A spring break with meaning

Working on my tan in Panama City? A week in Cabo going crazy with friends? Not this year. Never have I been more excited for a Spring Break trip, and I can't wait for March 1st to arrive. This year I will be spending the first week of March in Managua, Nicaragua, working with Manna Project International. This trip will give me the opportunity to test myself while also allowing me to use my strengths to help those in need.

In such an impoverished country, there is so much that can be done to help. While there, eleven other Vanderbilt students and I will be doing different projects in the community, including teaching and playing with the children, working in a medical clinic, and cleaning and restoring a playground area. Another major part of our trip will be a day spent at La Chureca, the city's dump which doubles as the home for approximately 1,500 people, most under the age of 18. I've watched a few different YouTube videos that show other work groups in La Chureca, and I only get more and more excited for this once in a lifetime experience to help these people in such a unique and terrible situation.

Manna Project International was started by a group of Vanderbilt students in 2003 and has already grown into something amazing. Just last night more than 750 students attended a benefit to raise money for the Manna trips to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and Haiti this Spring Break and summer. Manna has been established in Nicaragua since August 2004, and Manna representatives work year-round to improve conditions for the people of Nicaragua. In a country where over half the population lives below the poverty line and just as many are 18 years old or younger, there are a lot of complex issues that must be dealt with. Manna is doing its part to help the people of this country with the vision of "communities serving communities." In this week of service I am confident that I will gain eleven new friends, united with a love of service and forever connected through the experiences we will share.

It took a lot of encouragement to convince my mom that this trip was not only safe, but also worth the price. However, I think the plane ticket to Nicaragua may just be one of the best purchases I've ever made. That cruise can wait, and that suntan will probably end up pretty uneven this year, but it's worth it. This is going to be a Spring Break to remember, and I can't help but count down the days.