Today’s day started with an early start of 6:00AM, and then we headed to the Cafe Caney to eat breakfast. Before having breakfast the group started with an energizer “Ninja,” the game was really intense and it definitely lifted everyone’s energy up. Breakfast was just as delicious as the previous morning’s – today it was pan (bread in Spanish) and eggs, and some Glimpsers ate cereal. After that, we all headed towards Paris de Parita which is a small town in the Herrera Province. The people in this community are so close to each other and, although they don’t have things like HDTV or fast internet like we do at home, they are very happy.

As we went through the town and as I talked with the locals I truly learned the importance of the little things and to be grateful of everything that you have in life. The most inspiring person that I met today was from the family I stayed with, Doña Gladys. As she talked about her struggles in life I really connected with it. She is a very caring person who took care of her sick son while also making sure that my group was comfortable in her home, including offering us fruits and other foods. When we walked into her home she immediately brought us a fan and made sure we were cool even though electricity costs a lot. The locals in this community pretty much knew everyone and to be happy they did not need things like iPhones which back at home we use every day. Just communicating with each other without phones made me be more of an active listener. I’m glad today we spent time with the locals because the community was so tranquil and peaceful, and by the time I arrive home I’ll really be more grateful for all the things I have at home like the education I receive and the air conditioner I turn on without thinking that others may not have the money to have air conditioning.

After spending time with our families we had a surprise soccer or fútbol match with the locals. The sun was out and it was so humid but everyone played hard and tried their best. After the game with the locals, we had a casual game with everyone else who did not participate in the first game. I joined as well and although I’m not that great at soccer I had a lot of fun and tried my best. After soccer, we came back together to eat lunch in the community with all the locals. Lunch came from Cafe Caney that we took with us from the morning. It included meat with rice and plantains. Afterwards, we all head back to the hotel where everyone had time to relax before going into our seminar for English tutoring. After learning about how to create lesson plans during the seminar, everyone ate a delicious dinner with rice, chicken, and plantains.

Here we have our team against the locals. Although we didn’t win everyone on the field tried their best.

This is a picture with the local families in the community. It was taken after lunch and an intense soccer game. 🙂

After our nightly meeting, my day as Lider Del Día (leader of the day) was over and it was one of my most memorable leadership moments. I’ve learned quite a lot today as a leader. For example, my voice is not very loud and sometimes not every Glimpser could hear me. I may not be the most confident but everyone here has been so supportive and cooperative. I will take everything I learned today to become a much stronger leader in the future. Overall today has been such a wonderful experience and I’ve noticed that everyone tried their best in some little ways like speaking Spanish even though they might not know much or played soccer even though they may not be a professional. Everyone is growing as a leader and is getting more confident each and every day. As time goes on I’m sure we will all grow more and learn so many things to take back into our own communities.