The summer of 2013 will be remembered as a very special one for a group of Hilton High School students who traveled to Nicaragua August 4 through 13 to build houses for three families in need.
Michele Ariola, a Spanish teacher and International Club advisor at Hilton High School, led a group of 21 people on the trip which included six nights in El Sauce where the homes were built.
“We split into three work groups to build brick homes for three different families,” Ariola says. “We worked an average of six-and-a-half hours a day alongside a local mason. With some extra money raised, Hilton High School was also able to provide each family with a gift of necessary staples such as rice, beans, eggs, soaps, paper products and similar items.”
The weather was very hot and steamy, with temperatures in the 90s, she says. “Each one of us went through several bottles of water each day. Some roads were paved, others not. The heat definitely made it hard to work for more than a few minutes without taking a water break.”
The house building effort was part of Project 4 Walls – a Rochester based volunteer organization.
Students were surprised to see how people could live in one room shelters with no plumbing and often no electricity, Ariola says. “However, they also saw that these people were happy and very appreciative of the little they did have. Their happiness came from being with family and friends, not from material possessions.”
The students wanted to do all they could for the people, Ariola explains.
“I remember one of the first days walking to the worksites, the students were handing out stickers and candy to the kids they would pass along the way,” she says. “We brought many suitcases of donations. Some were given to the families we worked with and others were later distributed to local families with the greatest need.
“Students commented that the trip was so much more than they could have expected,” Ariola continues. “I know that this trip had a deep impact on them. Hope-fully it will help shape their decisions as they go through life.”
The Hilton group was greeted with a “Cena de Bienvenida” – a welcome dinner, the first night in El Sauce.
“A local resident hosted it at her home,” Ariola says. “The masons and interpreters for each work site were there as well. There were also local musicians whoplayed guitar and sang traditional Nicaraguan songs.”
The last night in El Sauce, a farewell dinner or “Cena de Despedida,” was held.
“The families that received the homes were in attendance in addition to those invited to the welcome dinner,” Ariola says. “A mariachi band played, pinatas were broken, and there was dancing. As for food, most every meal contains some kind of meat, rice, beans and plantains.”
Ariola says the highlight of the trip was visiting a pre-school in San Fernando.
“We helped raise funds to build this pre-school,” she says. “All of the students at the school planned a celebration the day we visited. They sang for us and performed a traditional dance. Then the kids broke pinatas and danced with our students.”
The Hilton group spent one day in Managua and another day “we looked at Ciudad Hermana (Sister City) projects that this local organization has sponsored in El Sauce,” Ariola says. “We swam in the local river and went to the beach on the Pacific coast another day.”
Ariola says she has a strong desire to return to Nicaragua.
“I’ll lead another 4 Walls trip within the next couple of years,” she says, “maybe in the month of December, when it is a bit cooler! As an animal lover, I also plan to work with a local veterinarian in El Sauce on a spay and neuter clinic. There is a definite need to get the pet population under control. Through fundraising, I am hoping we can provide this service to the residents at a minimal cost.”
9/15/13
