After three days of rich and full schedules, today we Glimpsers got some free time where we decided what to do. We were encouraged to explore León, as well as rest at the hostel, because we will continue with our busy activities tomorrow!

We haven’t been here for very long and have yet to find our bearings, so we had to go out in groups of four kids or more, with an adult leader.  Our in-country leaders, Carrie and Camila, took this day off to get well-deserved rest, so Ryan and Sophie were our lovely guides throughout our explorations.

I was in Sophie’s group, and in the morning we searched for a museum that was open —
due to it being Sunday it was harder than we thought it would be — and ended up visiting a museum about Rubén Darío, an influential Nicaraguan poet who began the Spanish-American modernism literary movement. Meanwhile Ryan’s group went to Central Park and shopped for souvenirs and enjoyed the hustle-and-bustle of the market. Purchases were made, many with family and friends in mind, so I won’t spoil the surprise! Both groups coincidentally met up at a juice and smoothie shop, Jugoso, near Central Park, and enjoyed a cold snack on a hot and humid day. After that, Ryan’s group went back to the hostel while Sophie’s group visited the market and souvenirs.

We then got lunch at our wonderful main food provider, Imabite. After lunch we had more free time, but we all felt a little tired and also wanted to contact our family, so we stayed around the hostel and the internet cafe down the block.

The entire day was hot and sunny, but in typical Nicaragua fashion, there was a sudden, huge thunder storm around dinner, so Imabite nicely delivered dinner to us, bagged juice and all!

I hope this post gives you all a good idea of the fun we had today, and of the atmosphere here in León. And while there was no theme or seminar to go with today’s activities, being in Nicaragua and simply stepping out into the culture here is so interesting and eye-opening. As J.R.R. Tolkien said, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” I think we students are all happy with our excursions today, and it was a pleasure to be leader of the day for such a respectful, kind, and radiant group.