Salutations!

What a DAY what a DAY what a DAAAAY!

Parents and GG staffers, we have got us a delegation for the history books! Again, I cannot rain down (much like the weather did on us today 🙂 ) enough praise for the values of respect, patience, flexibility, and resilience all of you have instilled within these students! Thank you all so much, because they are seriously making this adventure delightful.

Today was all about appreciating how to keep ourselves safe, respectful, and full of enthusiasm and joy for the immense amount of stimulation that this adventure provides. Aside from the usual basics of self-awareness and general respect for others, we deliberately asked ourselves how we can thoughtfully anticipate, receive, and understand the nuances of the environment we find ourselves in. And what better way to investigate and understand that environment than through the lens of History!

Our program coordinators, Kimberly and Ena, lead us through a delightful tour of the center of the city. We had the pleasure of beginning the tour at La Iglesia Merced, a church that speaks volumes to much of the cultural turbulence which manifested in Granada. I dare you not to google William Walker. I DARE YOU! A tragic and ill mannered figure of a not so distance moment in the history of the Americas. Let him and his ambitions be an example of how not to go forth into the world. Nonetheless, you can imagine how surprised we were when we found out we’d be continuing our tour in horse-buggy! (Clickity-Clack Clickity-Clack) I can tell you that not a face was without smile and gratitude that we’d have the luxury of seeing the rest of town in style!

After an enjoyable ride we arrived at La Casa de Los Tres Mundos, a cultural center in the middle of the city where we met Don Fernando Gutierrez. He is regarded as one of the primary cultural and historical guardians of the story of Granada. And he very much brought to life our daily quote: “History for all its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” – Maya Angelou. I believe Don Fernando’s oratorical skill, and the heart which he clearly has for this city’s history, made its mark. The leaders are quite excited to see how the seeds of that conversation will influence our learners over the rest of the trip!

Tomorrow we’re off to Culture and Fun day! Woot Woot!

Best,

Matt and Charlie