Day 3 is in the books and I’m happy to report some great progress by our outstanding group of Glimpsers. The day began with a 7 am wake up call courtesy of yours truly, before we devoured a delicious breakfast. Prior to setting out on our adventure-filled day, we needed to brush up on the dynamics of culture and how stereotypes can be both useful and detrimental when connecting with people from other cultures. This group’s ability to step back and grasp the big picture has been quite impressive, and today was no exception. The group demonstrated that they were more than ready for the day, so off we went.

Our first stop was the community of Plomo, to visit the mujeres del Plomo. This community was devastated by a hurricane in 2001 and subsequently relocated to the current location. The women struggled to find employment and decided to empower themselves by trying their hands at entrepreneurship. Their company serves the women and children of the community by selling handmade jewelry such as belts, necklaces, earrings and bracelets. The twist? The bracelets are all made using the various types of seeds found in the local area. The kids go out and harvest the seeds that are then cleaned and used to make the jewelry. I’m now wondering where I can put in an application to be paid to climb trees. As you can see, the seeds are beautiful.

After saying goodbye to the extremely hospitable citizens of Plomo, it was off to the rural Comedor Divino Nino. Dona Edita provided the group with delicious tea and coffee, before giving us a lesson on how to make Nacatamales. This traditional dish consists of corn dough, tomato, green peppers, mint, potato, rice, green olives, peas, pineapple, chicken and mole sauce all wrapped in a banana leaf that leaves the taste buds begging for more. We then had a chance to enjoy the delicious cuisine while a traditional set of Nicaraguan folkloric music was being played by a local band. Our Glimpsers started an impromptu dance sesh and even jammed with the band a bit. We had to get on the road before the inevitable food coma set in, but the experience is one we won’t soon forget.

Our next stop was a local ceramic producer called Ceramica Negra. This local business is run by a mother/son team who specialize in traditional, handmade ceramic production. The Glimpsers had the opportunity to mold their own sculptures and did quite well. Highlights included a chalice, a mostly to scale Golden Gate Bridge, a turtle and a penguin.

At this point it was time for dinner, followed by our nightly meeting. I’m excited to report that Tony will be our first Lider Del Dia and has proven himself more than capable of handling this leadership role. Let me close by saying that I’m extremely proud of the maturity demonstrated by this group on a consistent basis. The Glimpsers have connected faster than expected and demonstrate the three C’s (courage, compassion and commitment) of Global Glimpse with seemingly no effort at all. You should all be extremely proud of the amazing young individuals you’ve raised. Thanks for reading and see you next time!