Hey guys! Today was a special day in which we had 2 Leaders del dia! Our names are Corey and Marc.  We started the day with an early wake up call at 4:30 am because we would be working on a farm in the outskirts of Matagalpa. The farm that we worked on was called Finca La Canavalia. Once we arrived we ate breakfast with the workers that we would be working with. It was a unique experience because we were able to converse with them and learn of their lives on the farm. Each worker represented a different responsibility on the farm and a different area. For example, one specialized in the chicken coop and another worked with the cattle. After we had had our fill of farm work we came back to the hostel to celebrate Andrew’s birthday.

(Corey)

So today was an amazing day if I may say so myself. 😀 I was with the group that went to the chicken coup along with cleaning the vines of the Nicaraguan fruit, Anaranjia. The first thing we did was collect the eggs from the chicken coop which started off as a bit terrifying, but with time everybody was willing to step out of their comfort zone. After collecting a few eggs and possibly dropping a few, we began to feel more comfortable in the chicken coop and everybody would be willing to reach inside the coops. While inside the area that housed the chickens. we also played catch with a few eggs and the chickens would follow the egg from one side to the other. Finishing up from the chicken coup, our group would head out to the vineyards and start cleaning up. There were dead vines on vine-posts due to the leftover harvest so we were in charge of snipping off the vines in addition to the unripe fruits. Luckily, we found a ripened Anaranjia which was very delicious. It has a very tangy taste to it such as an orange and its also pretty slimy which was new and intriguing.

(Marc)

My name is Marc Anthony Pastor and I was lucky enough to be with the cattle group! Yaaaay. Shoveling manure, feeding goats, and petting a newborn calf. 🙂 It’s a lot funner than it sounds. Today’s experience showed us how people work in the rural farms of Nicaragua. The work is dirty and challenging but it was an unforgettable experience. First we had to shovel out the manure from the stall which took about an hour. Our shoes were ruined and our clothes dirtied but it was all worth it. The time went pretty fast due to the informative conversations we had with our fellow farmer Enrique. We talked Nicaragua up and down. From politics to our favorite food to our aspirations. The work went by a lot faster since we were all having loads of fun. After we  finished in the stalls, Enrique showed us a pleasant little surprise. A calf had been born just the night before. We were allowed to get in the stall with her and pet her. Enrique told us all about how they would take care of the calf for the next month. After that we headed over to the goat pen. The goats were all bleating and the trek up the hill was a bit treacherous. We fed the goats and made sure their pens were all clean. Today was amazing and I will never forget it. All of the Glimpsers were able to experience the life of a rural farmer. Shout out to Chloe Reynolds! You encouraged me to come on this trip and I really appreciate it. I love you and I will see you when I get back.

Today was Andrew Pilon’s birthday! Wooo. It was a very special day and we made sure that Andrew knew it. For our 4:30 wake up call, we gathered the rest of the glimpsers and woke Andrew up with a big happy birthday! It might have not been the most peaceful alarm clock but we know he appreciated it. Because he is such an amazing person, we all chipped in and bought him a Matagalpa baseball Jersey. He had been wanting it for days and we made sure we got it before he went out and bought it himself. 🙂 We also threw him a surprise birthday party after lunch. We made sure he was downstairs eating while we set up the upstairs common area. We got him a chocolate cake and lots of confetti!. Happy Birthday Andrew and we hope that you enjoyed it here with us. 😀