Nicaragua: See the world

This week the group of volunteers that arrived in Nicaragua on March 6, 2013 gathered for something called the "Close of Service Conference." We spent a handful of days nostalgically reflecting on what has transpired throughout these past two years, anxiously considering options for what the next step will be in each of our respective lives, and spending quality time with each other while doing things like playing baseball on the beach. 

The eleven of us featured in the photo above are the remaining Small Business Development volunteers from our group. This week we had to present our accomplishments from throughout service to an audience which included the U.S. Ambassador and all of Peace Corps Nicaragua staff. In true biznero fashion, we compiled a bunch of statistics from throughout our service for our Close of Service presentation. The data doesn't lie; prepare to be amazed:

-We are 11 volunteers from California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Virginia, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

-Our average age is 27 years old.

-In Nicaragua, we worked with 64 counterpart teachers and 4313 students in 53 high schools.

-We advised 37 business owners all across the country.

-We organized 10 separate youth leadership/summer camps.

-Collectively, we had 16 parasites, 36 bacteria infections, 25 stomach viruses, 3 cases of dengue, and 1 dog bite. We brought 48 poop samples to the lab, and took Cipro 86 times.

-Together, we gained 15 pounds and lost 87. Overall, we lost 72 pounds, or the equivalent of 1200 parakeets.

-We spent 8565 hours riding buses...the equivalent of 357 entire days.

-We uploaded 3075 photos to Facebook.

-We read 296 books.

-We went to see 72 movies in Nicaraguan theaters.

-We took 5162 cold showers.

-On average, we each ate 7.1 pounds of cooked beans per month.

-A total of 52 friends and family members came to visit us in Nicaragua throughout these two years.

The remaining 11 business volunteers gathered for dinner

We are a random group of individuals who have grown to become the best of friends. Despite our unique personalities, peculiar quirks, and strong opinions, we have been able to accomplish some amazing projects together and form everlasting friendships in the process. Though we each lived in different parts of Nicaragua and saw each other perhaps once every few months, this experience we share has formed an incredible bond between all of us. Here's to us, Nica 61!

Health and Small Business volunteers two years after arriving in Nicaragua.