Hola, my name is Kenny and I am the leader of the day for our group’s Free Day. While we were supposed to have the entire day off, our group chose to work together for a couple of hours after breakfast to prepare for our Community Action Project presentation tomorrow. We spent the morning planning and designing the garden we want to create for Los Pipitos!

Today marks the day in which our group has resided in Esteli, Nicaragua for one full week.Today we took the time to relax and stretch our legs. While many of us stayed back in the Hostel and played games or sleep, some took advantage of the free time and explored the city. Our GGLs took time out of their day to take us to get iced coffee as well as to the internet cafes to call home. At the Hostel, those who stayed behind socialized with each other and played games such as “Bananagrams.” I was one of the people who slept! We were lucky enough to have our Program Coordinators, Erik and Tania spend part of the day with us as well, despite the fact that it was their day off!

During our nightly meeting, we discussed what we have learned after one week in Nicaragua. Many of the answers given were well thought out including being grateful for what you have as many in the world are not as fortunate as others. I learned that despite the struggles of everyday life for many, they are happy with what they have. They may live on less than $1 a day, but yet they still push through in an effort to support their families and communities. The Nicaraguans (Nicas!) my group and I have encountered this week were very happy to share their experiences and teach us what life is like here in Nicaragua.

The lessons that can be taken from this experience is to be grateful for what you have, as many families do not have even close to what we have back in the states. Here the people are united and hold each other up despite the living conditions they face on a day to day basis. After such an experience during this week, our group has learned to not waste things they have and make the best out of what they do have. We have also learned to support each other when we are down. We are like a community, we must push each other to ensure that our community is working at its most efficient and at its best.

I believe I can speak for all my friends and GGLs in this group as we are excited for what the next week brings to us. I am especially excited for what other lessons we will be taking in from theses experiences.

Good night from Esteli!