Buckets, candles, gallopinto. That was all we had for today’s Living Like a Local Challenge. With no electricity, no fans, and no showers, we were limited to bucket showers, candle-lit bathroom trips at night and bedtime in hot Leon weather. Despite the heat and darkness, the trip to Tomas Borges, the poor neighborhood of Leon, made the day worthwhile.
After waking up at 7 a.m. in the morning, we got dressed and went to Imabite for our first meal of gallopinto. After breakfast, we took the bus to Tomas Borges. The neighborhood is dusty, with a great amount of insects. Most of the houses are made of scraps of metal, wood and cardboard. The locals get water, which is often contaminated, from wells spread throughout the community. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the great, humid weather of Nicaragua that came along with the blistering sun. The group leaders split us up into groups of two or three and sent us to our host families for the day.
With the families, we learned about how people in poverty live on a daily basis. Some of us made tortillas, some washed dishes, some did laundry and some played with the kids. Mostly all of us went to a nearby well to pump water into large buckets and haul (or try to) them onto a cart. All of us talked to the families about their life and what they do. At around 12:30 p.m., we were starving. Thankfully, Brayan, Staceey, Marlon, Cheyenne and a few others helped deliver a second round of gallopinto to us as well as a fried chicken meal to some of the families.
After lunch, we all gathered at the community center for one of the most exciting parts of the day: the piñata party. All the kids lined up in a rather swiggly line to hit the piñata. All was well until the blindfold came into play. Once the piñata broke and Chloe threw the candy, the children swarmed all the different sugary sweets. Despite a few mis-hits by the blindfolded, hyperactive children, everyone had a great time. Once everything was cleaned up, we said our goodbyes and went back to the hostel.
Once we got back, we jumped into our second CAP project seminar, where we discussed possible ideas for what we could do for Barilletes. As soon as that was over, we walked over to Imabite for our third round of gallopinto. Right after, we took a short walk to Unan-Leon University, where we were having our first English tutoring session.
English tutoring consisted of teaching Nicaraguans of all ages English in groups of two or three. We were all separated by Spanish-speaking abilities and sent to teach the students, who were organized into Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced. Although it was our first time being the teacher of a class, we got through the session without having to scream for help. Everybody had a fun time meeting the students for the first time.
As soon as the lesson was over, we returned to the hostel and had our nightly meeting. After talking about our hectic day and giving shout-outs to everyone that made this day awesome, we had our self-reflection about poverty. The end of the meetings signaled the end of our Living Like a Local Challenge, which meant access to showers and fans and electricity. But, it also meant that we now have a small glimpse of what life is like in most parts of the world. It provided us with a newfound appreciation for the simple things in life.
This eye-opening experience was truly amazing. There were a few mishaps involving dehydration and diarrhea, but everybody is well and on a way to full recovery. We are chugging lots and lots of water and making sure to stay hydrated for Poverty Day tomorrow. Make sure to check back tomorrow for another post! Thanks for all the comments and good night!
To JR
Sounds like you had an eye opening day. I hope you had fun with your English students and I hope you put your Spanish to use with your host family. Did you show off your tortilla making skills? Can’t wait to hear from you, Isaiah wants to know how is Nicaragua , but he spelled it very wrong. (sunshine)
Luv, Ma
What an incredible experience. Thank you for these blogs – all the writers are doing a great descriptive job and I love reading them and picturing your day!
In basketball news the Warriors lost last night. Green had gotten a suspension and didn’t play and Bogut sprained his left knee in the first half. LeBron & Irving had 41 pts each. So it’s back to Cleveland on Thursday….
Wow! Living like a local… I know you all heard about this experience before the trip and I’m sure it was pretty shocking to all. it’s one thing to hear about poverty and another to actually live it.
I’m sure tutoring was an awesome experience! I can’t imagine standing in front of a class teaching – especially in another country. I would’ve been extremely nervous but I’m sure you guys did it with flying colors.
can’t waiting to hear about tomorrows adventure 🙂
Marisol – I forgot to mention Coach Terry and Bettencourt send their hello’s Track/Cross Country Team all miss you
I showed the kids a picture from when you guys had Sawdust artwork. We found you in one of the pictures and Adrian quickly spotted you! his reaction was so much happiness!
Mom and Dad also send you hello’s
we love an miss you Baby Girl!
Hasta Mañana
Love Mom
uh oh…Are you one of those with dehydration/diarrhea?
Thank you for your concern. The international safety team checks in with all teams daily, and we are happy to report that Leon is doing really great!
Nathaniel- Hi! How are you feeling? I heard you were dehydrated and sick. Praying that you get better quickly!! Kaleb loved the Curry shirt you all sent him for his birthday. He wore it for the Warriors game last night. Sorry they lost! Shae and Briella got out of school today. I have another week.
It sounds like you’re having quite an adventure. Boe sure to play with the kids and make them feel special.
We all love you!
Karen, Larry, Shae, Briella, Kaleb , Vanessa & Andy
Hi Nathaniel,
Sorry I missed your first two phone calls on this trip! Dad was really excited to hear from you and we are glad you sound like you’re on the road to a quick recovery and that you are being well taken care of. We miss and love you lots (even Christopher)!!!
xoxox Mom
Living Like a Local Day followed by Poverty Day. Two very intense experiences back to back! The bugs and the heat must make these days difficult.
Did you all enjoy the tutoring? I hope your students were well behaved 🙂
Nora- there’s not much happening here. It is very quiet with both you and Erik gone. Dad is getting around much better now and he even walked Shadow last night. I hope we get a chance to talk soon!
Love,
Mom
Enjoy your day. Big love from GG in constanza
Hi Chloe, it sounds like you are having some pretty amazing experiences. I have no doubt that you will make the most of your time there. I bet the heat and humidity are unpleasant, hope your skin isn’t causing you too much trouble?. It’s great reading the blogs and seeing what you’re up to each day. Love ya xx
Hi to Cheyenne!