Our last full day in Nicaragua was spent at the Barcelo resort at Montelimar Beach where we did lots of eating, swimming in the ocean, and volleyball playing in the pool. Many of us also got way too much sun. Although it was a beautiful and fun-filled day, it was still a little strange to see so much luxury after seeing so much poverty. And, as I pointed out to some of the students, I don't think the people living the life of luxury looked as happy as many of the people we met over the last 14 days.
The day ended with the first of our many goodbyes. It was hard for us to say goodbye to our dear friend and interpreter, Samuel, one of the most positive and hard-working people I have ever met. Adios, hermano!
We leave for the airport in less than an hour, so this will be the last blog post from Nicaragua. Thanks so much for following our adventure. I sincerely hope you were able to learn something about our brothers and sisters. For closure, I asked each member of the team to tell me what they will most remember about their time in Nicaragua:
"The one thing I will remember the most are the children that I made a connection with. How adorable and kind they are and how much potential they have in their hearts" - Tessa Ross
"I will forever remember the love of the people in Nicaragua. Over these two weeks, they have snuck in through my vessels into my heart and they will always have a warm place there. It's like a second home and a new family. Mi ama Nicaragua." - Hailey Wright
"I will never forget going to the boys' orphanage and playing soccer with them. I also will never forget all the boys at the orphanage and the little boy in the wheelchair." - Amanda Sparkes
"The thing I will remember most is how friendly and loving all the people we have met in Nicaragua are. They are always smiling and full of joy. They are grateful for the simple things in life and have taught me many valuable lessons." - Lexy Mahon
"I will always remember the smiles, the love, and the hope. 'Faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love.'" - Rachel Breen
"It's not possible for me to remember just one thing. I will remember the trip as a whole - the atmosphere, the feeling - and I will never forget." - Lindsay "Leslie" Tannahill
"The thing that I will remember the most is how thankful everyone is for what they have, even though to us it seems like they have nothing." - Jacqueline Otterbean
"Our visits to the girls' orphanage is what I will remember most. The faces were overwhelming. I will never forget my time with them." - Jacqueline Parkes
"What I will remember the most is the feeling I had every time a boy or girl took my hand, every time their mother looked into my eyes with full and complete trust and every time I looked at the mountains or ocean. Coming here it was impossible not to feel, for yourself and others, in a high intensity. I will never forget this. - Sonja McKerracher
"I will always remember the children and the joy we brought to their faces when giving them a stuffed animal or something similar. They always had a smile on their faces and love in their hearts when we would play games or do activities with them. I will also always remember not to take our own health care system or living conditions for granted as people here have it much worse." - Isaac Sweeting
"The thing I will remember most is being at the boys' orphanage and being able to form very special bonds with unforgettable friends" - Nicole Wark
"I will never forget the feeding centre taking place in the middle of the street and the faces of the children who were turned away with nothing once the food ran out, nor will I forget the special friends I made during my time in Nicaragua." - Kristen Wark
"I will remember most the contrasting definition of happiness between Nicaraguan and Canadian culture. Despite the lack of materialistic wealth which exists here, the people of this country always found a reason to be joyful and hopeful because of the little things that the majority of Canadians would consider insignificant. They made a point to be happy about just being alive which is absolutely unforgettable." - Shana Toor
"I will remember the people of Nicaragua. I will remember the desperation and suffering that the majority of the people of Nicaragua face. But more importantly, I will remember the resilience, faith, and hope of these beautiful people, that has the power to break through these hardships. I will remember these things and never forget. - Emma Fuller
"The friendly loving children, the kindness of the people, the smiling faces at all of the clinics, orphanages and hospitals, the health care system so very different from our own; these will be my most powerful memories." - Melissa Miller
"My strongest memory of Nicaragua is the loving and trusting nature of the men, women and children. Wherever we went, they greeted us, as strangers, with warm hugs and glowing smiles." - Susan Miller
"At our first clinic, I was playing frisbee with a boy. He pointed to my Tilley hat and said "Sombrero". He then placed his frisbee on his head and repeated "Sombrero". A friend who was watching then placed another frisbee on his own head and declared "Sombrero!". Tessa Ross jumped into action, and took a photo of the three Sombrero Amigos. This was an early example of the way in which friendships can be built even with the language barrier between we Canadians and our Nicaraguan friends." - Mr. Craig "Breen Machine".
"To be honest, I did not plan this trip with hopes of changing the lives of Nicaraguans. I'd hoped, maybe, to change the lives of the students we brought here. As we leave, I am pleased with the prospect that I may have accomplished a little bit of both." - Mr. Gregg "Mack-Dawg" Mackay
"My original goal for this trip was to simply make myself a little less comfortable. And although that definitely happened on a physical level, I leave here more comfortable on a spiritual level for I have seen the face of Hope. And not where I expected to. I saw it in the back pew of a church and in the driver's seat of a van, in a line at a feeding centre and sitting across from me at the dinner table. People doing the right thing for no other reason than it being the right thing to do." - John "Don Juan Pit-Bull Fearny" Fearnall
