[ lifestyle ]
Service in Central America
Matagalpa, Nicaragua, which is known as the“ Land of Eternal Spring.” Photo by Blair Dowler.
BLAIR DOWLER
Riding along the winding roads, the scenery was majestic. There were rolling mountains and deep valleys, and the rows of green trees seemed to go on forever. It would have been easy to mistake my surroundings for the beauty of Appalachia. This was not familiar territory, though. I was traveling along the mountainous terrain of the beautiful country of Nicaragua.
In March 2018, as a member of the faculty and staff of West Virginia University( WVU), I joined Christine Jacobs, Rachel Nieman and Daniel Brewster, an associate professor in sociology, in leading a group of 57 students on a study abroad service trip to the land of lakes and volcanoes. With the nature of this large group, I knew we would have an impact on the places we visited, but I did not realize the impact Nicaragua would have on me. The correlations I found between this beautiful country and my home among the hills took me by surprise.
The students on this trip varied in majors from journalism
and biomedical engineering to occupational therapy and Spanish, but they all had one thing in common— a passion for helping people. Each student was enrolled in Brewster’ s sociology of health and medicine course. They were also involved in the WVU Global Medical and Dental Brigades, a student group that works with community partners to achieve sustainable health and economic goals and has collaborated with the national organization Global Brigades to facilitate work in Latin America.
When we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua, I knew I had stepped outside of my comfort zone. Everything from the language to the heat was different, but the most exhilarating part was the intense feeling of possibility that rushed over me. The next day, we traveled to Maria Cavallari, a beautiful facility in Matagalpa, where we would eat our meals, spend our free time and reflect on our work each day.
114
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE