Throughout the whole trip, the plans for this day were under wraps and all we knew was that it would be a fun day. When we found out that we would be visiting one of the little islands in Lake Nicaragua, the entire group was ecstatic. We could hardly sleep last night, and our trip turned out to be better than we could’ve imagined. We first stepped onto the island and it was like a resort with 4 pools, tons of hammocks, access to the lake for swimming, and kayaks for everyone to enjoy. At first we all mostly hung out in the pools listening to music and taking pictures of the amazing scenery. Then we put on our life vests and stepped into the lake which was as warm as bath water. We had so much fun people watching and swimming to the dock in the lake. We also ended up kayaking around, and the views were absolutely incredible- we could see Mombacho, a volcano with 4 craters that is covered with cloud forests, and 2 amazing firefighters that were with us the whole day keeping us safe. We had great lunches that tasted more like the typical meals at home with burgers and my favorite, french fries! The group relaxed in hammocks, floated in the lake, and sun tanned while taking pictures. I am so glad that I picked today to be the Líder Del Día because it made my job so much easier when everyone was enjoying themselves and having fun. Today I learned that being a leader is especially hard when you’re having fun because you have to pay attention and do your job even when you just want to be sitting or relaxing. I also wanted to include a little shoutout to my dad for Father’s Day: I love you so much and I’m so thankful to have someone as amazing, smart, and funny as you teaching me so much about life, and thank you for everything you’ve done for me. And a Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there who supported their kids coming on this amazing trip and have helped raise such amazing people that I get to live with and see every day; they truly have made this trip unforgettable. We also made a short video that you can download here: IMG_4583.

Sitting by one of many pools

Hammock duty

The whole group with Mombacho in the background