Hello everyone! This is Melissa and Mayara, your Leaders of the Day!  Today’s theme was Living Like a Local, and we spent the day helping out families in a local community, and reflecting on our experiences.

Our day started at 6:00am when we had to wake up and take a bucket shower.  This was not what we normally experience, but it gave us first-hand experience on what many local Nicas do everyday.

Our breakfast, lunch, and dinner each consisted of rice and beans and a few slices of bread.  This is the typical diet for many Nicas, and this was giving us a more full experience.  Many of us felt like we did not want to eat it, or that it was unusual.  Eating these meals, however, helped us gain insight into local people’s lives – we just experienced it for one day, but this is how many Nicas live every day.  It made us appreciate the meals we do get to enjoy at home and while on our Global Glimpse trip

Then, we got on a bus to La Estanzuela, a local community and home to one of our Program Coordinators, Tania.

When we got there, we had 9 families that showed up to greet us, and the expressions on their faces made us feel really welcome.  We were split up into groups and helped out at their homes, doing things like making tortillas, milking cows, chores like washing laundry, sweeping, dishes.

We also got to know the families, to dance and sing with them, to learn more about their lives, and we especially bonded with the children of La Estanzuela.

Then we ate lunch with our host families, and then the entire community came together for a final celebration.  The children then broke a piñata filled with candy, and we learned that in order to swing at the piñata, you need to be able to dance!

For some of us, saying goodbye to our host families was heartbreaking.  We are hoping to see them again, perhaps on one of our free days – stay tuned!