Friday, June 13th was the D-Day that everyone dreaded. However, the only bad luck we came across was waking up at 4am, fighting the heavy eyelids and yawns as we slowly made our way down to our meeting room for breakfast.

But hey…we had work to do, money to earn! I don’t think anyone was actually conscious enough to even realize that they were awake and dressed.  With 15 Global Glimpse zombies sitting in a chair, staring at the walls or the soft pink and purple sunset that rested on our hostel’s roof, we started off the day with a quick pick-me-up cheer.

Straight from breakfast (another plate of gallopinteros and sweet tea) to the market, which was recently a train station. Determined to sell their products, vendors were scattered throughout the market at every small, compacted corner. Beans, rice, tortillas, cheese, chicken, fruits, vegetables…sometimes the vendors sold the exact same products as the people next to them! Our Glimpsers were split into groups of 2 people throughout the market. But what’s a job without a little competition?

Our challenge: The group that sells the most products (most earned money) and the group who uses the most creative strategy to sell will win something delicious! 🙂

Working like a local!

Struggling from 6AM-10PM, Glimpsers had to try to communicate with their vendors and customers in Spanish, while also keeping track of the names and prices of every product they sold. There were fruit flies, beetles, and stray dogs roaming around the narrow pathways of the market, but also customers who loved to bargain! Some of the fresh cut meat like chicken and beef made the Glimpsers a little nauseous. I’m not a vegetarian, but honestly, after today, I’m starting to rethink that. Yikes! Fortunately, we were able to have PLENTY of free time after our hard day at work. Let’s just say there were several snores echoing the halls of our little cozy hostel.

Quiero Mas, our main and only restaurant, treated us with an American hot dog and freshly squeezed fruit juice. After English tutoring and our nightly meeting, we ordered 3 boxes of pizza to celebrate a long but fun first week here in Leon! Our group definitely has made a big step from an awkward jumble of puzzle pieces to a family that’s not afraid to jump on any joke they can come up with. The winner of the most sold products had over $6000 cordobas! YAY! So proud of our hard working Glimpsers!

The working crowd

Overall, the day was definitely a challenge for everyone, but we have a better understanding now of what it’s like to work at a Nicaraguan market. Most vendors work from 6AM-4PM on a weekday and 6AM-12PM on Saturday…I’ll say we got off lucky! It was an amazing experience leading my fellow Glimpsers on this day–thank y’all for being amazing and pushing through!

Love always,
Alice Andes 🙂 <3