What an amazing end to an amazing week at the school.  Starting last night, we began a full on sprint to the finish. We packed 140 bags filled with clothes, soap, food, and other toiletries. After a rather interesting dinner filled with uncontrollable laughs due to lack of sleep, we eventually cradled into bed.  Sleep didn't come to me for quite a while because all I could think about was the day to come, and how I didn't want it to.  We woke up at 6:15, and hastily stuffed tons of food and donations into our bus.  Everyone got a second wave of energy as we pulled through  the gates at the school. Things were rather hectic when we arrived because the kids were already there, and we were carrying tons of party décor through the school.  I was lucky this morning.  I was chosen to accompany Alex, the bus driver, and pick up families we had seen on previous home visits and take them to the school.  We drove around and picked up Milagro and Julisa, the two I visited yesterday, along with twins who both had CP named Franklin and Clara, and two others who's names I didn't have the opportunity to learn. It was awesome seeing all of these people I had previously visited actually be able to come to the school and get some much needed supplies.  Yesterday, I had zero respect for Milagro's mother. Today she realized there was hope for her daughter. I think that she found comfort in being around other parents of kids with disabilities. She realized she wasn't the only one.  Now Milagro will start Escuela Especial on Monday.  Milagro has a new life in front of her because of something we did. That right there was worth all the hard work and time we put into this trip.  The party itself was a huge hit. We all shared good food and great companying.  We passed out the bags we had previously packed for everyone.  I can't find words to explain the look on everyone's face when we handed them their bag.  After passing out the bags, it was time to say good-bye to the kids.  Seeing them go was of course sad, but I found hope.  All of those kids are amazingly brave, smart, and their spirits can't be matched.  They have taught me more than anyone else ever could.  I will never forget any of their smiling faces.  As the bus was pulling away, I rejoiced in the fact that I made a positive influence on all of their lives and I know my hard work wasn't for nothing. They will beat the world they are living in, I have no doubt in that at all. 

Day 5

Today was a great day at school.  I worked in the deaf class for the first time today.  The classroom vibe was awesome. Everyone was working incredilbly hard; however, it was completely silent.  Watching them interact with each other through Sign Language was amazing. It made me realize that no disablitiy is capable of bringing a person's spirit down. I must admit, I was ignorant before coming here. I didn't think these kids who couldn't hear would be so smart.  I assumed because they had a disablility they were going to be below average students.  They proved me wrong right off the bat.  They work diligently and they even taught me some Sign.  I will never forget any of those kids I worked with today. They are truly amazing individuals and I know they will overcome the poverty they live in because they have overcome so much already. After school I went on home visits with Tyra, Sammie, and Nicole.  The experience of only an hour or so of home visits will stick with me for the rest of my life.  I still am in shock of how some people can be so ignorant, and mis-treat their own children so badly. The first house was home to Milagro, a 14 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy.  Yesterday a group of students went to check in on her and her family.  Her whole family was not home; however, they left Milagro home alone.  When we showed up today it was clear her mother was putting on a show.  She was pretending to care for her and love her, but it was ovious this was the first time in a long time she had ever gave her any attention.  One of our translators put it best. He asked the mother, "Do you believe in God?  Because she is a Angel sent from Heavan, and it is your responsibility to take care of her."  I really hope that made her realize that Milargo is an amazing person and she is a gift, not a burden. The second home we visited was the same situation. There was a 23 year old girl named Julisa who had Cerebral Palsy. She was exteremly dirty. It was clear she hadn't been bathed in days, maybe weeks. When we asked the parents when the last time she was washed, of course they said yesterday. This was a lie.  Julisa's life consists all most entirely of sitting in her tiny room, staring at the wall.  When we came we took her outside and she sat on the deck.  We hadn't even completely left yet when her parents took her back into her room. My heart sinks just thinking about both of the amazing people we met today, because they have so much potential and they could be in such better condition if they had loving parents.  Thanks everyone again and I will talk to you tomorrow.

Day 4

Hey everyone, day four is in the books!  We had another amazing day today. I was in the first grade class today, taught by an amazing woman named Ana-Maria, and spent the majority of my time with a boy named Levi.  Levi has Autism, and understands English and Spanish. Unfortunately he doesn't talk at all. All day I was trying to get him to show a little emotion and maybe even laugh.  All he wanted to do all day was swing, so I pushed him on the swings for a good part of my day.  This was a little dull to me; however, it doesn't matter because I know it meant a lot to him because someone gave him some one on one attention.  When I wasn't pushing Levi on the swings, I was helping out a couple other students. One of them was Anthony. He was a little first grader with Cerebral Palsy. Anthony and I played with clay for a little while. We did this to strenghten his hand muscles and to get him to move his arms more. They tried doing this in the past, but the clay they had was too hard, so he couldn't work with it. We brought fresh clay for him to use and he loved it.  It was inspiring to see him so excited over such a little thing.  I have noticed that a lot this trip, all of these kids get so excited over such little improvements to their daily life.  I think that shows the true character of the kids here.  Antony and Levi were the main focuses of my day.  I stopped in on a few other classes, but didn't work one on one with anyone else. It was very aparent to me today that everything I do here isn't going to be what I want to, but that doesn't matter. I know Levi had a great day today and that's what does matter.  Thanks for checking up on me again and I will talk to all of you soon.

Day 3

Hello everyone. Today was another great day, it was my first full day at the school.  I started in the first grade room. The room was full of amazing young people. One particularly rambunctiousness little guy named Wilber. He had Down Syndrome and was so adorable. We worked together all morning on writing the letters in the alphabet. This was no easy task I must say. We worked so hard all morning on simply writing the letter A. He tried and tried and finally he figured out how to do it. I was so proud when he wrote the A correctly. It was a small moment but it had a huge effect. I realized that these children have huge potential and if they just received a little more one on one attention they could thrive. That isn't possible here because there just isn't a high enough teacher to student ratio.  After the success with Wilber I went and worked with a little blind boy named Jesus. He inspired me because he was so brave and smart. We played with a miniature Harp for a while.  He was playing with it and when ever he played a note he would clap and laugh. I loved seeing that sense of accomplishment in his face. After lunch I communicated with a group of deaf kids.  They were all so happy and playful.  I signed them my name and they wrote their's down on paper. I didn't have the opportunity to work with them much today but just being in the presence was amazing. My final story for today is about a little boy with Autism named Levi. We were sitting  on a bench outside. I was trying to get him to talk to me a little bit. I was trying to speak in Spanish, asking him what his name was and how old he was. Then I remembered this was the boy who lived in the US for a while and understood English.  Then I said, "Wait a minute, you understand English." He started laughing at me and it was the first thing he did. I then realized how smart he really was. He had a sense of humor and understood two languages.  I have to go now but thanks everyone again. Later!

Day 2

Day 2 was a tremendous successes!  Myself and another volunteer Sammie went on the first home visits. The experience was so much better than I ever could have expected. We tagged along with Carmin Margarita, a physical therapist that works with the school, and one of the translators Aleyda. The first place we went was home to a family with a four month old baby that has Down Syndrome. The baby's name is Angel and he was the cutest baby I have ever seen. Angel's mother had him when she was only 16, so Angel's Grandmother takes care of him most of the time.  I could tell by the way the birth mother looked at her child she despised him.  She never did the physical therapy prescribed for her child on the days Carmin Margarita wasn't there. Because of this Angel couldn't lift his head and is way behind where he should be in terms of development. Leaving the house I was mad at the mother for having a baby so young and then not wanting to take care of him, but then I realized its not entirely her fault. She was just uneducated on the subject and when her child was born with a disability she couldn't handle it.  The second house wasn't very exciting. The child's name was Jorge and he had Cerebral Palsy. His mother wasn't home so we legally weren't allowed to work with him. Outside the house; however, was a neighbor's cow. It was the skinniest, most malnourished creature I have ever seen. Its extra skin hung down six or seven inches below him. I couldn't help but think if the cow was this staved, what condition was the family living in?  On the way to the next house Aleyda pointed out a house to us.  She told us there was a student with Down Syndrome that lived there who attended the school. The child died of a heart attack because the family gave up on him/her. I don't need to tell you how that makes me feel because I sure you feel the same way. We visited another child with Down Syndrome next. His name was Michael and was again adorable. His mother was 41. There were two other kids in the house with no special needs. One must have been four and the other 18 at most. The other girl was the mother of the four year old. She had him when she was only 14. This just shows how uneducated some of the citizens are about sex. The final house we went to was home to a single mother of two kids, one of which had Cerebral Palsy. After doing a few stretches on Brisa, the child, with Carmine Margarita, we asked the mother s couple questions. She is a teacher and teaches kids at her home. The part the struck me the hardest is when she told us her husband left her because he couldn't handle having a kid with a disability. She was so kind and it makes me sick someone would leave her because of that. Brisa is amazing as well and I fell bad for that man because he is messing out. Today I realized why I came here and why I went through all the trouble to come. The home visits opened my eyes so much wider than I could ever had expected. I though I knew the struggles some of the people face here but I have no idea. I have to go now but thanks again and I will update you tomorrow.

Day 1

Finally, after months of preperation we are here!  Last night, we pulled up to our guesthouse in San Jorge, Nicaragua at 12:30. The travels yesterday went incredibly soomth. We got right through customs and didn't wait in hardly any lines. When I stepped outside the moisture in the air replenished my very dry Colorado skin immediately. After a couple of hours of sleep we woke up and faced our first true day of work. It was nothing less than I was expecting; heat and hard work. We arrived at the school around 7:45 this morning, and that's when I realized the adventure had begun. We gave the school a very much needed, thorough, cleaning. There weren't any kids there today but we did meet a few staff members-the Principal, Juana, and two of the translators, Aleyda and Jose. All of them were amazing people and I can't wait to see them in action tomorrow when the kids are there. After our cleaning session we went down to a Lake Nicaragua beach just down the road from our hostel. Exahusted and hot, we relaxed and reflected on the day. I realized today how far I can push myself physically and mentally. After only five hours of sleep in a sub-par bed after a 16 hour travel day I got up and cleaned a school. I think that shows how far we push ourselves when we are doing something for the right reasons. Tomorrow will be another struggle but I'm excited. I am a little nervous; however, I hope I can handle these kids. Thanks everyone for checking in on me! I'll see you soon!

Hello everyone. The action for the trip to Nicaragua is fully underway! I have been fundraising a lot and I appreciate everyone's support. I look forward to updating this blog throughout the whole journey up to and durning the trip. Thanks so much!!