Hola America! Aileen and Tristan here to give you a “concise” summary of our jam-packed day.

DISCLAIMER: This passage contains many puns, regarding Aileen’s swimming prowess and about the general day. Viewer discretion advised.

Day 9 was Global Business Day, and we kicked off the day at 5:30 to wake up the other glimpsers. At 6, everyone had to be out and about in semi-formal business attire. Because we were both Leader Of The Day, we dove right into our responsibilities from the get go. After everyone was ready, we chowed down on some fruits and bread Michael Phelps style, and pooled together to begin our academic seminar. Our amazing leadership coach Adelaide introduced us to the concept of Fair Trade, which essentially unites all willing coffee farmers to keep the impoverished ones financially afloat.

Following our seminar, Alex, an outstanding coordinator, took us to the world’s 9th wonder (the 8th is Jordan’s singing): El Castillo Del Cacao. A worker took the GG squad throughout the whole Castle of Chocolate, showing us how the process starts at organic cacao beans, and ends at delicious chocolate. Alex translated the whole entire time for the group and other foreigners, as most of us don’t speak Spanish. At the end of the tour, we were given samples and the chance to buy some of their chocolate.

And yes, it’s an actual castle, with stone walls and everything.

At 11 we bounced, en route to the hostel. The rest of the squad ate a beautiful meal of fettuccine Alfredo pasta with ham and a side of bread while the current leaders debriefed Yumi and Mia for leading their day. Lunch was wrapped up around 1:20, and the group left for Café Barista 25 minutes later.

Alex lead us to the reserved area of the café, where we met our guest speaker Carlos Mejia, a very animated man with a good sense of humor, and his director Nora. Carlos is a leader of the company Esperanza Coffee, an organization dedicated to alleviate the financial pressure on small coffee farmers. He elaborated on this, describing how coffee makes its way from Nicaragua to your local Starbucks, and how the uneducated farmers are receiving the short end of the stick. Carlos answered all questions we had, and more.

Once the clock hit 3:30, we thanked Carlos and Nora for their time, and gave them a gift. The group divided into two groups, some went to the hostel and the rest stayed to learn how to make cappuccinos. We all got to see the process of how the coffee beans are ground and mixed and turned into a beautiful cup of coffee. Kristen even got the opportunity to show off her awesome foam artistry.

After Alex paid for 19+ cups of coffee (a very expensive date!), the squad rolled out, and sojourned to the local super market. Munchies in hand, the group made it to the hostel 15 minutes before we had to prep our CAP Presentation. We split into 3 groups for the 3 different main projects, and crafted our masterpiece. At 6 the LDDs prepared the hostel auditorium, where we shared a deep conversation about the room’s disco balls.

The HOPE Project’s leader, Farrell, arrived at 6:30 and took his place in the auditorium. The Walls Team masterfully built 2 ideas: either a foldable wall or curtain to separate classes in the one room school. The Cabinets Team successfully stored all troubles away, with 2 different cabinets to store the school’s materials. The Outside Team left all worries at the door, introducing 3 different structures to entertain the kids.

Our gracious guest gave us plenty of feedback for our CAP, and ate a dinner of delicious nachos with us. After Farrell left for home, the squad gathered upstairs for a quick nightly meeting. The group shared some Thorns and Roses, some Pluses and Wishes, and then set the stage for the next leaders. Yumei earned the torch by leaps and bounds, by showing off her mad hurdling skills. Mia, had no need for a short notice talent. We handed off the torch in slo mo to these two, who explained Living Like a Local Day and led us for some Big Love.

Overall, today has been filled with inspirational speakers, insightful discussions, and tons of delicious foods. We look forward to the next day on our exciting adventure and we will keep you posted. Adios!