*ba ba ba-da da, da da!* Good Morning!
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Hello All! My name is Lucy, and Teo and I are today’s Lider’s Del Dia! This is how the crew woke up at 4:30am this morning, and wow were they pleasant! I personally woke up at 4:00 am this morning to a very cold shower, in order to get everybody up in time for today’s activities! With a few quick knocks on doors, and a few grumpy “go away, we’re up!” responses, everybody was up and loaded on the bus shortly after 5:00, and we were on our way to La Canavalia! Once arrived, we rolled off the bus, and were welcomed by misty and muggy air, and more smiling faces to meet! We all headed down to our breakfast location, where we ate gallo pinto, eggs, ham, avocado, and to our joy, Coffee and Nicaraguan Hot Chocolate! After a wonderful meal to give us the fuel needed, our speakers enlightened us about their all organic farm work, and the energy and love put into the meal we just ate. We then split into groups, and my group walked down through the thick and slippery mud towards a construction site where we were put to work! Note, the clothes we wore were meant to get dirty, but oh boy were we in for a shock! My job was to slather walls in this thick mud, and layer the side of the soon-to-be one family home. Excited to get to work, we shoved our hands in, and quickly learned this wasn’t mud anymore, it was cow manure. Yes, we washed our hands millions of times, and it still smells! We helped build a house with cow manure, when else can we say that? I’m going to hand off to Teo, there is an interesting group conversation going on 🙂
Teo here! The group I worked in was one of two that rotated between two important tasks: planting peanuts for the farm’s rabbits and picking ripe coffee beans. It took some adjusting, but our group got plenty dirty in the fertile soil that we planted the baby peanuts in. The coffee bean picking proved a cleaner endeavor, but we quickly realized that we were sharing the space with plenty of creepy crawlers! We couldn’t help but jump at each progressively larger bug we discovered treading the trees.
After about four hours of work, we took the long bus ride back to the hostel, where we profusely cleaned ourselves. Lunch, consisting of chicken, rice and tortillas, was served by our kind hosts, and afterwards we had some free time to spend. A seminar for the Community Action Project (CAP) was then organized, where we discussed ways to help a local organization, Las Hormiguitas. Las Hormiguitas helped provide some education to children that would otherwise not have access. We came up with a lot of ideas about their facilities that need repair, and will start budgeting and executing our designs in the days to come!
During our reflection, we thought about the impact global businesses can have on local communities. It was interesting to think about because La Canavalia was not only organic, but focused upon sustainability and the local impact their work and products would have. We really started thinking about what kind of work goes into the products we consume and how wasteful we can be sometimes!
Signing off,
Lucy and Teo!
P.S. To my parents, I love you all, and tomorrow is free day so expect some calls home! See you in 8 days! -Lucy
P.P.S. Mom, Nana, Papa, I’ll help you with the dishwasher first thing when I get home! -Teo
You guys took such great pictures. Jose I’m still missing you and eager for your return. How many times have you and Hector argued?! Love you see you soon❤️
Hey Hectard!
What a wonderfull experience. I am sure it feels good to know that you have skills and knowledge that can help people in real concrete ways. Lucy, we are so proud of you and your decision to “get dirty” for a great cause. I look forward to using your new found stills building a manure covered house for Tia Doris and me in the country. Love you boo. Keep up the great work.
Sounds like a very hands on day. Can’t wait to hear more about all of your adventures!
PS Jennifer I’m really hoping you were in the group building the house 😛
Hi Jennifer
I hope you still having a good time ? Enjoy
#Lollo
Bryan,
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying Nicaragua and all the activities planned for you and your fellow glimpsers. We miss you back home and I personally cant to hear all about your perspective on this journey once you come back. We can compare experiences 🙂
Another interesting day and we love reading the blog each night!
Ashley, miss you lots and can’t wait to hear your stories!
Awesome. Can’t wait to hear more about this day, sounds really amazing. 4AM?!! Xxoo-Am
Sounds like another exciting and adventurous day, cannot wait to hear all about it first hand. Teo-your album arrived, you will have music waiting for you when you get home!
Loved your description of the day. So glad your enjoying and learning from each experience. Love you, N&P
What a productive and smelly day!
Hi Lucy – so happy to read your post tonight! Mmmm, that hot chocolate must’ve tasted so good after that kind of workday. Lisa says hopefully you didn’t smell your hand every time you put your cup to your mouth!
All is fine here; Monkey is still a brat, Alice hasn’t puked, much, and Lisa changed Charles’ water so he’s happy too. Compared to where you are right now, everything is so boring here. We’ll definitely make wiser shopping decisions based on what you’ve learned – thanks Teo for sharing that part of your journey. Great photos today, GG leaders!
Can’t wait to hear your voice tomorrow,
Love,
Mom and your Bay Area family
P.S. This is from Cookie who asked us to post on her behalf:
Lucy and friends — what an exciting time for all of you. I was about Lucy’s age when I took a work-study trip to a kibbutz in Israel. IT WAS LIFE-CHANGING, AND SHAPED THE REST of MY DAYS.
I made lifelong friends and honed my taste for travel, adventure and learning.
Travel is THE most immediate, intelligent, gratifying means of communicating with our fellow citizens of Planet Earth.
Continue to experience, enjoy, learn, listen and contribute and you will make new friends and develop joyous commitments to bettering yourself and your fellow humans.
Glad you are keeping a log. Look forward to reading it.
BTW, I have returned to Israel 5 more times, have traveled to all the continents and have never visited a country where I failed to find interesting, engaged people– artists, musicians, sailors, writers, photographers, scientists, tour guides, chefs, doctors. Be open to each experience and savor the immersion!
Lots of Love,
Auntie Cookie
P.S. just booked an intensive two-week trip to Cuba– very excited. And we return to southern Europe in two months! Montana soon too now that Keller is doing so well post transplant.
Greetings Global Glimpse Adventurers.
I’m very proud of every one of you, for going on what seems to be an amazing journey.
I was fortunate enough to travel in my early years, and those experiences shaped me into my adult life. I’m confident it will help you form yours.
A shout out to you all!
Lucy, glad you have new building skills….I wish I was there to see your face when you realized what you were handling.
Love Dad
Sounds like everyone had an eventful day! Thank you for such a great description! It was great to see my daughter Britany’s face since I haven’t seen it in 6 days! Britany we love and miss you here at home and I hope you didn’t hurt your back when you fell!
It looks like you guys are having a BLAST!! Britany, I’m so happy you’re having a great time out there! I want to hear every detail when you get home!! Love you!!
I posted a message earlier but I don’t see it anymore so I just want to say to Britany we love and miss her!
Hi Brit! So good to see you smiling and happy!
Hey Niece! Keep up the great work! Enjoy!
Kassandra We miss you!!! Any pictures????
Thank you for the post and updates, Lucy
We finally got to see you in the pictures Aliyah! I wish I was there with you in the coffee plantations. I am glad you got to go on such a nice and humble mission. Bring me some Nicaraguan coffee!
Love you lots. Ammi
Tiffany .Dad &Mom ,Isabel we miss you!! Any pictures ? Rylan you looking good .
Love you Tiffany
Sounds like such a fun day! Aliyah, hope you got had fun picking coffee beans-you know our family has a legacy of coffee plantations in India. Great to see all of you connecting the hard work of farming and what an impact it has on global economy. Each of us has a responsibility to practice ethical bussiness and fair trade.
Nani Ammi and nana abba are missing their favorite Aliyah rani.
This is Jennifer’s Aunt, Veronica, How exciting! What a wonderful learning experience!! We miss you Jennifer!
Lucy and Teo, I enjoyed your post! Sounds like you really were able to experience a typical day-in-the-life. Thank goodness for showers, even if there’s no warm water.