“In the morning, there is a difference between 5 AM and 5:05 AM”
The importance of this quotes calls upon our own struggles of waking up in the morning. The average person tells themself that all they need is 5 more minutes of rest in order to accumulate enough strength to wake up. In short, we set aside the smallest things believing that they are not important, but what we don’t realize is that a lot can be done within a few minutes. The small things we do in this world DO make a difference.
We, the Glimpsers, were required to rise early in the morning and leave our comfy pillows and cool blankets behind in the place we were staying. We, the Glimpsers, experienced approximately a sixth of the sweat the average person in Nicaragua endures. We, the Glimpsers, faced the fact that on average, a Nicaraguan earns 80% of what Californians make an hour (minimum wage) within a day’s work of 8 hours. Each day we reside as visitors of the developing country of Nicaragua, we are made aware of the hardships men, women, and children face. However, our eyes witness the amount of richness these people live with, because they live their lives with more meaning through a simple yet challenging lifestyle. But don’t think that these people are any different in any way in comparison to the lives we lead. They hope for the best. They strive to accomplish goals, whether short or long term. They work for the betterment of the future. They are, like us.
Each day is another day which reminds us of how humble we should be because we are privileged, we are loved, and we are supported. This experience is truly something that can be only understood through action, not words – hence the saying.
Families, relatives, friends, significant others, and acquaintances of the team of Matagalpa 1A, we are safe. BIG LOVE to all!
You should all be so very proud of your choice to spend a part of your summer in Nicaragua learning about a different culture, exposing yourself to a completely different part of the world, and opening your minds and hearts to new people, new friends, and new experiences. What you do there will have such an impact on one or more individuals there – while having a huge impact on yourself! Like other parents and family, as much as I miss Ryan, I am equally proud of him for what he is doing there.
Love you, Ryan. Counting down the days…
p.s. You have probably already heard that we are going to Game 7…back at Oracle Arena.
From Shayla’s mom – Thanks for the great post. Glad to hear everyone safe and so proud of your guys to be able to learn so much. Keep up the good work and be safe.
Great to hear your voice yesterday Shayla❤️❤️ Glad that you sound happy and excited. We miss you so much.. Can wait for you back… This is Dad & Nina – we so proud of you and love you very much. Learn as much as you can and enjoy. See you in a week. We love U??❤️❤️????
Kieran I couldn’t wait to turn on the computer to read what you guys did yesterday. Every day feels like that. Absolutely beautiful post. You guys are creating incredible positive change – internally within yourselves and externally in the world. You may feel super empowered now to realize that you can do this anywhere and at any time. I miss you like crazy kiddo. Can’t wait to see you. We all love you tons – Mom, Dad, Previn, & Nik
PS: Now that my posts are going through you are going to get sick of hearing from me every day LOL!
A very meaningful post David- thank you.
It’s true. Anywhere you go, regardless of rags or riches, you will find that people live for the same things – hopes for their children, cures for diseases, and betterment of society. As humans, we’re all striving for the same fundamental things, yet as you’ve seen, fate can be unfair. There aren’t many people who stop to think about lives outside of their own. But YOU ARE. You are choosing to spend the better part of your summer vacation to wake up at 5am, to do manual labor, and to challenge yourselves every day. What an amazing example of passion, dedication, and community involvement.