Please join us this November 21-28^th on our 2015 Thanksgiving Family Ecotour! Sister Communities of San Ramón, Nicaragua is working with trip organizer, Maggie Underberg, to create an unforgettable experience for families of adventurers! Activities you and your children will enjoy include hiking, making corn tortillas and Nacatamales (native dish), observing native weavers, and visiting a chocolate factory. You can shop at the local art fair, be in awe at the butterfly house, make jewelry from local seeds, learn about organic coffee processing, visit the incredible birds’ nests called oropendolas, have an intimate tour of San Ramón, and participate in a meaningful service project you and your family will do together with community members. It will truly be a trip to be THANKFUL for, and one you and your family will be talking about for years to come!

Trip organizer, Maggie Underberg, remembers how meaningful it was to go on our cross-cultural immersion ecotour with her 13 year old son in February, 2014. “When I first heard about the trip, I thought…that sounds great but my son can’t miss a week of school. But when I considered all that he would learn on the trip, it was a no-brainer. Learning to cook Nicaraguan food, learning about the history of the town and country, being a part of real Nicaraguan life was exciting and real. Making up the schoolwork was not a problem and the value of learning about a culture very similar to his own (he is Guatemalan) was invaluable. I have chosen this time of year for the 2015 trip because it will greatly reduce time out of school and give us a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends in San Ramón.“

Maggie has fond memories of waking up in the morning to the sounds of the neighbor tapping out homemade tortillas. She also was moved to spend a lot of time reconnecting with people and getting away from technology. Even her son who was very skeptical that he could survive a week without technology was pleasantly surprised how easy it was and is eager to have more opportunity to participate in life outside of his iPhone. Last year, Maggie and her son’s “in-town” guide was a boy of a similar age to her son and they are looking forward to seeing him again and catching up.

Contact Maggie Underberg if you are interested in this trip for this year. Her information is Maggie Underberg, maggie.underberg@sas.com, 919-619-0902. Maggie’s role as trip coordinator is fully supported by the Sister Communities of San Ramón, Nicaragua, an organization that has been conducting these trips for more than 14 years. If you are interested in joining or leading a trip in the future, please contact Kristine Markatos-Soriano, our International Education Coordinator, atKristine@san-ramon.org or 919.619.4661.