Hi, my name is Melanie. I go to Chelsea High School, in Massachusetts and I was the Leader del Dia. Today, we woke up at 6:00 a.m. and had really good breakfast which was some scrambled eggs, gallo pinto and some salad with a natural, sweet pineapple juice. After breakfast we had a fun game called “Captain on Deck” to wake people up. Then are Global Glimpse Leaders Erin & Jose gave us a lesson about business in Nicaragua and what fair trade is about.

When we finished we got ready for our field trip to Beneficio de Cafe, were we learned about what machinery they use to pick the right product, and the whole process of making coffee to be able to transport. Our host had a little suprise for us, in which we got to get a feeling of a process they do to determine the smell, the flavor and the acidity of the coffee. We enjoyed the surprise and were so eager to get to smell and taste the coffee and learn how  the taste can vary on the quality of the bean. We ended the tour buying coffee, which is all fair trade!

We then got to go to the Castillo de Cacao (Chocolate Factory), were we learned some history of the cacao and where they grow, how to tell when they’re ready to harvest from the tree. Then the host gave us a tour on the whole process of making chocolate and the machinery the cacao beans go through to be turned into chocolate, she also showed us when they put some other ingredients to either make it a certain flavor or for the chocolate to have cashews. Then we ended out tour being able to buy chocolate either for us or to take home for family or friends.

Being El Lider Del Dia was really nerve racking at first because I was so scared because I didn’t want people to think I’m being mean, when in reality I have other intentions. I just wanted to get on time to our activities and to be able to take advan     tage of that opportunity because not a lot of people get to experience what were learning and doing. As the day went on I started to get the hang of things and reminded people to drink their water, to refill their water before we left. Also giving people reminders of when the next activity or event is and making sure everyone can hear me and no one is lost through out the day, so everyone can know and feel prepared with question to ask.  Overall, today I learned to be confident in myself!