A Family Adventure to Nicaragua

Our family adventure to Nicaragua with Global Family Travels was above and beyond what we expected – what an amazing country it is and so many fun things to do!

Homestay and Service Learning Adventure on Omtepe Island

After spending the night in Managua near the airport, our stay began with a lovely homestay with the Alvarez family on Omtepe Island, a beautiful, serene island that offers a little of everything that Nicaragua has to offer, from pre-Columbian history, two beautiful volcanos, hiking, horseback riding and beautiful beaches! We were greeted by Estella, our homestay host and the local project coordinator of Si a la Vida, and the Bainbridge Omtepe Island Association (BOSIA), two of the our NGO partners we will be working with on local community service projects.

Estella and her family live in the community of Teguizapa, near the beaches of Altagracia. We enjoyed delicious meals cooked by Estella and her mom and were fully immersed in the daily activities of Nicaraguan island life, which is hard work but overall very relaxing! Even the cows got to enjoy a cool sip in the lake!

The highlight of our time on Omtepe was delivering 25 pairs of soccer cleats to the boys of the community and playing soccer with them on the beach.

We brought one pair of girls’ soccer cleats and low and behold, they fit Estella’s neighbor, Karolina, perfectly! Not only was she a perfect fit for the cleats, but was also a perfect fit with our daughter, Arlene. Karolina and Arlene became quick friends .... We love seeing our kids make world friends!

While on the island, we also met with a local soccer pro to discuss the concept of putting together a cross-cultural soccer exchange, which will support