Hello GG families and friends! My name is Yen Dinh and I am the last “El Lider Del Dia” for my delegation. It has been an honor to led my delegation into our self reflection and prepare for departure within a few hours from now. We had our last breakfast which consisted of cereal, toast with peanut better and jam, and banana. We hiked up to La Pena De La Cruz which is a significant site to the people in Jinotega. It is a cross that is built at the very peak of one of the surrounding mountains of Jinotega. The hike was very intense and next thing I know, Indira, Debbie, and I ended up being the last ones to make it. However, it was worth it. At the very top, we can see the entire city surrounded by mountains while the sun shed its light upon us. Next, we did an activity where half the delegation sat in a circle with their eyes closed and the other half walks around tapping those who correspond to a statement that is read out loud. I came up with most of the prompts and some examples include “Touch someone who made you laugh”, “Touch someone who you wish you could have gotten to know better”, “Touch someone you still want to be in contact with after the trip”, and “Touch someone you want to apologize to for something that you did”. This actually really surprised me because for almost every prompt that was stated, I got tons of pats and taps. What surprised me the most was the last prompt that mentioned and it made me wonder what people did to make them apologize to me. Afterwards, we open up the circle to any apologies and we each shared a funny story that made us laugh really hard. We hiked back down and had our last lunch AND meal at La Familiar in Jinotega. We had amazing chicken wings, French fries and a salad. As “Leader of the Day”, I presented the thank you card to Kathy, one of the owners of La Familiar and spoke on behalf of the delegation. We thanked her for the love and efforts that she putted into our meals every single day. Right after that, we did our program seminar and I led an activity called “Big Love” where everyone has a sheet of paper and their name in the very center. We would rotate the paper every 30 seconds and during each rotation, we would write something appreciated of that person or a strength that they have. After that, we quickly packed all our stuff and head to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.
As the last “El Lider Del Dia”, it was kind of easy. After watching all of my peers go through this experience, I learned mistakes to avoid and considered all the advices that was given. One challenge that I faced was having a bad stomach and trying to ignore it so that I can fulfill my duty. Overall, it was not nerve wrecking as I thought it would be. I was able to get everyone’s attention for head count and during our Nightly Meeting, everyone was respectfully listening and participating. Some things that I learn about myself is that I do have the ability to lead a group of people with confidence. I learn that I need to stop feeling intimidated and just take on the role of being a leader. With these people that I got to know, it was comfortable for me to carry out Self Reflection Day. Before I conclude this final blog, I want to thank all the families and friends who have been supporting us from the very start. We had amazing experiences and learn so many things. We will be back home within the next several hours! See you then!