GIVE: Expect the Unexpected
Written by: Erika Bianco
12/5/2013
My best advice for future GIVE volunteers is to expect the unexpected. We all try to create an image of what we think our excursion will be like before we venture out, but let me tell you this, you have no idea what amazing journey lies ahead of you. I put together a little picture of how my two weeks in Nicaragua would play out and I couldn’t have been more inaccurate.
Within those short weeks, the relationships I built with my fellow volunteers, guides, and the locals were so strong and unique that I began to feel as if I had known these people forever. Whether we were getting our clothes dirty from cement at the worksite or our legs sandy from packing bottles on the beach, we found ways to enjoy our time and bond with each other on a daily basis.
“I left Nicaragua with my life completely impacted by the ones I shared this experience with and I will never forget those weeks”
This excursion is more than just building a school and getting dirty; it’s about building yourself to become the best person you can be.
You open up your life, allow others to enter and become a part of it and within two weeks, you have made friends for life from all over the world. You will reach a point in time when you sit back and analyze the life you are living and at that point, you will decide how you plan to improve it; GIVE being the inspiration of your improvement.
On May 13th, 2013, I headed to Nicaragua in hopes to impact the lives of others and make a difference. On May 27th 2013, I left Nicaragua with my life completely impacted by the ones I shared this experience with and I will never forget those weeks. It is up to you to make what you want of your journey but in the end, you will have become a part of the Roots of Change and forever be a member of the GIVE family. Once a GIVEr, always a GIVEr!