My time on the alternative break to Nicaragua was amazing! The trip was a welcome reprieve from my stressful semester of classes. Being off-the-grid for a week is just what I needed to recharge my batteries. One of the best things about the trip was the diversity of experiences the group was exposed to. We saw the city life in Grenada as well as the farm life on Bona Fide.

When we touched down in Nicaragua we hit the ground running and went to a local restaurant to get dinner. It was a nice ice-breaker for the group to help everyone adjust to the new surroundings. Our tour guide, David, was incredible at making us feel very much at home wherever we went. He made the language barrier essentially go away. After that, we made our way to the hotel which was extremely colorful with all the different cottages painted in bright festive colors associated with Hispanic culture.

The next day started bright and early with a trip into the city of Grenada. It was a walking tour of the city with David as our tour guide. He showed us so many different aspects of the Nicaraguan culture. We went into a local artist’s studio and learned how they worked and lived.

Since Nicaragua is a predominantly Catholic country, David took us to several different Catholic churches. I enjoyed seeing all the different styles of these churches, being a Catholic myself.

For lunch, we visited an establishment that emphasized giving back to the local community. They offered lunches to kids who brought in trash off the street. They also employed hearing-impaired people to help them find work. There we volunteered to help them make some of their products used to keep the place running. After that, we went to a stunning, active volcano where we could see an actual river of flowing lava! And to finish the day off, we went to a wonderful restaurant where I had the best chorizo that I have ever tasted, by far the best meal on the trip.

For the next day, we started off with a nice bike ride back through the city of Grenada all the way to a river where we got onto a boat. The tour guide shuttled us all around, showing us wildlife and different ways of life on the river. It was crazy to see such young kids venturing out on the river all by themselves in little kayaks. The boat driver dropped us off at a tranquil little island where everyone got to relax and enjoy themselves. I explored a few of the surrounding islands via a small boat, soaked up some sun, and played an intense game of tennis with a friend I just made on the trip. After all of that fun and relaxation, we packed up and went to our new hotel in San Juan del Sur.

San Juan del Sur was a beautiful city right next to the beach. Both nights there, the group all went to a waterside restaurant with a live band. It was very surprising to only hear English language music, but we were all singing along by the end of the night. Our first day in San Juan del Sur was spent heading off to a ranch where we got to ride horses throughout the area. My horse, Elvis, was super chill. Since there were not enough horses for everyone to go at once, only half went at a time. The rest spent their time relaxing at the ranch working on a tan, or reading in the shade.

The most rewarding part of the trip came during the latter half of the trip. This is when we got to go to the Bona Fide farm. While we were there we got to use what we’ve learned in our engineering classes and apply it to help out the farm. I helped them spec out plans for a small farm store they wanted to build next to the road. We also did manual labor. I helped shovel manure onto the plants, de-husk coconuts (which is a lot harder than it sounds), harvest bamboo, and chop wood. It was unbelievable how much they were able to accomplish on this permaculture farm without needing any tools that we use in the US. Their farm is sustainable and has a huge diversity of organic plants. It was absolutely beautiful looking around and seeing so many different colors of plants surrounding you.

Overall, I would highly recommend an alternative break to anyone who is considering it. Not only do these alternative breaks show you different cultures and ways of life, but they are also super fun and relaxing. Judith did an amazing job planning the trip and she made everyone in the group feel included. The memories I made on this trip will last me a lifetime. 🙂