Creating new friendships

Hello Family and friends!!  Today was a very exciting day full of learning and most of all laughter and building new relationships. We had a Venenzuelan breakfast of Arepas and eggs along with Aqua de fresa (strawberry juice) made for us by the wonderful staff at Estancia. Marco led the culture and safety seminar which was very informative. Today is the first day that we were able to explore the city and learn more about its deep history and culture. My favorite part of the culture was purchasing fruit as a group at one of the local markets! Each group got $1 to purchase something. At first our U.S. Mindset questioned what a measly $1 could possibly buy! Our group was very surprised when we found out that we could get 12  for $1!   We decided to only get 6 so we could buy something else ! We got a mama for 50 cents!  After our city tour we were able to take a bus ride to a farm named La Guilena, where we had an amazing lunch typically served during carnaval! Marco gave us an enriching history lesson Pre-Incan to present! The students made beautiful masks made out of recycled materials, and then we went for a tour/ hike of the farm led by Raquel one of the owners of the farm. She is a beautiful spirit who retired 6 years ago and has come to permanently reside on the farm in the sierra! She showed us different medicinal plants, as well as the river that flows at the edge of her property. We returned to the restaurant as we stopped to take a group picture a water fight broke out! Everyone was drenched by the end. We took the bus back to the hotel, reflected on our day, played some games and headed to dinner. I was able to crown William as the next Lider deal dia. We are all in great health and spirit! I can hear a group of ladies singing from the top of their lungs as I post this blog, while another group is strategizing over which properties to buy in Monopoly. I will attempt to load images of our adventures so far! Hasta Mañana!