A Sad Goodbye

So today was our final day with the Nicaraguan students and it was super sad to say goodbye to them. We have had made so many amazing connections with the students and it never feels like we have enough time with them. First thing, we had a closing assembly with the whole school led by the school Centro de Fe. It was once again great to see all the dances and speeches that they had put together for us. At the end of the assembly each one of our team members went up individually and received a gift and lots of hugs from one specific grade. it was amazing to see really how grateful they are to have us at their school. They are so thoughtful and they do not forget you. After the assembly, we played some card games and had some laughs. Eventually lunch was brought in and we had a bite to eat. There was lots of free time where we hung out with the students and played some more games. Lots of us had brought extra shirts for them to sign their names which was awesome because you can totally see how eager they are to sign the shirt which makes me feel great that we have such a great connection. So eventually we moved on to our last activity which was to paint the traditional mural. However the first wall which had housed all the other murals was full so we started in a new spot. it is great seeing it all come together and then finally signing your name. However mine kind of smudged but its all good. This was my second trip to Nicaragua and it was no less sad saying goodbye to the students then it was the first time. There was a certain student and he and I had a lot in common. It was hard to say goodbye because he was getting emotional and this just shows how strongly these students love us and how much we mean to them. There was another student that I knew and he had a pretty quiet personality but he was very kind hearted. He had expressed to me that we were equal brothers and that he will never forget me which really touched me and brought me joy. Its amazing the connections you can make with these people in such a short amount of time. It took a long time to leave the school when we had to go because everyone wanted to stay so badly. There were lots of tears in the car ride. Afterward we made our way to the big market. It was pretty cool and we saw lots of touristy items and such. Lots of the stores have the same kind of items but it is still fun to browse the selections. I had bought a hat for myself which is pretty nice. When we were all done shopping we went to the van and headed back to the Nehemiah center.