos can be difficult. However, talking with the kids about football, our favorite teams, and our favorite players, provided an opportinity to communicate and bond with the children. Today I created a lot of relationships through soccer, both through conversation and on the field.
When we were playing, I immediately noticed a carefree attitude from the kids. Unlike in the States, where sports are generally accompanied with competitiveness and seriousness, Los Quinchos always played with smiles on their faces, and never argued with each other. This was great for me to witness, because it taught me to appreciate my ability to play soccer everyday. While I have multiple soccer balls, and three good pairs of Nike Soccer cleats, the kids didn’t have a good ball until we brought them some.
Today’s time with Los Quinchos showed me that soccer can bring people together, even with a language barrier. 
-Dalton Ruh

  

We had been talking about this day for months, the day we would finally be meeting the boys and girls of Los Quinchos. We were told numerous times that the children were all very welcoming and loving, but when we got to actually experience this, we all realized that they were even more inviting and loving than what we could ever have imagined. After hearing so much about them and not knowing what to expect, it was really neat seeing where they lived, the activities they participated in around the farm, and how they interacted with us. We weren’t at the farm for long, yet we could already see the different personalities in the bunch and it was really interesting to see how each boy interacted with each other and also us. -Latty
When we visited them again later that night, we were in for a show. Literally. They boys and girls put on a circus for us, showing us their skills which consisted of dancing, hula hoops, acting, and stilts. Once they completed their show, they invited us onto their stage to dance with them. All of the people in our group were all in to dance with the kids of Los Quinchos. Rafael, a very adorable and petite young boy, quickly glued himself on to a few of the girls, looking out for them to see that they did not get wet, as there was a storm that night. Later he taught each and every person in our group how to dance together, even in that short period of time. As for myself, after the dancing, I ended up sitting with a little boy named Jimmy. He had been quiet all night, not dancing, but watching. As soon as the scene became calmer and we could hear each other, he began questioning me about my many rings and bracelets, making sure to take all of my rings off to put them on himself and compare his hand to mine. In doing so, we played some counting games and he taught me some spanish. When it was time for the boys to walk back, I could tell he was reluctant to leave. I didn’t even want him to leave. He made sure to know if he would see me tomorrow and I reassured him that I would be here. For the most part of this trip, I had spent so much time worrying about how I didn’t speak Spanish and how I wouldn’t be able to connect with the boys. After meeting Jimmy, I realized that the language gap means nothing to a 10 year old boy and we were still able to connect. I am so thrilled to be able to say I still have time to hang out and meet all of the other boys and bond more with my newest friend, Jimmy. -Kelsey

    

The last of our meetings today was based around the idea of “need”.  The point of the meeting was to discuss our needs, the needs of Los Quinchos, and how our needs compare to theirs.  After much discussion, we concluded that we all have needs in the emotional sense and that Los Quinchos also are/were faced with the need to survive.  After coming to this conclusion, we decided that it would be important for us to make our needs known to Los Quinchos so that they don’t think we are any better than they are.  This openness of our needs demonstrates the idea of vulnerability or the willingness to be open about sensitive sides of your life.  Overall, the theme of vulnerability manifested itself throughout the entire day.  There were multiple occasions in which members of our group opened up about their needs and struggles.  Their vulnerabulity brought us closer together.
Kirby K.

   

When we arrived in the airport and once we loaded up all our stuff on the bus, I really enjoyed the bus ride to Laguna de Apoyo.  Seeing the malnourished animals on the road and the broken down housing  made me sad at first, but also forced me to appreciate what I do have. I am really fortunate that I get to experience a culture that is so different from my own in the United States and excited to be experiencing a brand new culture for the next week.
Once we arrived at Laguna de Apoyo, I was struck by the natural beauty of the mountains, vegetation, and the volcano crater.  The mineral water was awesome to swim in and everyone seems so hospitable. 

Addie B.

  

         

My school has come to Nicaragua to work with Los Quinchos, and from the short car ride, I can already see the importance of this program in the country.  We have done the research and heard what they do, but listening to a man who has dedicated almost 30 years of his life to the program, put more of these problems in perspective.  Carlos made the important point of saying our care and confidence in the children are far more beneficial than simply giving them money.  After listenting to our speaker, I think our group understands the magnamity of the problem for Nicaraguan children.  Our short trip cannot form permanent solutions but can provide us with a sense of awareness to create more permanent solutions.
Mythili V.

  
  

Beginning Sunday, June 8, 12 students will be traveling to Nicaragua. The purpose of the trip is to gain an understanding of the world around us.  We will work with an organization called Los Quinchos.  Collegiate students will work along side the boys and girls of the organization to gain a new perspective and to learn from one another.  Please check back to see what we’re up to.