Today, we woke up super early at 4am and headed to La Garnacha, a rural farm where we worked as a local. We began our day by milking cows and goats. It was an amazing first experience for a lot of us! Then we had an organic breakfast with the famous nicaraguan gallopinto, organic goat cheese and organic eggs. Soon after we each carried 6 coffee beans and hiked 2 kilometers to plant them. It was a hard walk with people slipping and falling down but we did it. The man in charge of the coffee informed us that he has to walk that rout back and forth 10 times a day to make about $5. He said that he was very grateful and honored we were there to help him. It was a rewarding experience for all of us. After that, we carried these strange painful leaves that left cuts on our arms to feed the cows. We did that about twice and then it was time for lunch! After lunch, we broke into groups and did various activities. Some of us picked up cow manure; some of us ploughed, raked and watered plants; some of us separated beans. Then we grounded coffee beans with a hand crafted stick. It was definitely a challenging day but we all persevered and got all our work done. We all learnt not to take what we have back home (especially food) for granted as the farmers work  all day and only make a small amount of money. To end our hard work, we all went to the souvenir shop and bought gifts for family and friends. Our hard work paid off when we got to go to the waterfall and everyone got a chance to swim or put their feet in the water. We all got to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and listen to the soothing waterfall.  Then we headed back to Esteli and got ready for our disco night. It was fun seeing everyone get ready and all dressed up; girls doing each others makeup and guys waiting on us. DISCO NIGHT WAS THE BOMB. At first, we were the only ones dancing on the dance floor with everyone looking at us. The music was a little different from what we’re used to in the states but we all had a blast  and partied hard. EVERYONE danced it was great! We got back to our hostile at about midnight, everyone was passed out. We worked hard and played today. Overall, it was a fantastic day!!

p..s shout out to krista’s and edelawite’s parents!

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