Hola mis companeros! Today I was El Lider Del Dia or Leader of the Day. The point of today was to get a glimpse of what its like to live off of a dollar a day. (1.5 billion people in the world live off of only one dollar a day.) In order to do this, we tried our best to live without any snacks, electricity, or running showers. Our meals were very simple and in smaller portion. For breakfast we had a tortilla and some beans, lunch was rice, a tortilla and a piece of meat and dinner was beans and a plantain. Besides limiting the resources that were available for our use, we went to visit some families living in the village of Saraguasca in order to visualize and better experience what it is like to live off of a dollar a day. The families living in Saraguasca were so friendly and welcoming. They were very generous and offered everything they had in order to make our stay with them as comfortable and memorable as possible. All of the students and leaders split up into groups of about 5 or 6 and all helped a different family with chores like making tortillas and pottery, washing clothes and dishes, and working in the fields. The houses were very small and crowded and there were very many dogs, chickens and other animals around the area. I think it was a very big eye opener for all of us today. After completing our chores, all of us glimpsers came together with the families to play soccer are just be with each other. It was so clear in their eyes, the love, hope, and appreciation these families and children had.  It was truly a blessing to have met and been a part of Maxima’s family and I’m sure I can say the same for all of the other students and their families. It was very sad to say goodbye to all of our friends but once we said our goodbyes, we all came back to our home, Hotel Kuiras, to take our wonderful bucket showers. Most all the students actually very much enjoyed their bucket showers. I, on the other hand, wasn’t sure what to do but it was a great first experience. To end this blog, I would like to bring up the question of the day which was, “How can I escape poverty if I live on a $1 a day? Can i do it on my own or is outside aid necessary?” To answer this, most of  our Global family came to the conclusion that people can escape poverty while living off of a dollar a day with the help and aid of others. We realized that every single thing we have today was aid and support from someone else. The chair you are sitting on while reading this is supporting you but are you thinking about who made the chair? What about the people who collected all of the materials for the chair. Everything came from somewhere. This is why, overall, today has taught me to really appreciate everything I have and everyone who has been a part of my life in some way.

Here are some pictures of our day. Enjoy! (: For those in the states, missing you and sending my love!

Our family circle which was followed by our “la familia” unity clap

Kaitlyn and Christian with their family.

Mary and una chica

Las chicas de Saraguasca.