Today was our Global Business day and I’m happy to say that the day went smoothly.  First off, I’m surprised to say that the wake up call wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Everyone was up after the first knock and we were ready and out the door exactly on schedule, for which I was very relieved since it has definitely been the hardest part of the day for past leaders. After breakfast, we went back to the hostel, broke off into our seminar groups and discussed about Free Trade and Fair Trade.  This seminar really emphasized the amount of corruption in international business and the lengths that business owners would do to gain the most amount of money possible. After that seminar, we took a quick break and went into writing thank you letters for the men and women that donated to Global Glimpse to make the whole trip possible and affordable. We were really rushed at this point because our schedule had to be moved around so no one got to finish their letter.  But our drafts aren’t due until Wednesday, so no worries. The guest speakers, Lily and Scott also had to rush so we didn’t really get a great sense of their company. The company, La Base, help fund cooperative start-up businesses so they have the resources required to begin a profitable business. They discussed the differences between a regular private owned company and a cooperative company. The company had very interesting ideals, but they were cut short of their presentation because we had a tight schedule. Our group headed off to lunch and then straight onto the bus to go to Polaris, a geo-thermal plant that utilizes the vapors produced by volcanic fault lines to make energy. What amazed me was that their whole company alone produces about 40% of Nicaragua’s electricity. That’s a pretty large percentage for one plant. We took our pictures and after that, went back onto the bus to go to dinner and English tutoring. I was so proud during English tutoring because my class was studying and working hard. We planned a huge test and allowed them twenty minutes at the beginning of class to make a cheat sheet. The whole time, they were studying hard and seeing that genuinely made me happy.

All in all, it was an amazing day. My group wasn’t as tired as the days previous and I could tell that they were respecting me and helping me all throughout the day. I truly wouldn’t be happier with any other group and I’m sure each of them feels the same way. We’ve gotten unbelievably close over the past two weeks and we became so comfortable with each other. We’re loud, funny and annoy the hell out of each other, but at the end of the day we call ourselves family.  They were the ones that made me completely forget about my homesickness and I’m going to be so sad when we part ways next Saturday. Shout out to my Leon fam and my SB!