Similar to yesterday, the rooster was very helpful in waking me up in order to do my job as a leader and make sure everyone else is up and getting ready for the day. My catch phrase was “It’s your Destiny to have fun!” So not only did I make sure everyone was ready but I also left a bit of curiosity with what we were doing for the day. After our delicious breakfast made by Don Carlos, we headed back to the hostal for a culture seminar. We listed our views on Latin culture as well as how Americans might be viewed through their eyes. We realized as a group that the words on American Culture’s list were more negative than the Latin Culture’s such as americans being fat and ungrateful while Nicaraguans are vibrant and humble. We came to the conclusion that in the same way there are positives in American culture that outsiders don’t see, there are also negatives in Latin culture that we will not be exposed to in this trip.

Next, we left the hostal and got on our air conditioned bus sitting with people we haven’t sat with before. When we arrived at San Juan de Oriente that’s when everyone realized that we’ll be doing something with pottery. After I introduced Don Jose, our instructor, he explained that there’s a long process in creating different pieces such as bowls, coasters etc. He also mentioned that the Nicaraguan people make requests at times and Don Jose and his family make these pieces together. Their family lives off of their talent of making pottery and was influenced by the loss of pre Columbian culture. This was Don Jose’s way in keeping the culture alive. The group not only got a chance to paint their own base to take home (which parents might receive as a gift, shhhhh) but we got the chance to use a pottery wheel and try our best to learn the process of creating a piece in a couple of minutes, that took Don Jose weeks to learn.

Unfortunately, during lunch it began to rain which affected our trip to Mi Museo but gave us free time. Some of us played games that Kat mostly encouraged us to play such as Ninja and others might’ve token a nap instead of reading their book *cough* Cristina. Eventually the rain

stopped we decided to take a walk to the Super Market and get snacks before Mi Museo. They’re surprisingly not so different from back home. When we arrived at Mi Museo we were informed that the owner passed away and we wouldn’t be able to enter because of the many changes that have been made. So instead, we took a slight tour to the central park, once again, and admired the environment. The tour was cut short due to our next workshop. Dance!! When we arrived there were young ladies practicing which gave us an idea of what we might be learning. Evelyn, the dance instructor, first explained what she does as well as being in partnership with her mom and the students they teach. Cristina, Min and Emely got the chance to wear the beautiful skirts as we learned our choreography. I think from everyone’s reactions that this may have been the best way to end our day.

In the end, we all said “Gracias” in unison and I handed a Global Glimpse cup as a gift. But, we could not leave without influencing the dancers as much as they influenced us. Kevin and Crystal volunteered to teach the dancers the whip and the nae nae which we know is famous in the states. As a final goodbye, the dancers performed one last time and we were off to dinner. Finally, I began the nightly meeting and I was given some tips on how to become a better leader. I handed Lisbeth, our leader for tomorrow, the “torch” and as always the night ended with good vibes and everyone knowing more about each other.

Buenas Noches