On today’s agenda we had to two eventful field trips. We first went to visited a Tobacco plant called Tobaccaler Santiago later we visited a environmental farm called La Casita. Visiting the Tobaccalera was really amazing experience because we were able to see the whole tobacco process through first hand. We first saw how the tobacco leaves were set out in boxes and laid out to set to dry. Over a period of time they were sprayed with a fertilizer so the leaves wouldn’t go to waste. After we saw how they made their own boxes because they had their own wood workshop installed in the factory and also how they spray painted the companies logo that companies bought from them. Then we were offered to to try hands on imprinting logos into a scrap of wood which was pretty amazing because we witness that all the process was hands on through hard work. Later through the tour we saw how the making of cigars happen. We saw that making cigars had to be done in a team of two with one men and women. We saw this partner ship of rolling the cigars and then rounding them and cutting them evenly. Seeing all this hard work and labor made us question wether they got paid fairly for all their work. When asking how much do workers in the tobacco factory make we noticed that they got paid actually fair. Workers in the tobacco factory get paid from six to twenty dollars a day depending on the quantity they make that day. This can average up to $600 a month depending if they’re experienced is great which is pretty great for the economy here in Esteli. After the tour we had a lot of knowledge of tobacco industry and how the tobacco is processed into cigars and cigarettes.

After, visiting Tobaccalera Santiago We then visited La Casita Later on the day.  When we arrived there we then later met a amazing and great person called David Thomas which was the founder and owner of La Casita. David was a amazing and  inspiring guy. One of the things that stood out greatly when talking to him was something that he said which was, “compartir no competir.” Davids story about the history of La Casita was truly inspiring how it first started off as a simple and basic shop of selling jam and bread. How his first customers were actually there because there Dr. recommended them to go eat fibers and that bread was good with them. After a while many costumers started coming back because they actually liked it and many people started asking if people can sit by the creek bank while they eat their jam and bread. Eventually, they were well known and the locals wanted them to expand but David refused because if they expanded that meant that the quantity will go up band the quality will go down. David was dedicated into keeping his local business small and worthy and thats when he told us that we should, “compartir no competir.” He was truly amazing because he couldn’t of gone and made so much money but instead he chose to stay small and keep production at a great quality. Many of us were inspired by his story and shocked how he chose to give up his big business deal.

Later in the evening we went to teach English in the Casa of Cultura were it was amazing because we saw how our students were quickly learning English. It’s a absolutely great feeling where we see how our students progress where some kids knew no English at all to knowing a lot by the end of the night.

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