by Guest Blogger,  Paige Cornetet

When I was in 7^th grade my teacher had us do an exercise to understand what it was like to literally be in someone’s shoes. You were paired up with a partner and the entire day you were their shadow. You ate what they ate, you went to the classes they went to, you listened to the same music they did.

This exercises taught me something about life that traveling does, how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Traveling to Nicaragua was a very eye opening experience. I had been living in Costa Rica for a year and a half. My perception of Nicaragua,  as I hate to admit it,  was not a great one.

Traveling to Corn Islands

A girlfriend and I were off on our adventure, spending one night in Managua the capital of Nicaragua and then over to the Corn Islands. These islands are like magical creatures, no one has really heard about them.   It is hard to believe that they exist.

After traveling 20 hours we made it to Big Corn. It is possible to get to these islands by bus, bus, boat and then a final boat, but being in Latin America it is not easy to predict if all of them come on time, and leave from the right spot. So Holly and I decided to just do bus and then flight over to the Corn Islands.

Big Corn was easy to get to, and a beautiful island. When we showed up to the boat stop to take us over to Little Corn, there were many locals bringing bags of ice over via tractor for the Little Corn island supply and 2 huge pigs. The ice came with us on the boat, and the pigs did not thankfully. When we were on the boat the boat drivers (locals of course) found it amusing to catch the waves and slam into them, some of the passengers did not.

Getting to the Cool Spot

Once we finally arrived to Little Corn, we were able to grab our backpackers and search for a hotel called Grace’s Place or also know as “The Cool Spot”. The people there are very friendly and kind to visitors. All of the islanders know creole, Spanish, and English.

Checking out the Island

We decided the next morning to do a big walk around the island. We saw the lighthouse, the most expensive hotel on the island, the baseball field, and many other places. We learned for the manager of the expensive hotel that the island only gets shipments once a week on Saturdays making it hard to have fresh food, and supplies for the island. We imagined living on the island and what would happen if someone got really sick. They would have to take a boat to Big Corn Island and then a plane over to Bluefields, which is in the country of Nicaragua.

The people we met on both islands were friendly, hospitable, educations, and lovely. They are grateful for everything they have, and enjoy life to the fullest. My education as a traveler gave me a better perspective of putting oneself in someone else’s shoes.

Paige Cornetet lived in San Jose, Costa Rica for a 1 1/2 years. She worked for Universidad Veritas in the international office recruiting new students to come and study abroad in Costa Rica.  She is currently in High Point, NC learning the fabric world.