Nicaragua Language
& Volunteer Programs
Volunteer, Language & Cultural Studies Program
- Work hand-in-hand with Nicaraguans and other volunteers in local institutions. Study Spanish with local teachers at the Segovian Spanish School and apply your classroom experience at home and in the community. This program balances language acquisition with application through community service work and is popular with volunteers and groups staying for two weeks or more.
Self-directed Volunteer Project & Language Study Program
- Work in partnership with local professionals in Ocotal on a self-directed student research or professional development project. This program balances language acquisition with application through "on the job" experience and is perfect for students, professionals, and those who want to bring specific professional skills to the community. Participants planning self-directed programs should consider the amount of time they will require to establish relationships, plan, solicit buy-in from the community, and implement their project when planning program duration. Some self-directed programs carry on after a volunteer’s formal commitment ends.
- Focus mainly on language study and acquisition. This program devotes the majority of one’s program to language study and is ideal for those seeking a more intensive language program. Newly acquired language skills are applied in the home and throughout the community while living in this vibrant Latin American city.
Advanced Language-Immersion Program
Typical Volunteer Projects
Agriculture & Environmental Protection
Work with local farmers supported by environmental associations to develop and maintain environmentally friendly and sustainable forms of agriculture. Assist with reforestation and water preservation efforts. Participate in grass-roots efforts to create alternative forms of fuel for cooking by assisting in the creation of solar ovens and production of biogas.
Community Development
Many volunteers have skills and experience that can be applied to developing and ongoing projects in Ocotal. Skilled educators can help local teachers develop programs and learn new methodologies. Business people can consult on economic and trade projects. Engineers, farmers, and technicians can share their expertise in agriculture, land reclamation, conservation, and sustainable energy projects. If you let us know about your interests and skills we can often place you in a project that best utilizes your background and education for the benefit of the community. Independent placements require an intermediate to advanced-level knowledge of Spanish.
- Independent placements
Education & Social Services
Being there for those in need is often one of the most valuable gifts you can give. Ocotal has few formal social programs. Support for those in need such as special education students, single mothers, and senior citizens, comes from privately organized community efforts. Volunteers help support these efforts by providing companionship and helping with daily activities at a local day care center, special education school, or senior living center.
Healthcare
Work in a Nicaraguan hospital or clinic that provides healthcare and emergency medical service to people in Ocotal and its surrounding rural communities. As a medical clinician or healthcare worker wanting to improve your Spanish you have a lot to offer in this underserved community. Medical and healthcare students can gain valuable experience and clinical exposure observing and working with doctors and nurses in Ocotal.
Language Study
The Segovian Spanish School is located in the heart of the community. The school provides students with quality, individualized instruction with local teachers and practice in small group settings. Instructors continually evaluate your language acquisition and revise curricula to help you meet your educational goals. The Segovian Spanish School also coordinates volunteer placements, extracurricular activities, and excursions. Much of your daily interaction outside of volunteering revolves around the school, its staff, and your home-stay family.
Home-stays
Your home-stay family provides you with a room, meals, and basic necessities as well as opportunities to practice your language skills while experiencing everyday life in Ocotal. Your family is an important resource and will help you adjust to your new surroundings and responsibilities.
Living conditions in these homes are above average for Nicaragua. You will be provided with a room, three meals a day, purified drinking water, and a sanitary toilet. In many cases washing facilities in homes are shared but private. In most cases tap water is not heated, however, it is a comfortable temperature for washing and bathing in the warm climate of Nicaragua. Your home-stay family may go out of their way to provide you with extras to make your stay more enjoyable. It is important to remember that extras in Nicaragua still may not equal normal conditions in your own country. Your appreciation of their homes, families, culture and efforts is all they ask in return.
Weekly Excursions
Weekdays will be filled with study and volunteer work. The Segovian Spanish School will also organize opportunities to explore the area around Ocotal with school staff or other volunteers. These excursions are designed to highlight the every day life, culture, history, and natural beauty in the region surrounding Ocotal.
The pottery cooperative in Mozonte is a typical afternoon trip from Ocotal. Visitors are welcome to watch as local artisans extract clay from the earth and create beautiful, unique pottery which is fired in wood kilns and then painted by hand. Additional day trips may include excursions to the colonial towns of Ciudad Antigua, Somoto, or Esteli.
Weekends
Classes do not meet during the weekend, so this time is ideal for exploring Nicaragua’s many volcanoes, pristine gorges, or unspoiled Pacific coast. There will be many options for students wanting to travel during the weekends, including optional trips organized by the Segovian Spanish School, invitations from your host family, and of course, opportunities to travel with other volunteers.
Travel before & after your program
You may want to consider traveling in Nicaragua or Honduras on your way to Ocotal or after your program. Ocotal is closer to Tegucigalpa (the capital city of Honduras) than it is to Managua (the capital of Nicaragua); both are within a four-hour drive! Or you may want more opportunities to test your Spanish skills by traveling to popular locations in Nicaragua such as Granada, Leon, or San Juan Del Sur. And remember, other Central American countries like Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama are all connected via the Pan American highway.
Travel to Nicaragua
You will be responsible for air travel to and from Nicaragua, and for covering the cost of transportation to and from Managua and Ocotal. Competitive airline prices can be found by visiting an online air reservation system such as Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Sidestep, or try Fellowship Travel International for quotes on individual and group travel.
Travel from Managua airport to Ocotal
Independent and adventurous travelers arriving in Managua can catch a taxi to the bus station and take the four hour bus ride to Ocotal on their own. The buses are reliable and rigorously stick to scheduled departure and arrival times. The taxi and bus ride together cost approximately $20 (U.S. dollars) per person each way. Travel Alive will provide you with the details to travel on your own.
Some travelers prefer to be met at the airport. It is always comforting to know that someone will be there to help you get around in a new environment. A representative from the Segovian Spanish School can meet you at the airport and travel with you via bus (as described above).
Groups may find a private bus service to be the most economical means of travel between Managua and Ocotal. Let a Travel Alive representative know if your group is interested in this option.
