Yo Soy Nicaraguense

“I am Nicaraguan”.

My family tree will show me as an even split – 50% Italian, 50% Irish. My father a boisterous Italian, my mother a kind little Irish woman. And although some people may see “Pisco” and think of the South American liquor that Peru and Chile have argued over for years, there is not the slightest hint of Latin American blood in our family. Yet there is still another part of me that’s not on paper – my experience in Nicaragua.

The summer before my senior year in college, I was afforded an opportunity to donate my time for three months at a small school in Ocotal, Nicaragua teaching English and lacrosse. Located just 13 miles from the Honduran border, Ocotal is a small city of about 35,000 people. The organization I worked with, Centro de Idiomas (The Language Center), was a cultural exchange program where participants were encouraged to bring unique talents or offerings for the students in addition to the daily English lessons. As a member of the lacrosse team at Cornell, I was able to gather enough equipment from my teammates to bring down as my “extracurricular” activity for the students.

Gratifying. Rewarding. Life-changing.

These are just a few of the words that summarize the feelings from my experience in Ocotal, but they don’t even begin to describe how the town, the country, and the people have profoundly impacted my life. The town was a shocking realization of the third world when I first arrived after a long four-hour, overly crowded bus trip from the capital, Managua. However, Ocotal quickly became an inviting oasis when returning home from a weekend away exploring the country’s intensely diverse, beautiful environment – lakes, beaches, volcanoes, lush forests. No other country I have visited has such contrasting landscapes within such a small geographical area. Understanding the people of Nicaragua truly opened my eyes to another culture for the first time. By our society’s standards, most Nicaraguans live hard lives, but they work harder to sustain what’s important and place an unparalleled value on family. Before heading to the school every morning, I would go for a run to beat the brutal heat before the sun came out. Without fail I would see the same few people doing the same thing each and every day: an older man (probably in his 70s) walking his wheel barrel to pick up wood for the day, a woman (with her baby cradled around her neck and shoulders) carrying jugs to fill with water for the day’s chores, and a young brother and sister walking over 5 miles just to get to the outskirts of town before continuing on with the average 2 miles it took most kids to walk to school. And they all did it so selflessly. They did it for their families. So was the lifestyle in Ocotal.

Where I lived on the edge of town, housing accommodations were simple – not much electricity, an outhouse in the backyard, no running water inside the house. I shared one of two bedrooms with one of the seven family members. Initially, the food didn’t taste very good (or sit well). But by living with a host family and becoming as much of a local as possible, I acclimated rather quickly. Soon enough, the living situation didn’t phase me, I encouraged family gatherings at any moment, and I enjoyed every meal placed in front of me. I dismissed how important the “small stuff” was and focused on what really mattered – helping the students with English and a new foreign game, forming a bond with a second family that would last forever, and allowing myself to let my guard down in order to fully experience Nicaragua.

Prior to applying to Centro de Idiomas almost eight years ago, many people asked, “is this the right time to do this?”, “how are you going to get a good job if you don’t complete a summer internship?”, “why don’t you just do it for a week or two?”. I never balked and I never regretted my decision. In fact, it’s one of the most memorable experiences of my lifetime. This time around, similar questions have been asked as to why we are taking a career break now. The answer is simple – we want to see the world, experience different cultures, and potentially help people or communities in need. And I know that answer is right . . .and I have Nicaragua to thank for that.