Nicaragua Changed My Life Forever

by Emily Frank (United States of America)

Making a local connection Nicaragua

I stepped out of the plane and was immediately hit with a gust of hot and humid air. My mind began to spin as I listened to all of the Spanish that was being spoken around me. I couldn’t understand any of it. I began to question what I was doing there and if the trip would be a disaster. As a group of college students from Oregon, we stuck out like sore thumbs in the airport in Managua, Nicaragua. We stepped outside to find taxis and buses swerving from lane to lane, speeding around the corners. I had traveled a lot throughout my life, but I had never done anything like this and my nerves were at an all time high. A woman pulled up in a pickup truck followed by an old van. She stepped out of the truck, ran over to our group and immediately began hugging and thanking all of us for being there. A young man, around the age of 11, hopped into the back of the truck and began throwing all of our luggage inside with the biggest smile on his face. Little did I know, that young man would change my perspective on life forever. I went on this trip with Courts for Kids, an organization with a goal of transforming lives through cultural exchange while building a sports court. Patricia, the woman who greeted us, is the founder of Hope Bilingual Academy, the school we were building a sports court for. I hopped in the old rickety van and was tossed all around as we headed off to the school. Children flooded around us when we arrived. They all had the biggest and most contagious smiles. After unloading our language, we immediately got to work. The week was filled with many challenges; building a sports court by hand is not an easy task, but I loved every minute of it. Not being able to communicate well was by far the most difficult part of the trip. There was one person I wanted to talk to more than anyone. His name is Aaron and he is the young man who put our luggage in the back of the truck at the airport. Aaron lives alone with his brother Abraham. Their mother and father both passed away. Patricia informed me that Aaron used to be a misbehaved and difficult child. I was shocked because while we were there, he was the most hardworking and happy kid that I had ever seen. He brought so much joy to everyone around him. I was so impressed with him and I wanted to tell him how amazing he is and to keep up the hard work, but I couldn’t because of the language barrier. I wanted to listen to his stories and be there for him, but I didn’t know how. On the last night, I found Aaron outside on the patio by himself staring at the stars. I walked over and sat down next to him. We tried talking but it was extremely hard. I then thought of an idea. That night I wrote him a letter with everything I wanted to say. I woke up the next day filled with sorrow. Saying goodbye was heartbreaking. To be surrounded by the most hardworking and happy people I have ever met, who have so little, was beyond inspiring. They never complained even with their shoes filled with holes and their houses consisting of nothing but wood and dirt. I will never forget the moment when the court was complete. There are no words to describe the feeling when I saw the joy on the faces of the children and families when they saw the new sports court and equipment. Before we left, I gave Aaron the note and told him that Patricia would translate it for him after we left. When I arrived home, I was surprised with a sweet message. It was from Aaron. He messaged me on Facebook and thanked me for the note. He said it was hung up on his wall where he could see it everyday.