Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on one dollar a day? Or even less? What about having to give your children contaminated water because there is no access to clean water in your home town? This is what it is like to live in the developing countries of Central America. Many people underestimate the calamities that occur in those developing countries such as the drug wars and Zika, which is a potential pandemic. However, the only way people can truly experience what life is like as a Central American is to be a part of a service trip. Most service trips entail of a group of students going to a developing country to assist in the communal developmental projects.

I have gone on two service trips to Nicaragua the past two summers, and I leave for Nicaragua again on the same service trip in a few days. What we do on this trip is build latrines for a small community in San Lorenzo, Nicaragua called Laguna Del Carbonal. A ‘latrine’ is essentially an outhouse that is made by digging a hole in the ground. Our annual goal is to build 13 latrines for this ‘pueblo’, which we have obtained the past two years. This trip has absolutely changed my life through the exposure to a whole new culture, seeing poverty for the first time, and making lifelong friendships.

It was June 12th, 2014 when we had landed in the Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino (Managua International Airport) when I realized that, culturally, we were not in the United States anymore. What first caught my attention were the hundreds of face staring at our group as we walked through the airport. There were families standing outside looking in through the windows trying to get a look at our clothing, the way we walked, and the way we communicated with one another. They were trying to get as much exposure to our culture as they could because the people of Nicaragua will likely never leave their hometown in their entire lives. Another culture shock I experienced was when we were working in the hot sun building latrines one day, and I met the owner of the house we were building the latrine for. I went to give him a very sturdy handshake, as we do in the United States to assert dominance. However, I was surprised when he gave me a soft and caring handshake. I realized then that in countries like Nicaragua they do not need to assert dominance because they value relationships rather than power. Our culture consists of busy and fast paced lives that are truly superfluous once one has experienced how Nicaraguan’s live their own lives.

Poverty was one of the most emotionally taxing aspects of the trip. I saw families of four, or even five, all riding on one motorcycle. I saw mother’s washing their clothes in the same creek that cows excreted in. I saw families living in one room shacks with a tarp as a roof. The interesting thing about it though, was that they were content. The poor people of Nicaragua are happy with what they have. They have never experienced what it is like to live a materialistic life, which is why they are happy with their own lives that do not revolve around money. Many people in the United States are materialistic and live their lives to make money. While on the contrary, the people of Nicaragua do not prioritize making money and they live their lives to improve their relationships and connections.

The lifelong friendships that I made from my trips to Nicaragua are truly unforgettable. Being able to improve the lives of people alongside peers is an amazing experience that I will never forget. I believe that by being away from the tangible and materialistic lifestyles people are used to at home, those on the service trip will ultimately be able to find their true intangible values. Service trips are something that I believe everyone should participate in because they not only show people how to escape their materialistic lifestyles, but also help improve the conditions in developing countries.