Hello fellow worried parents and friends, we are still alive and better than ever! 🙂

We started off the early morning at 6:30 and headed to Quiero Mas where we devoured some delicious pancakes and bananas, with a side of lemonade.

David led an academic seminar about global business and focused mainly on fair trade and globalization. We pondered the topics on how multinational companies positively and negatively affect the countries like Nicaragua. After that, we went to Polaris, a geothermal plant in San Jacinto Tizate, and we received a presentation about geothermal energy and breakdown of energy consumption in Nicaragua. Followed by snacks of Coca Cola and croissants, we were given cool safety helmets prior to entering the plant. We took a short bus ride to the actual plant, on which we sang theme songs, and inhaled the smelly sulfur after seeing the strength of the steam pressure.

After the seminar, many of us were curious about the fact that America and Canada owned the plant and the only seemingly negative implication is that the plant has to abide by California law. For the most part, it has had a positive impact because of the added jobs, considering that the workers of the plant are all Nicaraguan.

We ate a carb-and-starch-enriched lunch that consisted of potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes. After lunch, we led a quick and informative debate about the expansion of a geothermal plant from the differing perspectives of villagers versus corporations. Both sides provided legitimate and insightful point of views that helped all of us gain a better understanding of the current situation about global businesses.

After free time and dinner, we had our usual nightly meeting which was followed by a surprise birthday party for Jonathan. With David stalling Jonathan with a serious talk, we hurriedly blew balloons and set out a cake. Jonathan was pleasantly surprised and we ended the day on a good note. 🙂