Day 7: Community + Waves
It’s the last day of dry Cocoa Puffs for breakfast. The people of Nicaragua look forward to playing some football (no, not American football – this is Central America.) With that into account, today will partially be a day of football with the Nicaraguans living in Rincon De Garcia.
After the excruciatingly long bus ride, I already see the locals of Rincon De Garcia eager to play football.
While I decide to sit with my fellow Jesuit brothers like Jacob Keeley ’13 (I am in no ways a football player), it is hard not to notice the jovial and uncanny spirit that resonates throughout the games as we socialize. Even though the “football
field” is no more than a two lane, rocky, unpaved road with goals denoted by buckets, the game itself is what matters most.
Others, eager to climb more than just Cerro Negro, make the trek up a nearby mountain while others simply speak with the locals. Despite the intensity of the sun, heat, and humidity, a convivial environment persists.
After plenty of football, we make the excursion to a local Nicaraguan beach to end the trip on a fun note. I had never entered the Pacific Ocean prior to this trip.
The waves don’t appear to be strong, but looks can often be deceiving. Upon entry into the highly concentrated, salty ocean water, the rip tide sucks me out to sea while the waves nudge me back to shore. The force of the waves is so powerful that it even washes some of my classmates onto the shore – literally.
On our ride home from the beach, I reflect on what this week has meant to me – what has been the impact both on myself and others, exactly? I have experienced the poorest of the developing world and have made a tangible, albeit small, impact on changing that. Moreover, I have laid the foundation (no pun intended) for a better life that we all in the United States have enjoyed our entire life. The reward is most certainly gratifying, but a day of strenuous travel awaits tomorrow.
Before I sleep and after I pack up my materials, however, I venture out to the Rancho, the center meeting point of the compound. Here, I intend to read some of my Steve Jobs biography and enjoy the last of Nicaragua that I may ever see in my life. However, my reading is interrupted by another Jesuit student, whom I believe was from Strake Jesuit. He shows me perhaps the best card trick that I have ever witnessed. In this trick, the participant (me, in this case) shuffles the deck as much or as little I want before handing the deck to the magician. The magician then shuffles the deck himself, card by card, until I say stop. When I say stop, the magician ponders for a second or two before predicting the face value of that card and revealing the corresponding correct match. I have no idea how he does it. Miguel Sotelo ’14 and I even try using less than 52 cards or a different deck to little avail. Either way, that trick was a nice way to cap off the time in Nicaragua.
Day 8: Travel, Travel and More Travel: Redux
Dry cocoa puffs, beans and rice no more – we are heading straight to the airport in Managua. It is finally time to head back to America.
After the 2½ bus ride, we arrive in the airport where there is a three hour layover. A Subway sandwich, all $13 of it (Items suddenly become obnoxiously expensive in the Nicaraguan airport) kills 30 minutes, but Rob Giltner ’13, along with other Jesuit students, decides to stroll around the near empty airport for entertainment. There is a nice VIP lounge; however, a $34 price tag isn’t going to cut it.
I then walk into a duty-free store to find an Apple relic – it is an advertisement for the iPod Video that was released in 2005. And there it was with the “new” branding sticker- wow.
The two hours are slowly erased thanks to some rhymes by Michael White ’13.
The flight from Managua to Miami is very short as I sleep most of the flight. Upon arrival, we pay our last good byes to the other Jesuit students before rushing to customs.
Time is tight, but not tight enough for me to purchase some greatly-missed American food. Luckily, there is a Wendy’s located right next to the gate. There, I purchase a Wendy’s triple cheeseburger with fries, a medium drink, and a medium frosty. Fast food has never tasted better. In a similar fashion, air conditioning has never felt so relieving. In other words, it is wonderful to be back in America, and eventually, back at my house.
But would I do it all again? In a heartbeat – without a doubt.
