Today was a little beyond words, the unfortunate reality of having to leave Nicaragua tomorrow is bittersweet. As much as we have enjoyed all of our time here I think we miss having our individual space, living with 17 others and four other guys in one room makes me appreciate that space. Today we woke up at the normal time of 7 with a select few joining our GGL Edgar for a final morning boot camp. Following breakfast at Imabite (where the owner, Angel told me to say hello!) we returned to our hostel for our final reflection. We had the opportunity both in a large and then smaller groups to reflect on everything we have learned and all the people we have met. To finish off we passed around pieces of paper and everyone gave everyone else a written big love to take home with them. We talked about what we wanted to take away from the trip and how we were going to continue our mindsets here back in the states. It was a hard seminar quickly followed by our last lunch at Imabite.
After lunch (where once again Angel told me to say hello to each of our parents) we had our last free hours in Leon. Our group split up into fours and went out to experience the city one last time. My group went to an ice cream store called Kiss Me along with the internet café to call home and the market to finish up some shopping. To experience the culture of Nicaragua in a smaller group has been one of my favorite parts of the trip, we’re pretty distracting for the locals in our group of 17. After returning to the hostel and walking to/eating our last dinner at Imabite (Angel is one of my favorite Nicas so far and he says hello, he made sure I didn’t forget). We headed off to the graduation for our English tutoring students.
In addition to the ceremony we also included a talent show filled with dancing, a few songs, an a cappella performance, and some more dancing. It was really difficult for all of us to say goodbye to our English students but it was not without celebration and exchanging Instagrams, Facebonok, and whatever else to keep in touch. The opportunity to teach them English and their dedication to learning is hopefully as beneficial to them as it is to us. I think I speak for everyone when I say we are proud of their work. Leaving tomorrow will be difficult, but I hope the friendships we made here will last. We’re enjoying every last minute here and we will all see you soon.
Joey