It’s easy to get caught up in things. Classes, homework, job hunting, daily stresses. It’s easy to let these things consume you, take over your thoughts and push all the others to the wayside. These thoughts can cloud your pursuit of the greater, sweeter side of life.

So, when the opportunity to chase this kind of life presents itself to you…you have to take the plunge.

A friend of mine is who I like to call the “yes” girl, the one who says yes to anything and everything that comes her way. Her spontaneity is both pure and inspiring, serving as a subtle reminder to live a little every once in awhile.

Earlier this semester, I was presented with the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with Illinois Enactus to help launch a Chamber of Commerce in the village of Masatepe. This would result in missing a week of classes, missing out on Halloween celebrations with friends in Champaign, missing out on a week of watching the leaves change colors.

Inhibitions aside, this would be something great–something greater than one person, and some sense of social and economic impact I have yet to feel during my travels. So, taking a page out of my friend’s book, I said yes.

I am thrilled to be a part of this trip and cannot wait to witness the empowerment of local businesses on foreign soil. A lot can happen in a week, and I can’t wait to help our team see this change.

Stay tuned for photographs and adventures to be shared in the upcoming week! Hasta la vista, USA.