UAM Students Dressed-up in Green - Reforestation Campaign

Students from UAM dressed-up in Green the past Friday October 19th. As part of our leadership class, Gustavo Salinas and I, Adriana Diaz, organized a reforestation campaign within the university. We had the support of thirteen students from the faculties of CUSE, Industrial Engineering, Diplomacy, and Design.

The campaign was a complete success. With the support of UAM’s employees and my father, Miguel Diaz, we worked from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. in order to plant 25 Guayacan trees and 15 Mosaico bushes. The following were located in the parking lot in front of the university’s lobby.

As part of our project, we chose a local endemic tree. The Guayacan can be found from Mexico down to Venezula. This tree remains green for most of the time except for a period during the year were this tree’s beautiful and colorful flowers bloom. The following can either be purple, pink, or yellow.  

We would like to thank all of those who supported us during this campaign including my mom Ruth Maria Rizo, the company Nuevo Carnic, and INAFOR for helping us obtain and for donating the plants and the trees. We leave you with some pictures, the list of all the students who supported us, and with the hope that this becomes a yearly event!  

List: Idania Flores, Denis Pérez, William Lemus, Celeste Castillo, Diana Shihab, Oscar Gómez, Ramiro López, Román Santamaría, Reyna Boza, María Roberta Mejía, Zenelia Boza, Issa Hurtado, Stefan Buitrago, Marisol Moreira Ponce

 

 

 - Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

Eco-club UAM: "The Green Change Starts With You"

Taking care of the environment has now become a way of thinking and living. Here at UAM, we are happy to see that our own students have adopted this kind of lifestyle and are seeking to inspire others. The Eco-club UAM is a group created by UAM students who have the desire to inspire others and ignite a feeling of responsability and conciousness regarding environmental issues. This group just recently started, however, they are already attempting to change the way of thinking of their fellow classmates and influence them into adopting habits that are in benefit to the conservation of the environment. For instance, one of their future projects is to influence other students into recycling the products they consume inside the UAM campus. However, this willl occur once the recycling bins, which the DO! group donated, are approved and allocated inside the university by the UAM's administration. If you would like to find out more about this group or participate in their activities, click on their name which is the link to their facebook page.

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

My Experience at #2 on CNN’s 50 Things to Do Before You Die

 

On September 30th, ISEP students along with a few other CUSE students set out to Leon to try our hands at #2 on CNN’s “Thrill seekers bucket list: 50 things to do before you die”. We were set to leave UAM on route to Leon at 7:30am, but our trip slipped our bus driver’s mind and we weren’t able to depart until 9:30. The bus ride was close to two hours, but seemed much shorter due to the great company. Upon arriving at the Bigfoot hostel near the city center of Leon, we boarded the Bigfoot monster truck and were on our way to Cerro Negro!

The ride to the volcano was about an hour, but felt much longer due to the constant barrage of tree branches we had to avoid. If you ever take this ride to Cerro Negro, pay attention to the trees along the roads! Once we reached our destination at the base of Cerro Negro, we received our gear and began our ascent up the volcano. After 25 minutes of carrying out suits and board on our backs, some of the fellow adventurers began to slow their pace so the rest of us found a nice spot about half way up the volcano to rest and wait for the rest of the group to catch up.

After reuniting with the rest of our group, we set off on the second, less intensive, half of our hike. Although the hike wasn’t as steep or treacherous, fatigue caught up with some of the group once again and we had some time to snap some pictures from the peak of the volcano looking into the active crater. We even had enough time to attempt to take a mid-air picture at least 10 times. We finally got it though!

Everyone eventually made it to the top of the volcano and that’s when we were instructed to gear up and get ready for the real adventure. I must admit, I was a little intimidated by the tattered orange jumpsuits that almost looked as though the holes had been burned into them, but we were already at the top and it was too late to have second thoughts. We posed for a group picture in our gear, and started forming lines to slide down.

Looking down from the peak was a little intimidating, but the actual descent was manageable. By that I mean if you wanted to go fast, pick your feet up and lean back. If you felt you were losing control or wanted to slow down, you could take your feet off the board and drag them along the loose rocks to reduce your speed. It’s an exhilarating experience, but there is also an element of safety. There is a Bigfoot employee at the bottom of the hill with a radar gun clocking everyone’s speed. I managed to reach 54 km/h, nowhere near the Bigfoot all-time record of 90 km/h, but I was still more than satisfied with the experience. We reached the bottom, covered in ash and waited for the rest of our group to finish. 3 of us felt that we could have reached higher speeds and that we were being a little too cautious, so we attempted to climb up the slope of the volcano and try again. We didn’t make it too far before tiring out from sinking through the rocks with every step and decided that was far enough. We definitely weren’t high enough to surpass our previous speeds, but it was still a nice bonus attempt.

By the time we made it to the bottom, the rest of our group had as well. We then boarded the Bigfoot monster truck to head back to the hostel for complimentary mojitos and cookies. It is there that we received certificates with our names and speeds to help document the trip. After everyone washed the ash off their faces in the sinks, we boarded the bus and went for quesillos before returning back to UAM around 7pm.

I would definitely recommend that anyone looking for an adrenaline rush try volcano boarding at least once in their life. It was a great experience and I feel that it brought our group even closer together.

- Victor Bejarano

UAM's Architecture Faculty's 15th Anniversary

On Thursday October 11 of this year, the Faculty of Architecture celebrated its 15th year anniversary! The event was a complete success and a pleasant surprise for not only UAM's college students, but for outsiders as well.Various schools from the city of Managua were invited to become part of this great celebration. The event took place at Metrocentro where we were greated by a sea of expectators. As part of our event, we carried out detailed discussions of the different types of  tasks that students in the first year of the career face. Similarly, in order to encourage and entertain the audience, there were various acts such as dancing (belly dance, folklore, hip-hop), runway shows where students of the faculty modelled clothes and accessories for both men and women, and games and puzzles that the students from the faculty themselves created. After this years celebration, it became clear the gratitude and dedication that these students have towards their faculty. Moreover, it became evident how willing they are to support it. Their hardwork and involvement towards this celebration was unquestionable. We can happily say that this event was a celebration of all the creativity, determination, and skills that these students have developed over the years in this carrier.

- Jennifer Silva

Leadership and Social Programs at Their Best

This week the first DO! official meeting of the semester took place. Initially, this group was created and composed of only CUSE faculty's students. However, we are glad to see that more students from other faculties are starting to show interest and are getting involved in this student organization. This leadership group has several sub-groups which support different causes such as Bibloko which was created by the CUSE faculty, and Orphan Network which is a part of the international social group found in the states. Furthermore, other student groups such as Blaze the online newspaper and IMAS which is a newly formed group that seeks to present seminars and talks imparted by professionals so that students learn from their experience, are all part of this organization. If you want to find out more and join one of the causes and groups, click on their name, contact the CUSE faculty, or stayed tune for we will announce the upcoming meetings on the International Programs facebook page. We extend the invitation to students from all faculties of UAM and exchange students to become part of and participate in DO!, because this isn't a CUSE organization, it is a UAM organization!

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

Professors' Voices Are Not the Only Sounds Heard Coming From UAM's Hallways

UAM definitly has talent! While many students walk through campus listening to their favourite artist's or humming one of their tunes in their head, there are several students from UAM's Industrial Engineering and Design and Visual Communication faculties that are making their own music. Their band is called Téléviser and they are gaining momentum in Nicaragua. Take a listen to their music which is a mix of several genres with a base of instrumental rock. Also described by them as spatial and atmospheric. If you want to find out more about them click on the name of the band which is also the link to their homepage.

 - Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

UAM Supports Young Local Entrepreneurs

 
UAM takes their goal of developing young and new entrepreneurs very seriously. What better example than taking a glance at the CUSE faculty’s class Principles of Management imparted by Professor Roger Conrado. As the project for this semester, the class was divided into three individual groups- each one allocated to support and help newly formed businesses in Nicaragua. Two of these new companies are owned by CUSE students. They are the following: Sweet Bouquet - a company dedicated to making candy arrangements- founded and managed by Maria Andrea Reyes, and La Casa de los Alimentos along with the food company's branch Leche Agria Vacas Gordas both owned by Emiliano Enriquez. Last but not least, they are also helping out the mountain bycicle-selling company represented by another CUSE student Gabriela Vanegas called Tecnobici. We are proud to see that the entrepreneurial talent of the country and the university is being fostered. If you would like to find out more about each respective company and their products, click on their name which is also the link to their page. 

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

Nicaragua, You Are Beautiful!

- Pictures by Meghann Oskins

La Isla de Ometepe – “Camine el Sendero Bajo Su Propio Riesgo”

September 14 and 15 mark Nicaragua’s independence and vacationing for lots of people, especially students! This weekend, myself and several other students went down to San Juan del Sur for one night (see my previous post on San Juan del Sur here) and then four of us continued on to Ometepe Island for two nights.

I really enjoyed Ometepe and I desperately want to return before I leave Nicaragua because there is a ton of outdoor activities and natural beauty to explore! We stayed from Saturday evening to Monday early morning, and that was simply not enough time to get my bang for the buck.

I have a lot to say about Ometepe, but instead of blabbing on and on about it, I’m just going to offer a few pieces of information that I would have found useful before vising the island:

1. The island is huge! Not the type that you would walk around in a hour or two – oh no!
2. There are two volcanoes: Concepción (active) and Maderas (inactive). If you are going to visit Maderas, note that you will have to travel about an hour and a half in a car (or three hours by bus) from the main port in Moyogalpa (the car ride from Moyogalpa to Mérida will cost about $25-30).
3. The ferry from San Jorge to Moyogalpa takes about one hour and a half (C$40-70/$1.70-3).
4. Expect to pay a little more for “taxi” style transportation. The chicken bus is a cheap option to travel long distances around the island as we payed under C40/$1.70 each to travel from one side to the other; however, to have anyone drive you somewhere will cost more than in Managua. Some tours come with transportation, just be clear if you have to pay before you leave!
5.  Expect to wake up early if you plan to do any hiking – many of the hikes are lengthy excursions. For instance, it takes about 8-10 hours (total trip) to hike to Crater Lake located on the Maderas Volcano.
6. It costs C$70 per person to enter the San Ramon Waterfall Hike.

Enough tips: here are some pictures from the weekend!

 - Kine Camara

CUSE BLAZE

We want to give a special shout-out to "Cuse Blaze!" This online newspaper created and coordinated by CUSE students Elena Mendez and Itzel Arroliga, also coordinated by our blog helper and intern Adriana Diaz, has grown since its two years ago start.

We are happy to say that recently, students from all faculties of UAM and also exchange students have been contributing to this online community. With more than eleven-thousand views, this blog has been gaining momentum and has acquiered a large national and international audience. We appreciate all their support, contribution, and partnership with us by allowing us to share some of their articles.

We invite you to take a look and participate in their page where you will find articles, poems, jokes, photographs, fun facts, videos, and more! CUSE BLAZE

"Until One Has Loved an Animal"

"Unitl one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France

Even though the 4th of October already passed, we should celebrate the lives of all living creatures on Earth by honoring them through our actions everyday. Two amazing organizations  that abide to this belief can be found in Nicaragua. The organizations Fundacion Adan and Guardabarranco Masaya are making a difference in this country and in the world by fighting for these living creatures. 

Fundacion Adan is an organization dedicated to protecting and fighting for the rights of animals. Guided by the slogan of "adopting a friend," they rescue abandoned animals from the streets and attempt to cure, feed, and find them a permanent home. They also perform free  sterilization campaigns several times during the year in order to avoide acts of recklessness desertation towards these animals. Fundacion Adan functions through donations which can be done in several different forms: by donating money, food, medicine, or by simply giving a home and a second change for these animals to start a new life. If you wish to find out more about this organization and lend a hand, click the following link Fundacion Adan. In this site, information is given about things they need such as food and medicine, and pictures are constantly being posted about animals who have been recently saved and that are looking for a home- either a permanent one or just while they recover. 

Just like Fundacion Adan, the organization Guardabarranco Masaya also rescues animals from the streets. However, these pioneers go a step further by seeking to improve the ecological situation of the Masaya sector in Nicaragua. Every once in a while they perform campaigns of reforestation and clean ups. Recently, they have been going to Laguna de Apoyo where they have planted thousands of trees. They also carried out a clean up sesion at Laguna de Masaya where they collected more than 3 tons of garbage. If you would like to get involved in one of their campaigns or contribute in one way or another, you can go to their facebook page where you will find all their information and the recent activities they will be carrying out: 
Guardabarranco Masaya

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo 

 

Reinado UAM 2012 - Long Live the King and the Queen!

Mike Thompson - exchange student representing the "International Relations" faculty.

It has now become a yearly tradition for all the faculties of UAM to compete between each other for the ultimate price of being the "royalty." This competition consists of each faculty nominating two students, one girl and one guy, to represent them. This year however, the competition was more ferocious than before since the winners would get to represent UAM in its 20th anniversary!

It all started with a two week period where every faculty had an hour- starting around noon- to make as much noise, capture as much attention from fellow students, and introduce their candidates. Student's demonstrated their creativity by bringing "caponeras," fire trucks, "la gigantona," marching bands, etc. This constituted part of the final score to elect the winners. One noticeable aspect was that one of our past exchange students, Mike Thompson, was elected as the representative of the "International Relations" faculty.

The second round consisted of a runway and talent show. This took place at UAM's plaza where prior to the talent show, the representatives of each faculty modeled for the public. After that, the talent show took place. Each faculty had 7 minutes to perform. However, the catch was that they had to do something that reflected their faculty and sent a message. The performances were a variety of acting, singing, and dancing! It was a great experience for many students from within each faculty to bond and work together for a common cause. Two exchange students seized this opportunity in order to learn a little bit of "Latin dance" by participating in one of the three dance sections of the CUSE faculty's number. Tom Schroeder participated in the salsa section, while Meg Han learned and performed some folklore -national dance. It was so much fun to see how much talent the university has!

Folklore dance

 

CUSE faculty's representatives- Itzel Arroliga and Ramiro Lopez

Last but not least, the day of the grand final finally came! This took place in moods- local discotheque. At the entrance, people found computers where they could cast their vote for their favorite representative (this constituted part of the final score to elect the winners). For the first part of the night, each faculty showed a video that told their story and what they represent. Later on, all of the representatives were introduced one by one and as they passed, they were each asked one question- this was a crucial percentage of the final score! After that, the jury counted the points and the winners were announced as well as special awards for best talent show performance, Mr. and Mrs. Congeniality, and best video. This year, the CUSE faculty took most of the awards and their two students, Itzel Arroliga and Ramiro Lopez, took the crown of the "reinado." The other two places went for the Laws and Odontology faculty. The night finally ended with a huge party right there at moods celebrating all the hard work every student put towards this event.

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

"Chicago" in Nicaragua?

Are you into acting, singing, dancing, or just in general into plays? Well, each year during this time, UAM's students with the support of the university's cultural program perform a play at the national theater Ruben Dario. Plays such as "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Sound of Music" have been brought to life professionally through the talent and dedication of these hardworking people. So what should we expect this year?

Coming soon in October 24th, performed by UAM students at the national theater, the play Chicago! Even one of our very own exchange student from the United States, Kine Camara, will be dancing! Tickets are on sale already at the university and at the national theater Ruben Dario, prices ranging from $20 to $10. The time will be 7 p.m. We are so excited! Will you be there?

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo

Bibloko’s Press Conference!

On March 29th, 2012, Bibloko held a press conference sponsored by Universidad Americana and Fundacion Margarita Te Voy a Contar to announce our new campaign: Donate your own story! The event was promoted by several famous Nicaraguans such as Nicaraguan singer and story teller Carlos Mejia Godoy, Miss Nicaragua 2011 Adriana Dorn, Nicaraguan writer Sergio Ramirez, broadcast, and producer and director of Fundación Margarita te Voy a Contar, Margarita Pasos. They were accompanied by Universidad Americana’s Rector Dr. Ernesto Medina, UAM-CUSE Provost Dr. Marvin Happel, UAM-CUSE Vice-Provost, creator and director of Bibloko, Giselle Poveda, and her work team. We were glad to receive so much support! Even Adriana Dorn herself already wrote a story.

This is only the beginning of Bibloko an amazingly creative initiative that will revolutionize reading and writing in Nicaragua. I invite you all to contribute to this new campaign by donating your own story which thousands of Nicaraguan kids will be reading soon.


For more information about how you can contribute click the following link: Bibloko

- Dina Shihab

TEDx Managua

Congratulations to UAM, academic partner for TEDx Managua!!!

Story Time at UAM

On Tuesday September 11th, 2012, a group of kids from the schools "Sagrada Familia" and "Pan y Amor" came to UAM's central auditorium in order to participate in a reading group activity with dynamics. Several students from Universidad Americana dressed up as different storybook characters to play and encourage the children to read and participate in the activity.

The kids were extremely happy because we were interacting with them. We became children for a moment as we played cat and mouse with them, danced, and hit the floor. It was impossible not to feel the bond of friendship and love that was being built between us and those children. Overall, it was an experience that without hesitating we would repeat again. 

-Nubia Alejandra Aguilar Arevalo

We Got Fabio on Nicaragua - Quizala and Pochomil

I just can’t get enough of the beach, and while I have the opportunity visit water I can actually swim in, my intention is to go as much as possible!

This week three other friends and myself went to two beaches on the Pacific coast: Quizalá and Pochomil. We decided to rent a car for the day trip, which ran us about $40.00, and it was well worth it since some of the terrain was irregular, bumpy and susceptible to becoming dangerously muddy if it were to rain. 

We left Managua around 10:30 a.m. and drove for about an hour before reaching the actual town which had openings to several beaches.First, we went to Quizalá, which was a very secluded beach (we found no other people on the there until the very end of our stay when a family emerged from a house located on the shore) – which we found at the end of a long and rugged road. We had to ask several times for directions, and good thing there were pedestrians and people on motor bikes and bicycles to lead the way.

This beach looked almost identical to some that I have visited in Washington state; aggressive and boisterous waves, overcast sky with rain in the future, a quiet and calm solemnness….ahh but the water was actually warm (as was the air)! I spent a while just listening to the ocean and enjoying the tranquil setting. Looking out on the water, I couldn’t help but be grateful for the power in the sea, it was incredibly memorizing and humbling.

After spending an hour or two at Quizalá and working up an appetite for lunch, we headed over to Pochomil which is the popular beach in the area. This beach, completely different from Quizalá had tons of restaurants on the shore and other people in the water.

For lunch, I had fresh Ceviche with tajadas (plantain chips) as an appetizer, and for the main entree fish with a tomato sauce drizzled on top served with salad and tostones (fried plantains) on the side. The Ceviche was decadent; it was like the best salsa you’ve ever had but with fish – absolutely amazing.

After lunch, I did one of the funnest things so far here in Nicaragua – I road a horse, on the beach, at sunset! My friend Meghann and I went off on our horses (without guides, I guess they trusted us when we said we could ride) and only paid C 100 (aprox. $4.20) for a 45-hour long session. “We got Fabio on Nicaragua.”

I really enjoyed myself on this day trip and I would highly recommend it as long as you are driving in a secure vehicle, preferably with 4 wheel drive (though we didn’t have it). If you are passing through Nicaragua, it’s not somewhere that you “must visit”, but rather if you are living in Managua, it is an easy getaway from the rustle and bustle of the city!

- Kine Camara

My Experience in Nicaragua

My experience in Nicaragua has been quite an experience. Whether it’s taking the bus, getting stranded in random locations, ordering a bean burrito, or attempting to cross the street, every day is packed with adventure for the happy blonde "gringa" that I am. At a party the other night, my other exchange-student friends were talking about their complete lack of culture shock. I cannot boast the same situation. Perhaps because I am an extremely nervous person, perhaps because I have not previously spent more than 3 weeks at a time in any country other than the U.S., or perhaps just because I’m the worst at hiding extreme terror, I seem to have suffered more culture shock than anyone else I know studying with ISEP.

There were many obstacles I had to overcome (and many more I still have to overcome) since being here. Buses were very difficult. I refused to take any by myself for a good two weeks at the beginning. I didn’t like how packed they are, and how everyone on the bus always looked at me like I had just crawled out of a spaceship. Yet, I am happily now taking buses like a pro. The Nica time is also something that took some getting used to. After being punctual for the first few weeks, I showed up to my nine o’clock at fifteen after this morning (the traffic was awful, another aspect of life here that is difficult to deal get used to), but I was early compared to others. Spanish is another thing that is very difficult for me because it is the second other thing I fear besides taking a bus. If I hate anything, I hate knowing I’m doing something very badly. And I speak Spanish very badly. I know that the only way to get better is to keep practicing, and I am improving marginally every day (I hope). The other real hardship I faced was my diet. I am a vegan (a very strict vegetarian who does not eat milk or eggs) and finding food to eat here has not been easy. As opposed to Nicaragua, in the United States there are plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, and products that cater specifically to those types of dietary restrictions. After a week of eating nothing but veggie sushi and granola bars, however, I discovered the burrito stand at school and the wonderfully delicious avocado sandwich. Adjusting to my new diet here has been hard, but very manageable.

That being said, I love it here! It is a beautiful place with the kindest, happiest, most accepting people that I have ever yet encountered. While it is mildly horrifying at times trying to deal with the many differences between this culture and my native one (most notably the lack of tasty vegan meat-substitutes, like Tofurkey), it is also very exhilarating and rewarding. I have made a lot of friends here who are pretty amazing and most everyone is helpful and accommodating (with the exception of some bus and taxi drivers) in spite of it being quite obvious by my appearance and by everything silly I do that I am not Nicaraguan. Sometimes people will come up and talk to me (many of them actually assume I am German), and ask me where I’m from and what I’m doing in Nicaragua. Often these people are children, and one time when (inevitably, this happens in every conversation with a child), I said something stupid like, “Repite, por favor. Mi español no es muy buena...” (my favorite phrase), the youngest child in the group looked at me and said, “Uno, dos, tres...” while holding up corresponding fingers. It was not very helpful, but super adorable! 

I am only one and a half months into this experience, but I can already tell it was a great decision to come to Nicaragua. Though it was (and still is!) difficult to adjust, I am finding the short time I have spent here is one of the most educational and beneficial things I have ever done for myself. I love my classes and my professors, my roommates and friends, and even all the crazy little things that mortified me not very long ago (like the bus and the cheek-kiss greeting). I am learning Spanish (very slowly) and learning about a culture vastly different from my own. There are really no words to describe how rewarding this experience has been so far. This article does my experience little justice. There are really know words to describe it, but I will try: I love Nicaragua!

- Tricia Lebkuecher

"Hasta Luego, No Es Un Adios"

For any of the readers out there who don't know, I have been an exchange student here at UAM-CUSE since August 2011. I can still look back to the days about a year ago when I spent much of my time prepping myself for a year in Nicaragua. I wasn't sure what to expect other than I knew it was going to be hot, really hot, and I was going to have to speak a lot of spanish. Although studying abroad was a little daunting at first, I was extremely excited for the adventure. I had learned bits and pieces of Nicaragua's history and culture through numerous Spanish, History, and Latin American Studies classes. I even spent time reading several books on Nicaragua, all in the hopes that it would better prepare me for my time here. In a sense, it did. I knew quite a bit about the history, and I wasn't completely clueless how to speak in Spanish; however, there were also many things that I was not prepared for.

In coming to a new place, a new country, and a new culture, things were a bit different than my life back home. Yes, there were differences that I was expecting, but there were also many other unexpected encounters. For example, when I first started meeting people it took me a while to get used to kissing on the cheek. I can also still recall the first time I saw someone drinking a Coke out of a bag with a straw, the first time I saw someone eating some weird creamy tortilla stuff, also known as quesillo, or going to the grocery store and not being sure where to put my cart. There were many firsts here in Nicaragua and many interesting encounters; though over time I've come to love many of them. A kiss as a greeting is no longer strange, but rather something that I'm going to miss when I leave. Drinks in bags are still a little out of the ordinary, but I enjoy the experience. And quesillo is no longer some weird creamy tortilla substance--but rather one of my favorite lunch or dinner treats.

A lot of firsts occurred during my first semester. That's not to say that there weren't also many new adventures this semester; but rather, I've spent much of this semester diving deeper into the culture, learning more about the country, and enriching relationships with the people. I've been very lucky to have an extended time, about a year, in this country. It's allowed me to learn a lot more. Nicaragua has a lot of history and I've learned parts of it in all different facets of my life here--whether it be a professor, fellow student, taxi driver, or a random man at the grocery store. They have all offered many different perspectives on the history and culture of Nicaragua and I've very much enjoyed each person sharing their two cents. Each time a new topic or idea is shared I have learned a new way of looking at things. In a lot of ways, it's changed me and how I perceive the world. It's something that I have been very blessed to encounter while here in Nicaragua.

One of the biggest reasons that I am happy to have stayed another semester was for the relationships I've made with people. Sure I had made friends the first semester, but adding more time made those friendships more real. It offered an authenticity to the friendships because I wasn't just here for a couple months. I've also been privileged enough to see the beautiful places Nicaragua has to offer. From the Atlantic Coast, tourist filled San Juan Del Sur, Canyon Somoto, Granada and Leon , this country honestly has some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

If I have learned anything from the traveling I have done, and especially from my time here in Nicaragua, it's that each culture has beautiful things to offer. Yes, cultures may be very different, but that doesn't mean they are bad. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to travel. It expands your ideas about life and the world which I doubt can be learned in any manner other than experience. Cultures and people will surprise you and teach you many lessons. So go out there, don't wait.

There are so many things that I have come to love about this country. I'm realizing how strange returning to my home country will be, but I'm happy to know that Nicaragua will always have a spot in my heart. So instead of saying goodbye, I'm saying hasta luego Nicaragua, hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo. 

- Jordan Crownover