Prior to starting an unforgettable journey to Nicaragua, I was a little apprehensive about leaving the country and not being able to study for my impending tests. As my journey in this magnificent journey comes to an end, I could not be more happy with my decision to spend spring break helping others help themselves. Beginning last Sunday with 2 full hours of conversations about the wondrous joys of food, to the delight in taking multiple selfies with unsuspecting sleeping victims on the airplane to Nicaragua, I knew that I would have an absolute blast for the next 7 days. During my brief stay in Nicaragua I learned that it is not about what you don’t have, it’s about what you do have and how you choose to appreciate your situation. The amazingly humble and kind-hearted people of Nicaragua showed me something that I will be able to take with me and use throughout the rest of my life: serenity. After completing one of the most fulfilling and inspiring weeks of my life, I don’t have the words to explain just how much this week meant, so instead I will use the words of another.
“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference”- Reinhold Niebuhr
Post by Beyond Bama Nicaragua Spring Break participant Justin Pendleton
The University of Alabama 