4, 2008, we completed a three month/three country (Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica) semester program focusing on a theme of "sustainability through community." We visited 24 amazing, yet very different, communities committed to sustainability - ranging from small community ventures and women's cooperatives to large international organizations like Heifer International. We rolled up our shirt sleeves and volunteered in a variety of service-learning projects from building organic gardens and chicken houses with Sustainable Harvest in Honduras to volunteering with Widecast, an international organization researching and protecting endangered sea turtles in the Gandoca Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. We visited indigenous communities. We partnered with the Northwest 
Earth Institute, using their study guides to explore topics like Voluntary Simplicity, Choices for Sustainability, and Human Ecology. We explored what sustainability means on various levels, including: personal, community, and global. We developed personal action plans that will enable all of us to leave our time together with a specific plan of what we can each do to implement sustainable practices back home. We leave empowered with the hope for a sustainable future because we have seen individuals and communities living sustainably. We leave knowing and feeling, as Carlos (an enthusiastic Honduran committed to sustainable gardening) said in prophetically powerful words: "It is possible!"Below are several student reflections on their 2008 CELL Central America Semester Program.
Carmen: Looking back on all I have learned from this experience, I cannot imagine not having done th
is. This has been and will continue to be such an important part of my life. I will continue learning from this experience for the rest of my life. I feel like this has given me the power to be a better global citizen, and to make a positive difference in the communities in which I live. The program certainly has expanded my whole view on sustainability, especially in the ways in which community plays such an important role. I feel like I have a much better perspective and much more wisdom not just in the area of sustainability, but also in the many issues facing third world countries and things that are and are not being done. Overall, this could be the best study abroad opportunity out there!
is. This has been and will continue to be such an important part of my life. I will continue learning from this experience for the rest of my life. I feel like this has given me the power to be a better global citizen, and to make a positive difference in the communities in which I live. The program certainly has expanded my whole view on sustainability, especially in the ways in which community plays such an important role. I feel like I have a much better perspective and much more wisdom not just in the area of sustainability, but also in the many issues facing third world countries and things that are and are not being done. Overall, this could be the best study abroad opportunity out there!Jonas: This CELL program has had a major impact on my life. I have learned
so many things from my professor and my fellow classmates, not only about sustainability through community, but also about my life. It has rekindled my ambition to improve the health of our ecosystem as well as given me an action plan with steps I am going to take when I return home in order to begin living more sustainably. It has also led me to realize the importance of strong support systems. Because of this, I have included several steps in my action plan in order to help build and strengthen my relationships with my family and friends. This way we can all have a stronger support system on which to rely. This semester abroad has taught me so many things that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I will also be able to take these learning experiences and make new discoveries from them.
so many things from my professor and my fellow classmates, not only about sustainability through community, but also about my life. It has rekindled my ambition to improve the health of our ecosystem as well as given me an action plan with steps I am going to take when I return home in order to begin living more sustainably. It has also led me to realize the importance of strong support systems. Because of this, I have included several steps in my action plan in order to help build and strengthen my relationships with my family and friends. This way we can all have a stronger support system on which to rely. This semester abroad has taught me so many things that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I will also be able to take these learning experiences and make new discoveries from them.Dave T: By seeing so many different communities and organizations of varying sizes, I feel like I have a greater understanding of what sustainability is and how we can achieve it. I definitely feel this experience has changed the 
way I see the world. I have Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica in me - the stories, the people, the landscapes, and so much more. I've seen how people live and work and have learned so much from them and so much about myself. I've had my flame relit inside me to strive toward a more sustainable world. I was in a funk and I have new found purpose. Plus, if these communities can do it here, it can be done everywhere. Looking at the world today: there are a lot of problems or a lot of possibilities - it is all in how we look at it. We can continue to build an army or we can rebuild the world so everyone lives meaningful and purposeful lives. I have decided to walk the latter path seeing a healthy world for both humans and the natural world. I've discovered so many things, and I know there is still more waiting for me after I leave Central America.
way I see the world. I have Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica in me - the stories, the people, the landscapes, and so much more. I've seen how people live and work and have learned so much from them and so much about myself. I've had my flame relit inside me to strive toward a more sustainable world. I was in a funk and I have new found purpose. Plus, if these communities can do it here, it can be done everywhere. Looking at the world today: there are a lot of problems or a lot of possibilities - it is all in how we look at it. We can continue to build an army or we can rebuild the world so everyone lives meaningful and purposeful lives. I have decided to walk the latter path seeing a healthy world for both humans and the natural world. I've discovered so many things, and I know there is still more waiting for me after I leave Central America.Dana: CELL definitely expanded my appreciation and understanding of "sus
tainability through community." Before the trip all I knew about the subject was what I learned in school. This consisted of the facts that: for tourism to be sustainable, community members must be involved in ownership and higher level jobs; that cultures should be respected; that, to be sustainable, one must observe carrying capacities. Though people had told me about these things, they were only words. I had no "true" experience with this. My view was expanded greatly as well. I now have a much broader view. I realize that "sustainability" has to do with many things. Sustainability has to do with food and having enough of it. Sustainability has to do with teaching people how to do things rather than giving them things... One thing that has to be a part of the road to building sustainability is community. There are many pieces to sustainability, but community is key. Everywhere we went and everyone we visited had a community piece. There are many different pieces to many different programs, but community seems to be a common thread. Before this semester, I had no idea. I am now encouraged to strengthen my own community. I believe that I will be discovering lessons for years to come because of this trip. I now have the base-knowledge to begin making my own life more sustainable, and voluntarily simplistic.
tainability through community." Before the trip all I knew about the subject was what I learned in school. This consisted of the facts that: for tourism to be sustainable, community members must be involved in ownership and higher level jobs; that cultures should be respected; that, to be sustainable, one must observe carrying capacities. Though people had told me about these things, they were only words. I had no "true" experience with this. My view was expanded greatly as well. I now have a much broader view. I realize that "sustainability" has to do with many things. Sustainability has to do with food and having enough of it. Sustainability has to do with teaching people how to do things rather than giving them things... One thing that has to be a part of the road to building sustainability is community. There are many pieces to sustainability, but community is key. Everywhere we went and everyone we visited had a community piece. There are many different pieces to many different programs, but community seems to be a common thread. Before this semester, I had no idea. I am now encouraged to strengthen my own community. I believe that I will be discovering lessons for years to come because of this trip. I now have the base-knowledge to begin making my own life more sustainable, and voluntarily simplistic.
Max: Overall, I am completely satisfied with my experiences with this program and would not, and could not, replace them with anything. This has been such a valuable part of my education and an unforgetable part of my life. I would recommend this program to anyone wanting to explore their lives in relation to communities around the world, the world itself, sustainability, indigenous cultures, and so much more. I will cherish every lesson I have learned, and in the true nature of sustainability, pass on these lessons to the people I meet.
If you'd like to find out more about CELL's study abroad programs, you can visit us at: http://www.cellonline.org/ or e-mail us at: info@cellonline.org or call us at (207) 230-4025. We look forward to hearing from you! Below are reflections from some of our semester learning experiences.
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