Hello everyone, I am so excited to be writing my first blog ever! Before I begin, I want to give fair warning that I am an engineering major so please expect grammatical errors and some ranting sessions. I’m not exactly sure how these things start, but I will begin my introducing my really cool project!
I am writing from the surprisingly cloudy city of Miami, Florida at my out-of –country training for my upcoming Loewenstern trip to Matagalpa, Nicaragua. My project’s title is Safe Water and the Environment, which involves conducting lessons/activities on a variety of topics, including Clean Watersheds and Soil Conservation and Reforestation. I also get to be a team member for a construction project that we call a Community Based Initiative, which is created, planned and completed by my host community. My main role here is to assist community members with mobilizing the community and fostering further development.
Today is my second day of training with 30 other volunteers for AMIGOS DE LAS AMERICAS (FRIENDS OF THE AMERICAS). Most of the kids here are high school students; only about 9 or 10 of us are college students. BUT today we played a game where we have to get in a line in order of our birthdays (including year) and apparently I’m the grandma of the trip. Seriously, the youngest volunteer was born in 1995…
But despite feeling old, these past two days of training have been really gratifying. All the sessions are interactive and challenge me to get over my fear of public speaking by stepping up and leading a practice teaching lesson or ice-breaker. Also, so far I have met some really interesting people from all over the US (one from Hawaii!) who are so different than me and have had experiences that I never even imagined. Together we have been waking up at 7am and sleeping at 11pm, absorbing all the information we receive, and sharing our own experiences.
I leave for Nicaragua on Tuesday and I have a combination of excitement and anxiety. While training has been very helpful, it will be very different when in Nicaragua. Despite these reservations, I am pumped to meet my host family and host community, and get started on their projects.
Thanks for reading my first blog! I apologize for the short length, but it’s getting a little late here and I need to get my rest for tomorrow’s final day of training! Goodnight and talk to ya’ll soon!

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