DSCN0508 DSCN0518 DSCN0542

Today we experienced living on a dollar a day beginning with bucket showers at 4:45 AM. That was an entirely new experience! The most memorable and important part of the day was visiting the families who lived in the community. When we were introduce to our housing families they greeted us with smiles and welcomed us openly into their homes. Every glimpser participated in aiding the families with their daily chores and made the most out of this experience. Doing the laundry required so much more labor in rural Nicaragua than back home. At home I just have to put my clothes in a basket, then move it to the washer, and lastly put it in the dryer. Today however, we had to hike uphill to the tank of water where the river washed away the dirt and soap from the clothes. First we grabbed a piece of clothing and then we laid it out on a rock and rubbed soap on it then we poured water on it to clean it. Most of us also learned to make corn flow=ur and use that dough to make tortillas. We were all treated with so much love and they were so sweet to introduce us to their friends and family as a their own kids. Some of us got the chance to milk cows too! Although we saw these people so happy and ecstatic there are just some things you can’t forget about the conditions they live in. The houses we saw were made of cardboard plastic and scrap metal and they didn’t have basic sanitation. They only had a few utensils and even those were reused so much that they were wearing out. I think that us Glimpsers learned so many important things that we want to share with our friends and family back home. Even if you don’t have a lot of materialistic things you can be happy because you know that making the most of the situation is what counts in the end.