I am Erick Antonio Garcia, from a town called Dipilto, in Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua.

For me, it is a great honour working with international volunteers from Progressio. I am learning a lot about their different culture and, of course, we are also sharing our own. The most important thing is that we are getting involved in many different social projects with several organisations and everything is going really well. I am really interested in the environment, so I am glad we are having the chance to work on topics such as recycling. I am feeling really excited because we are helping Mother Nature. (Erik leads a workshop in the photo below). 

Both, international and national volunteers are working really well together, and we have discovered that if we want to do something big, we can do it better working all together. (Progressio ICS in-country volunteer, Hazell can be seen in the photo below educating local community members on health). During these two months we have worked in different places such as Dipilto, Mozonte and Totogalpa. In Dipilto we have taken part in a radio programme, delivered IT lessons, cookery lessons and taken care of children. We are learning so much from this experience. I personally enjoy the conversations with the international volunteers in which we discuss the differences between our cultures. I also love the feeling of happiness one gets from helping other people.

For these reasons, I would like to thank Progressio for choosing me for this position. Thank you for sending volunteers to our beautiful Nicaragua, so that they can help us and enjoy this lovely country at the same time. Since we love poetry in Nicaragua, I would like to say good bye with one poem I have written in my spare time. Hope you enjoy it. Regards. Erick.

La muerte

 

Un día triste donde reina 

Mi soledad de mi interior

Reyna el silencio donde se apodera la oscuridad.

 

Donde me atrajo la perversa muerte 

Quise morir  por un amor 

Que me llenaba de una sentida pésame.

 

Yo que te amaba tu que no me amabas

Quise morir volar sobre las estrellas moradas 

Donde reina el universo.

 

Mire la muerte sé que eres tú 

La desgracia de mi alma 

No es tanto mirarte si no sentirte 

Perversa fuente que me dejabas sin respiración.

 

Déjame vivir exclamé déjame vivir 

Que aún quiero ver el sol

El señor de lo alto me rescató 

 De las manos del monstruo de lo oscuro 

Y dar en mí una nueva vida.

 

Translation: 

Death

 

A sad day where

The loneliness of my inside rules

There is silence and where obscurity rules

 

Where did perverse death attracted me

I wanted to die for love

Fulfilling me with a felt condolence 

 

Me, who loved you and you did not love me

I wanted to die flying over the shining stars

Where the universe rules

 

I saw death and I know it is you

The shame of my soul

Is not so much seeing you but feeling you

Perverse fountain that left me breathless

 

I shouted let me live, let me live

I still want to see the sun

The lord from above rescued me

From the hands of the darkness, monster

And give me a new life


Progressio ICS Nicaragua in-country volunteer Erick García blogs on his experience of being an ICS volunteer. 

Translation of blog and photos by Progressio ICS volunteer Carlos Velázquez.

Translation of poem by Progressio ICS staff (London). 

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