¡Hola desde Estelí!

This is the last day that a GG Leader or Program Coordinator will be writing our daily blog, because tomorrow starts the first day of ELDD (El Líder del Día)! Kelly and Mia will be the first brave Glimpsers to step up to lead the group on an adventure.

Today was quite an adventure itself! Unfortunately one Glimpser was feeling ill and could not participate.  Luckily she is already feeling much healthier!

We started the day with breakfast at Buffet Estelí (the best comedor in town!), and walked back to the hostel to engage in a thought-provoking academic seminar on education.  We compared statistics in educational attainment and resources between the U.S. and Nicaragua to highlight the necessity of receiving an education for one’s life prospects.  This prepared us to understand better the context for our day-long field trip to the educational facilities of Estelimar.

After a quick 15-minute bus ride outside of the city, we arrived at Estelimar.  Estelimar is very unique in that it is a combination of a farm, a coffee plantation, a school, a pool, a hotel, and a playground.  I can see why so many underprivileged Nicaraguan youth feel honored to be able to learn from the knowledgeable employees at Estelimar.  Our guides Lispa and Yesbel taught us about: coffee plantations and crop plagues, lombricultura, or using worms and cow manure to create compost, harvesting vegetables, Nicaraguan history and geography, and logic.

Everything we did was hands-on, just as it is with the children and adolescents that they serve.  We were twirling worms in our fingers and naming them things like “Alberto” and “Northwest Kardashian,” and discovering bright yellow furry caterpillars.  We had to think outside of the box to complete logic puzzles intended for children (no shame).  We put together a felt map of Estelí so we could have a better sense of the department we are residents of for our time here.  We saw rabbits and goats and snakes, OH MY! Our guides infused in us a sense of learning and accomplished at what we did at Estelimar.

Hard at work at the farm at Estelimar

To finish off our trip to Estelimar, we took a lovely swim in the pool to relax.  One of our Glimpsers, who had only previously tried to float in a pool once and is unable to swim, floated by himself and got comfortable in the pool with the encouragement and support of the whole group.  He was extremely happy and we are proud of his accomplishment!

Estelí’s 6 departments

Worm spaghetti – the process of creating compost

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia! For 4^th of July, the students requested we eat hamburgers and French fries, so we dined at Hamburlooca and devoured every last morsel.  We then stocked up on snacks and goodies at the supermercado and came home for a series of productive meetings.

In short succession, we role played Spanish scenes in our Spanish class, we receive our materials for teaching English, and closed the night on a very positive note with our nightly meeting.  Some quotes of the day include:

–       “She saved my butt…literally!”

–       “I floated!”

As a GGL, I am so proud to see this delegation truly coming together to form a close-knit family.  The students are so supportive and encouraging of one another, and that is exactly the cohesiveness that will enable each of them to realize their potential as leaders.  I eagerly await the days as they come, because I know each day has something in store that will surprise and amaze all of us.

Sincerely and with great pride,

Lauren (Lorena) Camarillo