Hola mis amigos y las familias, somos David Do y Stephen Ton. Hi friends and family, we are David and Stephen. We were today’s leaders of the day for “Living on a $ a day.” It wasn’t what you’d expect it to be. We weren’t just given a dollar to cluelessly spend on our own. In our case, a bag of chips and we’d be bankrupt for the day. We had an opportunity to put ourselves into the shoes of the locals as we shadowed them throughout their daily lives.
This experience was really enlightening and an eye opener to each glimpser. It gave us a reality check on the difference between the things we need and the things we want. From starting the previous night off with no electricity and a shower that required only a bucket and a bowl, we can confidently say that we experienced a similar reality (but not the exact). Starting off our day waking up around 5am and having to eat a simple breakfast that consisted of beans and a slice of bread,we wanted to make this experience as real as possible. For me, David, beans and just bread wasn’t easy. Then on top of that, having to face the difficulty of the language barrier between my host family added another challenge.
Ari and I learned how to make tortillas, make arts and crafts with barely any supplies, and wash clothes without a machine washer. We accomplished all that just by being instructed with hand gestures and smiles of approval. I’m not just showing off the things we did but to share the experience we went through that made us grateful for the life we have back home and the available opportunities that are given to us. This just made us feel blessed deep inside working with the locals.
I, Stephen, on the other hand had a somewhat similar experience, but not completely. Claudia and I were welcomed by our host mom with a traditional greeting, which was then followed by us walking through feces covered land. At first, communication was limited because I feel as though our ‘mom’ didn’t want to make us do anything unless we showed we wanted to. But being the courageous glimpsers we are, Claudia and I asked her if she needed help at every possible minute. We washed dishes, we cleaned potatoes (which I later carried to the stove and burned my fingers), we made their beds, we folded their laundry, we did a back breaking sweeping workout, and we did an intense, arm enhancing laundry workout using only a flat rock, a bar of soap, and the mosquito infested water. At home, all of these tasks would only take a couple of minutes, but having to do them in a couple of hours makes you really think about how much we take everything for granted. Sometimes, if the electricity goes out, the locals have to sleep at 7; simply because without electricity, activity would be pointless. When we think about that, why should we complain?
The family was made up of the mother of 6, the 18 year old wife, a 20 month old baby who was constantly coughing, and an 11 year old girl who was the sweetest. This family, along with the other families in the community, dealt with many problems every day, but the one thing that they all had in common was that despite their hardships, they were happy. For example, when I saw the mom comforting her son and making him laugh as she tried to stop him from coughing, I couldn’t help but smile.
After our chores were finished, Claudia, Jessica, Vivian, and I were led by two kids, one from my home and one from another, to a breathtaking view point. This is where the 11 year old girl and I made a connection, because at first I was randomly asking her questions which she didn’t answer with much enthusiasm. During the hike, she was telling me about everything as I responded with “no se” but I could tell she was getting comfortable with me.
Overall, the experience for both of us and the rest of the glimpsers was life changing. We ended our day with the community in a small school that taught primary and preschool levels. There we held a pinata party and played musical chairs, and we got to see all the smiles of the locals as the children excitedly reached for candy.
Finally, we cleaned up, took pictures, gave hugs, gave a gift, and said good-bye to our host families. As we walked away from this once in a life time opportunity, we knew that though we had started off as strangers, we had left as family.
“We are not rich by what we possess but what we can do without.” – Immanuel Kant
SO PROUD OF YOU STEPHEN & DAVID!! Living on a Dollar a Day was one of my favorite days; so glad you guys have taken much from it. Can’t wait to see everything else you guys will accomplish 🙂 Miss you Andrew Hill kids much <3
Love, brinto
Stephen I see you wearing my long sleeve, taking it to another country and not even telling me! At least you’re wearing it while making gains doing laundry. Hope you have fun and stay safe. Be sure to bring me back a cool souvenir and stories to tell. It’s 2-2 in the finals if you didn’t know but dubnation is going to win for sure. Also I have same flyknits as you know because of San Leandro. Don’t worry I’ll take you when you’re back. Love you
YAY ANDREW HILL! So proud of you guys! I hope you’re doing well & that you’re learning a lot! ❤
I’m so proud of you guys! I feel so touched seeing your pictures of you all cooking and cleaning. Hope you’re learning a lot!
Hey claudia…so i got out if my second game literally 10 minutes after you called and it got me sad because i was literally waiting all week for that phone call…like we went from talking everyday to me waiting on ur call and i missed it…but i know you’re doing good over there and i have a game tuesday and friday at 530 and sunday two games as usual…anyways i love you and take care and shout out to lorenzo and to everyone else follow me on instagram at thecallmechuy and i got a joke…what do you call two mexicans playing basketball…juan on juan aha
Thank you so much for posting these blogs! I really appreciate being able to see here at home a small slice of what you get to experience in Nicaragua. Wish I could pack up and join you!
“Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.” – Wendell Berry
HI STEPHEN! I CANT BELIEVE I MISSED YOUR CALL, BUT IM GLAD YOURE HAVING FUN. You’re going to have a crazy amount of snapchats when you come back it’s bad… I’m super excited to listen to all the stories and experiences you have and will encounter! Be safe and see you soon!
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am sitting here now thinking about how hand washing clothes would wreck my bad back and carpal tunnel wrists. I am so lucky.
@Stephen, David, Vivian, Kathy Warriors Update: We lost to the Cavs in 6…NAHHHHJP WE LEAD 3-2. Can’t wait for you guys to get back! Cya then!
WARRIORS WON IN 6.
Hi Lorenzo!try to learn how to make authentic nicaraguan food!We are so proud of you and good job!We love you!
Very moving. So glad you are all making this journey. We live with so much excess here, it’s easy to lose touch with our own hearts. I hope future generations can know a better balance of essential happiness and non-suffering around the world. <3
I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.
Mother Teresa