Greetings from Leon, Nicaragua!!!

What an exciting whirlwind this trip has ben so far, and it’s only the first full day! So much has already happened that we would love to fill you in on!

This morning, we woke up at 7AM sharp for breakfast at our usual local spot, Imabite, which is located only a few short blocks away from our hostel. We spent the rest of the morning back at the hostel going through our Culture and Safety Orientation, which included the students coming up with a Group Agreement that outlines how we will all work together to maintain a cohesive, balanced, and supportive group dynamic throughout the trip.

Afterward, we split up into two groups and set off an exciting walking excursion to tour the city center of Leon! We made stops at several key sights of the city: the site of late Miguel Lareynaga’s former house, the main edifice of UNAN (the National University of Nicaragua), Iglesia La Merced (Mercy Church), the gorgeous cathedral Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, Central Park Plaza Juan Jose Quezada,” and the Revolution Museum which consists of a mural wrapped around a park, delineating pivotal points of Nicaragua’s rich history. One highlight of the tour that seemed to be a hit with the students was climbing up the narrow staircases to the top of the cathedral and seeing the city and volcano from the gorgeous white rooftop. It was very hot up there however, so some of us only lasted a few minutes before heading back into the bell tower.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to a refreshing lunch at Imabite, some of the Glimpsers were so hungry that they went back for seconds, and then returned to the hostel to relax a bit and exchange our first round of money. Shortly after, our geust speaker, Don Pablo Medrano, arrived. Don Pablo is a leader from the Sutiaba tribe; his official title is el Escribo del Consejo de los Ancianos de Sutiaba. He shared stories of his experience fighting for indigenous people’s rights here in Nicaragua. Afterwards, they gave thanks to Don Pablo by giving him a small ukulele decorated with love by our Glimpsers.

We ended the night with our Glimpsers sharing their individual experiences with their small groups. There has been so much love from these amazing 21 young leaders – everyone has been so kind, compassionate, and has been courageous by stepping up and getting to know their peers, checking in with each other, and making sure everyone feels appreciated and supported. We have become a one big FAMILY.

We extend our love from Leon and we look forward to reading your comments.

Much love,
Silvia and Anette

P.S.
We will add more pics to the post, wi-fi is really slow right at this moment. Sorry for the inconvenience!