1. Packing and traveling to the airport at 4 am can be a bonding experience.
2. Sitting next to Professor Tudge (the biology professor) for all airplane flights proves to be the best time to hear tales of his summer job as a gravedigger.
3. When you are going through customs in Managua, Nicaragua you should know in advance that you will get yelled for not filling out a form that you never received.
4. Nicaragua is made up of mountain ranges, jungles, and large plains. There are very few places in the world that have such a diverse, unique, and beautiful landscape.
5. ProJoven is a fantastic program. Simply, it is a leadership program which teaches kids leadership skills and provides trips to areas across Nicaragua. These kids then take these skills that they have learned and teach their own leaderships classes ranging in topics from sexually transmitted diseases, leadership, violence, and family dynamics.
6. When locals shout at you ” It’s too dark up there, don’t go up” as you are about to walk up a dark alley, TURN AROUND.
7. There are thousands of ways to eat rice and beans. Expect every meal with them will be different. The same goes for plantains.
8. Even though you might pay for the bathroom, you should not expect the toilet to flush or the faucet to work.
9. Boat rides on the Rio San Juan are gorgeous and are the perfect opportunity to bird watch. Also the three hours go by very quickly when there is an adorable French baby to play with.
10. The Makengue reserve is one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua. Period.
11. Boat rides are the best time to conquer your fears about the jungle at night and its animals. Another perk is that you may see owls, hawks, crocidillies, and a ton of birds.
12. Hammocks are heaven and a mid-afternoon nap in them is a daily necessity.
13. Even if you are not a morning person, you should drag yourself out of bed in order to see the sunrise at least once during your trip. For the best view, you should climb up the water tower to see this breath-taking view.
14. The Makengue reserve is the only place in the world where if you whistle loud enough, Mariana will swim over to you. But make sure you have meat to give her as a treat for being a good girl. Also, did I mention that Mariana is a Camen?
15. You should also try to speak Spanish. Even if it is really broken and more Spanglish than anything, it is sincerely appreciated by the locals. The best way to survive a language barrier is to first get over your fear of saying the wrong word and just try.
16. If the jungle has taught me anything, it is that you should be prepared for anything. For example, when you are setting up the trail camera you should be prepared to see Howler Monkeys swinging in the tree canopy above you.
17. The best time for dance parties with the cooks (Aracellys and Esmelda) of the Makengue Reserve is late at night. Also, no matter how good a dancer you think you are, I promise you that Aracellys and Esmelda are better.
18. The best way to connect with seventh graders in a high school in Castillo is to tell them that your favorite movie is “Finding Nemo”. After that, they will love you forever and follow you to the café where you are going to eat lunch.
19. Learn the phrase “Lo Siento” which means “I am sorry”. You will have to use it several times during multiple soccer games that you will play with Nicaraguan girls and boys and you have to apologize for your repeated mistakes.
20. You should follow up your “Lo Siento” with a smile. Never underestimate the power of a smile.
21. The best way to identify organisms within the Bioblitz is to spread out along one of the sides of the transect and walk across it “CSI-style” as Professor Tudge says.
22. When you finally capture a picture of the mysterious tapir on your trail camera, you will literally jump for joy!
23. One of the saddest parts of leaving Makengue is saying goodbye to the dog, Pinta, who has been your loyal companion for the last week.
24. Views from volcanoes are actually breathtaking. One because of the beautiful views and secondly because of the high amount of sulfur gas that coming out of the volcano.
25. After one week without hot running water, when you finally take a hot shower at a hotel, you may start crying tears of joy.
26. Seeing a sloth in real life is truly as great as it sounds.
27. Dancing in salsa bars may seem intimidating at first but with your Makengue peeps out on the dance floor with you, it will be a fantastic night full of laughter and fun.
28. Getting back into the United States after returning from Nicaragua is surprisingly simple.
29. Whenever the song, “Waving Flag” is played, you must get up and dance.
30. New life motto: I will always try to be “Alive, Awake, Alert and Enthusiastic”
31. This trip will be one of the best experiences of your life. Embrace every challenge and obstacle with open arms. Learn from every experience. Try everything. Talk to everyone. Smile and enjoy life. But once in a while stop to look around. For this, may be the only time that you will ever get to visit Nicaragua. So take it all in. When you get back to the United States I can guarantee that you will enjoy the smaller things in life more. But you will always miss the spectacular views, amazing people and memories that you made at Makengue.
who doesn’t love being woken up by a rooster every morning?