Hello everybody! Matthew here!

What an exciting day today. Beginning our adventurous day with the gentle tune of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” at the sharp hour of 6am, allowed room for a tender smile, as the unforgiving sun made its way into our day. We promptly gathered ourselves to start the morning by walking over to Imabite, where we had the pleasure of enjoying Nicaragua’s most famous dish, Gallo Pinto, along with a new fruit juice of the day by the name of Granada. After a good meal and pleasant conversations, we headed back over to the hostel and started our academic seminar. Learning about the main theme in our academic seminar, global business, opened space for the group to ponder on the question of the day. What are the challenges of starting a business in Nicaragua? 

With this question in our minds, we then ventured out on a bumpy, yet Beyonce-enhanced bus ride, thanks to Selina’s music choice. After exploring the ups and downs of the beautiful country through an electrified bus filled with teenagers and pulsating Beyonce beats and vocals, we arrived at our destination, the Salinsa salt factory. We then met the wonderful tour guide and manager of the factory named Orlando and started our in depth look of the different types and methods of processing salt. After showing our appreciation for Orlando through a gift, we concluded our field trip, jumped back on the bus, and drove to Imabite for lunch.

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After another lovely meal, and delicious juice provided by the wonderful Imabite, we walked back to the hostel and began our daily leadership meeting and English tutoring preparation. Shortly after planning out our lessons, we had the chance to exchange some MUCH needed money… mostly because the majority of us spent our money at the market and on MUCH needed junk food from the corner store. We then changed into our business casual clothing in preparation for the arrival of our guest speaker Jefferey Bernhard. Mr. Bernhard, a successful leather product entrepreneur and lover of the Nicaraguan people, shared his experiences, goals, and visions to the group, while challenging us to critically think over difficult social issues occurring in today’s world. Through his time with us, we were able to think more in depth about the question of the day!

At around 5pm, we went over to Imabite for dinner, then immediately walked over to the school in which we work collectively to teach English to our classes. Seeing the numerous faces light up as new words, sayings, and even dances were being taught allowed room for a tremendous heartwarming feeling. After wrapping up our nightly class, we then walked back to our hostel in the almost pitch black night, while encountering a variety of holes in the sidewalks, to which we yelled, “hole!” to notify the group, more specifically Anna, that there was a risk of falling.

Once we arrived at the hostel, we sharply began our nightly meeting, and enjoyed the company of each other while Joseph and Katia showed their talents and were handed down the predigest position of Lider del dia.

I’m excited to see the entire group of glimpsers, including myself, grow and see an impact on our lives while we proceed into the next day and week to come!