Howdy y’all! This is Tiffany and Zoie signing on as today’s Leaders of the Day!

GG Leader, Molly hops on a motorcycle to transport the cakes!

GG Leader, Molly hops on a motorcycle to transport the cakes!

Today we woke up as normal, except for the lack of showers, electricity and fans, at 7:00 to get ready for the busy day ahead of us. The bucket showers were pretty interesting and now we can say that we know how to shower without an actual shower. With a newfound appreciation for showers we walked to breakfast at Imabite. Since we were living like a local today, all we had to eat was gallo pinto, a tortilla and water so that we could relate to their everyday experiences.

Anastasia plays with one of her host family members!

Anastasia plays with one of her host family members!

This is one of the local water pumps, where Jamie is helping pump water.

This is one of the local water pumps, where Jamie is helping pump water.

After returning to our hostel. we departed to Reparto Tomas Borge, where we would be staying with a local family and learning more about their experiences. Β Some of us got to help outΒ using the pump to fill buckets of water, playing with the kids, or even cooking. Our hosts shared their stories with us which gave us insight into the lives of Nicaraguans. We shared lunch from Imabite with them as well. It so happened that it was one of our hosts’ birthday. We celebrated with a pinata that the kids absolutely went bonkers for! We also had scrumptious chocolate and raspberry cake for them!

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It was hard to leave because we had become so attached to the families who welcomed us with open arms and smiles. The optimism that these families exhibited taught us that despite living conditions, level of income, or material possessions, placing value on family, friends and experiences is better than what money can buy.

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We’re really getting used to living in Leon because we came back to the hostel on “Nica time” (meaning a flexible, usually late schedule). Even though this took out of our free time everyone maintained amazing positive attitudes that carried us into the leadership meeting and planning for English tutoring. Many of us also took this time to wash off the layer of dirt built up from our hard work in our homes.

Smile of the century!

Smile of the century!

At dinner we ate more gallo pinto and tortillas. We headed straight from Imabite to English tutoring where we had yet more successful classes. Even more students showed up today and energy was high. As teachers we are learning from the students important skills such as explaining concepts, having patience, and being a leader. It is both a fun and educational experience for everyone.

At the nightly meeting we passed the torch to Salina, our next Leader of the Day who read a beautiful piece of writing for her talent. Tomorrow will be a fabulous day both due to the great leadership we will see from Salina and the fact that we will have many free hours to shop, contact family, and explore the city! πŸ˜€