Today was our first free day! This meant that we were able to go to leave our hostel in groups of four or more without an adult accompanying us. It was a very fun day filled with lots of excitement. While we were given the freedom to explore the wonderful city of Jinotega by ourselves and at our own pace, we still ate our three meals together to regroup and update each other on our personal experiences. We first went to the flea market as a group, and then other students split into their own groups to go buy ice cream or food from the supermarket and souvenirs from small shops.

As the leader of the day, I’ve learned the importance of having responsibilities, from waking up on time to eating our meals on time. I am proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and being obligated to myself as well as others. I’m also proud of people for returning to our hostel on time and following the rules while still having fun. I also demonstrated my capacity to take initiative and let other people follow and listen to me for the day.  I feel accomplished for fulfilling my responsibilities including being on time for meals and attending English tutoring despite today being our “free day”.

Since this was our first free day, it truly tested not only me as a responsible person, but also other students and their ability to take responsibility. This was a very rewarding experience because everyone was able to show their own leadership skills within their respective groups, even though I was still the leader of the day. Overall, today has been a wonderful day and I enjoyed being the leader of the day.

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