Laurie

Collegiate Challenge 2018 Day 5

March 19, 2018 By Laurie

March 16th
Today we went to the Rescue Mission and got to explore Tacoma. At the rescue mission we helped make lunch, and prepped for dinner and the next day’s breakfast. This included chopping a lot of onions, Cayley making 100 grilled cheeses, and Cayley and Charlie serving lunch to around 40 people that live and work at the Rescue Mission. This was extremely different from the rest of the week in which we did a lot of construction work.
After we volunteered and ate lunch we went to Point Defiance Park and explored. First we went to The Living History Museum which is a model of Fort Nisqually. This was very cool! We then went to Owen’s Beach which was awesome because we got a beautiful view of the Sound, and saw our fair share of dogs. This was quite relaxing in comparison to the rest of the week and gave us a very different perspective of Tacoma.
After this we went to a local restaurant and had a cool send off party that Habitat threw for us. It was awesome to see how thankful Habitat was for our service throughout this immersion.

Charlie

Collegiate Challenge 2018 Day 4

March 19, 2018 By Laurie

March 15, 2018

It was an odd feeling, knowing it was our last day on site. It felt as if we had just started working when we rolled up to the work site for the last time. The majority of our crew was put to work on lot 1, which is the house that is being dedicated on Saturday, so it was pretty important to finish that house up. I’m still in awe of how much Habitat does. Looking around the site, from a nearly finished house to one with its bones barely in place, it really put into perspective how much Habitat does. Beyond the houses, the people I met on site and talked with made this immersion so much more. I find myself already missing the friendly faces of those who helped us, taught us, and fed us throughout this week, and their energy and spirit are things that I hope to carry with me even after we return to Portland. Although I can only really speak for myself, I think that everyone feels a bit of sadness now that our time with Habitat has officially come to an end. Our community in this immersion has definitely grown together and I am forever grateful for this time together. Moving forward, this week has taught me to value the people that surround me and to take pride in my community. I am a little sad that this time has come to an end, but it has given me the tools to move forward in my everyday life to continue to work in my community.

-Genevieve

Collegiate Challenge 2018 Day 3

March 15, 2018 By Laurie

Today was our second day on site.

Most of us spent the day working on the one house (out of 7 that are on site) that is supposed to be finished this Saturday. All of the boys except Jumel were able to go on the roof today – which was definitely a highlight for them.

Overall, today was a very joy-filled day. Everyone has been laughing throughout the day and we’ve been able to have fun, while also continuing to make progress on the houses.

Our group as a whole was starting to connect and develop a real sense of teamwork. We also started to get more comfortable with the workers on site. We all have been enjoying our experience with Habitat and have noticed the hospitality that they have shown us.

I know that we have been making a contribution, but to me the work that I’m doing seems very small in comparison to the entirety of effort and work that goes into building a house. However, all of the workers and the people from the Habitat community have expressed their genuine appreciation for the time we are giving to help build these homes.

It definitely puts things into perspective – something that seems so insignificant to me, may make immeasurable differences to other people.

In case people were curious – after our work day is over, we hit the showers then headed back to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, where we have been privileged to stay while on the Collegiate Challenge.

We had some dinner (tonight we had more than plenty of pasta) and generally play a lot of card games – which can get competitive from time to time. The games have served as a great community builder and have resulted in numerous laughs.

Cayley

Collegiate Challenge 2018 Day 2

March 14, 2018 By Laurie

Today was our first day onsite with Habitat for Humanity at North Tillicum. We all showed up eager and excited to start working on a new house, or as we found out today, houses. We met our leader Nick and he showed us around a lot of seven different houses, which was so cool because each is currently at a different stage in construction.

Gen and Charlie got to do electrical work while the rest of us helped clean up and move materials around the lot. A big group of us learned to set up scaffolding!! We were hoping to paint, but a bit of that Pacific Northwest weather got to us and the rain prevented us from doing so.

The highlight of the day was meeting our crew and the people who provided our lunch for us. Two workers are AmeriCorps volunteers, which definitely sparked some interest in a couple members of our team today for post-grad plans. Some folks from the neighborhood put together the kindest spread of soups, sandwiches and so much more for us today. No one left without being stuffed to the brim.

We also had the pleasure of meeting a Habitat homeowner named Becca who shared a bit of her story with us. These people helped remind us that the work we are doing, no matter how big or small, is making a difference in someone’s life.

Overall, today has me very excited for the rest of the week. We bonded so much as a group today and met so many wonderful people that I know everyone is looking forward to getting up early and working hard these next few days. North Tillicum is going to look very different in a couple of months.

Erin

Collegiate Challenge 2018 Day 1

March 14, 2018 By Laurie

Today was a great day up in Tacoma. We started our day learning more about HFH and all the awesome things they do, as well as talking about the things we wanted to take away from this trip with our new friends Kiara.

Next, we headed out with our other new found friend Dan to Tiger Mountain to hike the Poo Poo Trail (Yes, that is the name!). Despite almost not finding a parking spot, we set off to the summit. At the top awaited a breathtaking view of Mount Rainer as well as an overlook over the city of Issaquah and Bellevue.

After completing the trek down, and counting up the total of 47 doggos that we saw along the trail, we headed off to the showers to get cleaned up.

Taking a slight detour after the showers, one of the vans made a pit stop at Safeway to get a surprise birthday cake for Laurie’s birthday. We celebrated Laurie’s birthday, had an amazing dinner, and reflected as a group on how our day went, as well as what we were looking forward to tomorrow. We are excited for our first day on the worksite tomorrow!

Isaac

Nicaragua 2017 blog #5

May 30, 2017 By Laurie

Hola from Granada, Nicaragua!

What a great place to begin to gain closure after our long journey throughout central Nicaragua. Mimosas on the beach in the morning, a few long days laughing and swimming in the Laguna de Apoyo, and even a shot at the dance floor of the local discotecha on Saturday night! We’re kidding…mostly. However, as the trip has come to an end we have had the chance to reflect on some of the most impactful aspects of the journey.
Over the last few days we put our finishing touches on the walls of the school we helped Seeds of Learning construct, performed a song and dance as a sign of gratitude towards the students at the elementary school, took on a new perspective of Matagalpa from a hilltop outlook just outside the city, had some wonderful ethnic cuisine at a restaurant owned by the coordinators from Seeds of Learning, and said some hard goodbyes, hopefully temporary, to our friends in Matagalpa.
Upon arrival in Granada, despite sore hands and backs from the construction, we all agreed that we would do it all over again if we had the chance. Between free time spent swimming, shopping, walking around downtown Granada and short naps, we took time to recount all the amazing experiences we had the opportunity to take part in.
We’re happy to be headed home, but we are incredibly thankful for three life-altering weeks.

Sincerely,
Nate

Nicaragua 2017 blog #4

May 25, 2017 By Laurie

Hola! Matagalpa is treating us well so far. We have spent the week doing construction work at a local school, and doing crafts and activities with the students. So far we have made octopi out of paper plates, bracelets, hand puppets, played with bubbles, and done lots of coloring. At the construction site we have been assisting in mixing cement, laying bricks, digging trenches, and bending rebar.

We usually work until noon and then our afternoons are filled with speakers and visiting local community leaders to gain more perspective on what life is like in Matagalpa. Our second day we went to a jewelry workshop in a community called Plomo where a group of women made pieces out of dried seeds.

Yesterday we listened to a presentation from a local surgeon about public health and the revolution in Nicaragua. We were all really inspired with the struggles and perseverance of health care professionals like him during the revolution.

Today we visited a mountainous community called El Progresso where we got to see some previous work of UP students, learned how to make tortillas, played with local school children, and got to meet some more community members. Tonight we prepared for a farewell performance to the community of El Tule where we have been doing construction work and helping out in the classrooms. We’re really excited to get to show our appreciation to the community that has been so welcoming and kind to us!

Nicaragua 2017 Blog #3

May 23, 2017 By Laurie

Hola from Matagalpa, Nicaragua!

After a week of living in La Concepcion we said farewell to our homestay families on Saturday morning. We all learned a lot and will remember this experience forever, and emotions raged from family to family. Some of us were able to deeply connect and create relationships, making saying goodbye difficult. For others, this was more of an experience of personal growth. But overall, we all learned more than we could ever have imagined about being a member of this tight knit community of La Concepcion…

With our bags packed and strapped to the roof of two vans, we drove off to Matagalpa to begin our time working with Seeds of Learning. The three hour drive took us through lush green landscapes, small towns, and industrial areas. After arriving in the bustling and vibrant city, we drove around the city center looking for our hostel – the result of minimal street signs ands addresses… Luckily Jorge, one of our leaders from Seeds of Learning, came to our rescue and guided us to our beautiful hostel… We were welcomed to our new home for the week with an amazing lunch followed by a short orientation at the SOL library, located a couple blocks away. This library, started by SOL, offers a space for some of the children in the city with extra educational opportunities through an after school program. Here students have access to shelves of books – unlike in most Nicaraguan schools – and engage in creative arts and science projects, This program is relatively new and growing, and we all are excited to learn more about its impact on the community by seeing it in action this upcoming week.

We wrapped up Saturday with a big group reflection, reviewing our week in La Concepsions and our experience living in our home stays. To say our group discussion was insightful is quite the understatement. We touched on large scale topics like what it means to be human, what we feel our life purpose is, and what matter most. We all acknowledged how grateful we are for this experience.

Sunday morning, after a yummy french toast breakfast on the hostel balcony, many of us headed to Mass at the nearby Cathedral. This was a special service, as the archbishop was visiting, a nun was renewing her 50 year vow to the church, and there were special for prayers for Venezuela in their time in need. Although the two hour service was a bit long, we all found it to be an amazing experience to share together.

After Mass, we all went to lunch at a nearby cafe and headed to a Ceramic Workshop. Here we learned about a unique type of pottery – black pottery. This practice hat has been passed down from generation to generation within a family in this city and is one of the few remaining parts of the native Matagalpan culture. Now the business is run by a few sisters and we were lucky to meet one of them and learn some pottery skills. We were also able to make our own pieces of pottery and are excited to see how they turned out. This was a great experience to learn about another artistic aspect of the Nicaraguan culture.

Later on in the day, we met back up at the Library to watch a documentary about the educational system in Nicaragua. The film followed a few students from different backgrounds and regions as they navigated the difficulties of the school system, which include lack of resources, difficult university entrance exams, and poorly paid teachers. Although it was frustrating to learn more about the shocking reality, especially after our first hand experiences and connections in La Conception, we all feel inspired to work with SOL this week contributing to the community!

Stay tuned for more updates!
– Elise, Rainey, and Autumn

Nicaragua 2017 Blog #2

May 23, 2017 By Laurie

Hi everyone!

We arrived here in La Concepción on Sunday, May 14 (Happy Mother’s Day!!) after a 45 minute drive from Masaya. We had a brief introduction with Hazel, the director of La Mariposa language school, then it was time to meet our host families that we would be living with for the coming week. That night we got to know our families and were exposed to the lives of the average Nicaraguan. The majority of us had latrines outside the home, were served traditional Nicaraguan dishes, learned how to do laundry by hand, and quickly learned the difficulties of not having running water.

Monday began the week of volunteer work we would be doing in the community. An average day looked like service in a daycare, cultural center, ecological reserve, or local public school. The second half of the day we would engage in Spanish classes with La Mariposa. Our group was split into two groups where we would alternate between service and language school. This was a difficult adjustment, as we had all gotten used to spending time in each other’s company. Luckily we all were able to take a lunch break in the middle of the day to have a meal together and reflect on these experiences.

As the week progressed with the language school, many of us noticed improvements in our Spanish speaking ability and found it easier to communicate with our host families and make connections with the children we have been working with. Even though the living conditions were surprisingly difficult for some of us, we were all ready to help each other and learn from this experience. The service work we have engaged in allowed us to gain various perspectives of life in Nicaragua. Many of us appreciated the opportunity to use our Spanish in real world interaction.

The highlight for many of us came on the excursion we took Thursday night to El Volcan Masaya. We were extremely lucky to be in Nicaragua when the volcano is the most active it has been in over 15 years. Looking into the volcano was a truly magical sight. You were able to see volcanic lava and smoke. We were all stunned and left speechless by this sight.

Tomorrow we head to Matagalpa for another week of service. Many of us are disappointed to be leaving the people we have met here but we are still excited to be moving onto a new place and new experiences!

~ Emily and Faith