engineering around the world

San Juan Del Sur

This weekend we packed our bags and hit the road for San Juan Del Sur, a gorgeous beach/surfer town in the south of Nicaragua. It was so enjoyable to be reunited with all the summer institute students, and feeling the impact of their community and friendship really highlighted how different it is to be living in the middle of nowhere. Every day, I develop an even deeper appreciation for the value of all the friendships and relationships in my life. My best friend, Jenny, always used to nag me at school for spending “too much time on problem sets, not enough time on relationships.” Now I can understand why. Relationships are by far the most important aspect of my life, and I am painfully learning here that without them I am lost. So needless to say, spending this weekend with so many close friends was incredibly rejuvenating.

Surfer huts on the beach.

Laamia, Margaret, me, and Dinachi enjoying the sunset.

On a lighter note, I am also developing a deeper appreciation for good food. One of the best parts of the weekend was to finally eat a meal that wasn’t cold beans and cheese on a crusty tortilla. My first meal in Managua was a slice of warm, soft pizza from Pizza Hut, and I have really never enjoyed pizza more. The next morning, we had a breakfast buffet of fluffy scrambled eggs, pancakes, coffee, croissants… it was truly heavenly. But the food on the beach was even better! I had fruit for the first time in a week (served with a frosty scoop of vanilla ice cream… yum!), and with each bite I felt so content. It was important to feel how much I appreciated the food, because its easy to take good food for granted. I doubt I’ll ever take food for granted again though, if even a fraction of the appreciation I had for nice meals this weekend lasts for the rest of my life. 

 

Fruit!

The same appreciation applies to clean bathrooms! I literally started jumping for joy and singing when I first caught sight of the clean, white bathroom in our hotel on Friday night. It was so amazing to take a regular shower with a real showerhead in a bathroom that wasn’t covered in rust, spiders, and geckoes. I felt like I was living the life of a princess. 

The sunset was absolutely breathtaking. Sitting on the sand, surrounded by friends, and enjoying the incredible beauty of the sun reflecting off the ocean… moments like this make it impossible to not feel so blessed.

Beyond words.

I wish I could always feel that lucky. But even on the beach, I have to admit that I experienced many moments of deep pain by just thinking of the fact that I still have three more weeks ahead of me, living in the middle of nowhere in Nicaragua where our house is filled with bugs, the food is enough to make you lose your appetite, communication in spanish is a huge struggle, and most importantly I’m thousands of miles away from the people I love most. I am trying so hard to enjoy every minute here, but this trip is also a huge test of my strength. Ultimately, I know I will appreciate this as one of the most impactful experiences of my life. Its impossible not to grow here, every day, every hour. I’ve never been more familiar with the idea of counting your blessings than I am now, and I hope that that’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.