“In a country well governed poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed wealth is something to be ashamed of.” -Confucious This quote was the focus of the day as we visited Leon’s city dump, which was an experience that touched many of our hearts.

Our day started at 6:00am, though I had to be up by 5:30 AM to get ready for the day as El Lider Del Dia. As always we crossed over the road and had breakfast at Comedor Deja Vu, and surprisingly we didn’t have rice and beans for breakfast! Instead we had a ham, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches accompanied by some fries on the side. However, our famous vegetarian, Jina, enjoyed her sandwich with cheese instead of ham. It was nice to have a little change. After breakfast we went back to the hostel and had a poverty seminar. Since everyone was still looking like they just work Chrissy started a quick energizer to wake us up, and it was really helpful. During the seminar we read an article that included the 5p’s of Poverty- People, Place, Politics, Past, and Peace. We also learned about the aspects of Nicaragua at affects their poverty scale.

Around 8:35am, we got on the bus and headed to the city dump. Even with all the distractions the dumped offered, the group was able to pay attention and concentrate on the experience. We met a lot of interesting people that go to the dump for many reasons, but what they all had in common was thier jobs at the dump was a way to provide for their families. From little kids to elderly adults the dump provided a way life. At the end of the visit we had an activity with some of these people. We were divided into four groups, and each group had a person to work with. The activity was to draw things that would describe the person we were working with. My group was working with a young man named Marcos, who has with a harmless personality and is very caring. It touched our hearts to learn that Marcos didn’t know his birth date or the months of the year.

After our visit to the dump we came back home to the hostel and showered, this was mandatory as it was very important for our own personal health. After everyone was showered we separated ourselves into our self reflection groups and had discussions about our experiences. After this we went to lunch at the famous Comedor Deja Vu, where I finally had some soda and so did others in the group. After lunch we went back to the hostel and had free time which we used to plan for our English Tutoring. Afterwards, we were scheduled to go to the orphanage, but it was raining A LOT we weren’t able to ( we are now going tomorrow morning!)

Something really special that happen today, was the group bonding we enjoyed the rain. Like Chrissy (Ms.Greer) we created our own fun by playing in the by the sidewalk of the hostel. All the experiences we have gad so far have brought us closer. The Delegation Leon #1 is full of wonderful people and I’m glad to be part of.

Camila photo (2)