I decided to spend my 2024 spring break volunteering abroad with Buck-I-SERV in partnership with the Medici Project and the CTG Foundation. I traveled with a group of buckeyes to El Tránsito, Nicaragua. We painted a church, helped at a construction site for a school, worked alongside the local school’s staff to distribute meals to students, made a lot of friends, and experienced the rich Nicaraguan culture.
My experience volunteering and traveling abroad was invaluable to my development as a person, professional and world citizen. I used to study Spanish and Latin American culture in my coursework, but nothing compares to the real experience. Throughout every facet of the trip, I found myself surprised. I learned that the language barrier is a lot less steep than I thought it would be. I learned how water plays a central role in daily life. I learned that I was a much more sociable and valued member of our group than I had thought I would be. Above all, I learned how important it is to develop relationships.
Every aspect of the trip was in some way, shape, or form transformational. We faced several obstacles during our travel that brought us closer together. Our travel itinerary included flying from Columbus to Philadelphia to Miami to Managua. With several flights meant several opportunities for delays or complications. A storm delayed our flight from Philadelphia to Miami several hours. After landing in Miami just minutes after our flight to Managua was scheduled, we ran to the gate and the flight was eventually delayed so that we had enough time to ensure our tickets and baggage were accounted for. In addition to the delays, my suitcase was unfortunately not properly transferred to the flight and was left in Miami, leaving me without clothing, sunscreen, or supplies for about a day. The complications, though unideal, brought us closer together. I remember during our extended layover in Philadelphia, our leaders were figuring things out while we found a table to talk about our feelings and get to know each other a little better. We even started playing some Euchre to lighten the mood. We learned to have faith in our leaders, to communicate our feelings, stay positive, lean in on each other for support, and to make the best of every moment.
Once we entered Nicaraguan airspace, there were so many things that I found fascinating. During the descent I couldn’t help but notice that the city was decorated with industrial orange lights instead of the blue or yellow lights that I’m typically used to seeing in the US. I wasn’t sure what I thought Central America would look like, but it felt like a completely different world. Also, for being the capital city, I was surprised to see a smaller airport with minimal staff, though the time could have impacted my outlook. The time had me very confused. My watch read 12 a.m. but with the time changes it was actually 1 a.m. back home and 11PM local. I was very excited to have finally made it out of the country, but we still had a lot of traveling to do. As soon as we stepped off the aircraft, I couldn’t help but feel a wall of night heat and take in a pungent smell that was reminiscent of burnt rubber. The smell never dissipated, and I later found out that it was likely due to the hot sun, industrial businesses, and volcanic activity in the area. Our next task was to go through immigration. I was very surprised to see how strict their immigration services were. We had to fill out a form that specified our locations and dates of travel, our total worth of belongings, and an in-country contact among other interesting questions. I was also very surprised that immigrants must purchase a tourism pass using a crisp $10 bill. After passing through immigration and picking up our luggage (and insuring mine would be arranged for return) we went through security that was very minimal and didn’t seem to be sensitive to moderate volumes of liquid. Being my first time out of the country, it was an eye-opening experience going through immigration and it made me wonder how the US immigration system compares and why it might differ.
After getting through the airport, we met with our in-country contacts. We loaded our luggage into a large, white-paneled van and a safari jeep decorated in zebra stripes. I remember riding in the back of the jeep, looking out the window, and being in awe of the environment. I saw large billboards and ads everywhere; the roads were scattered with cars, people, and pets. As we entered the countryside, I remember getting on a stone road and being on it for a long time, making it difficult to sleep. I was so tired from our travel, but I kept my eyes glued out the window because I didn’t want to miss anything. I saw mountains, valleys of city lights, and many ranches sparsely scattered with colorful houses, horses, and cattle. After a while we arrived at our destination: the Sacred Sand Hostel. We entered the open concept white-plastered building and it seemed so luxurious. Before we were assigned rooms, we had a meeting outside as to not wake the other residents. I remember hearing the subtle roar of the ocean while our trip leader advised us not to drink the tap water, venture anywhere alone, or flush any paper products. After we were assigned our rooms and we settled in, we concluded our first night in Nicaragua with some much-needed rest.
I remember waking up to the loud horn of a bus taking students and workers to Managua. As I begun to get motivated, I was greeted by the hot, bright morning sun, colorful birds squawking, and the sound of the townspeople socializing. It was such a happy moment for me. As time progressed, I learned to spend every morning like that one just sitting and enjoying the nature and people around me.
There were so many events that happened in each day that made the trip seem much longer than it was. I remember learning to surf, swimming in a tide pool, eating fresh food, traveling to Leon, making friends with our group and the locals, and doing meaningful work. We took about two days to paint a new church before the start of the rainy season. We spent a day at the construction site for a trade school further inland where we painted a metal fence to prevent rusting, as well as mixed concrete on the ground, moved several 90lb cinder blocks by hand, and helped with the construction of a well. I had no idea how a well was built or what went into mixing concrete, so it was a very valuable learning experience. We also had the opportunity to volunteer at the local grade school where we helped in the kitchen by serving food and doing dishes. We interacted with the students and staff there were we had a few good laughs and smiles. In all though, we had a really great time working together and making friends with each other and the locals.
In addition to relationships, I think reflecting with our group every night had an invaluable impact on making sure we were all on the same page. I surprised myself during these meetings in what I was able to realize and contribute. I typically asked thought-provoking, action-oriented questions and had the phrase “What would Mason ask?” named after me. For example, there was one experience where we felt uncomfortable touring a local’s home without having the chance to talk to her. So, during reflection that night I brought up the idea that we should wright a card to thank her for letting us in her home. During the last night of our stay, we worked with each other and our local friends to write the card and ensure she got the message of our appreciation. In all, I was very thankful for my experiences and will always remember my time in Nicaragua.
My experience in Nicaragua has had an invaluable impact on my life. I realized how privileged I was attending a very good school in a good country with good living conditions and opportunities. I had the chance to reflect on my career path and what is meaningful to me. I was originally involved in undergraduate research where I was doing work with protein purification for biopharmaceuticals. After volunteering, I realized that what I was doing wasn’t meaningful to me. I decided to resign from my position in the lab, do more volunteering work, and focus on my relationship building. I also started a journal to reflect in because I saw how valuable it was during my week abroad to set new goals and find the joy in little things. As far as my professional goals are concerned, I want to do more work with water because I saw firsthand how much value it held. I definitely plan on going on more Buck-I-SERV trips in the future and will start recommending the option to my friends.
