Today wasn’t just any day; it was one of the most emotional but happiest days of our lives.  I woke up all of the Global Glimpsers today at 5am which isn’t as easy as it sounds.  But thanks to the trusted help of Christian Lyken, it was easier for me to get everyone up and ready for this memorable moment of leaving Esteli, Nicaragua. We had Breakfast at 6am (our last time having rice and beans for breakfast), and we packed and stacked our luggage in the dining room, as the bedrooms were cleaned and swept. The people in charge of the hostel “El Chico’’ were given thanks for their phenomenal dedication for taking  care of us and making sure the hostel felt like home. In addition, I gave them a speaker gift showing our generosity for their amazing commitment in letting us experience something worth thousands of words. Then it was time to leave. As we loaded all of the luggage onto our last school bus, we realized we came here as strangers 18 days ago and now we are leaving as a big happy family. Time really does fly.  After making our way to the airport and checking in for our flight, I made sure everyone was prepared to go. Finally, we said our last goodbyes to Dennis and Melinda, the most amazing Global Glimpse Coordinators ever. It was very emotional. Some cried, some shared laughter and some even hugged and took pictures so they will be able to remember, the two great people who influenced all the lives of the young men and women on this trip by sharing hope, forgiveness, and compassion. We all walked through the security gate saying our final farewells, and just seeing the smiles of this trip and the tears makes me think that we all are truly attached to the lives of each other and I thank the man above for giving us faith. Now, transferring from one flight to the next in Miami was a bit of a hassle, but that didn’t stop us from collecting our luggage and moving smoothly along to our final gate going to New York (JFK) Airport.

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The biggest challenge today was having to make sure everyone stayed close together because at the Miami Airport it was a little reckless with people who had absolutely no patience and lines of rushed passengers were being delayed for their flights. Momentarily, a student got separated from our pack. That was the biggest challenge honestly, not knowing about Andre’s whereabouts. I was so worried so I stayed back outside of customs with Ashely Hackett and he suddenly appeared frustrated and wary about his suitcase and the fact he had drifted away from the group. So, he reentered through all the check-in/ check points to claim his suitcase cause the connecting flights wasn’t going to transfer the suitcases so  we waited , and waited patiently and he finally came back (I was thanking god for his protection.) We were then off too Gate 42 safe and sound well we walked,  thanking god for this amazing blessing to see Andre Knight back in the pack where he belongs. This made me happy to see him safe.

The best part of being Leader of the Day was making sure everyone was happy before I was happy.  Seeing other people’s smile and joyful energy gives me the strength to do better as a person. Also, having everyone listen and be fully cooperative was a blessing it showed me as a leader that your words can change others but your action speaks louder than words.   I felt today was a day was special because no other leader was able to slice into an actual pineapple. It made me smile.  As a person and also has a leader,  to take responsibility for the lives of the other students and to see them optimistic and safe for the comfort of their hearts made me feel like they were  my big family.  Today, I learn being leader is not about how you lead a group, it’s about the awareness of your words and how it impacts your audience personally. When loving is a hard task you have to often find hope in order to seek happiness. Thank you all for this moment! I will never forget it. I enjoyed every bit of this with all of you.

Sheik signing out of this amazing journey!

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