Greetings friends and family! Our fourth day in Nicaragua was a huge success. We got to experience our second reality challenge of the trip at La Finca Canavalia. We awoke at 4 in the morning (yikes) in order to get an early start on our journey to the farm. The bus ride alone was a challenge for some members of the delegation with motion sickness due to the bumpiness and puddles on the road after a large downpour the night before. The wheels on the bus do in fact go round and round, as well as side to side and in every direction possible. Our breakfast at the farm consisted of sandwiches and coffee to give us a boost of energy. The extra energy came in handy as the work we performed on the farm was quite exhausting. In 4 groups we were able to collect chicken eggs, plant blackberry trees, weed the nursery, and clear a field. Although it was a tiring experience, it was so rewarding and we felt a great sense of accomplishment knowing that were doing work that would make a difference for the farm. It was also an eye-opening experience that allowed us to walk in the shoes of farm workers in Nicaragua and understand how hard they truly work for their pay. Our lunch on the farm was a delicious salad, rice, beans, chicken and jugo de piña and jamaica.

Upon our return home, we washed our mud-caked shoes and everyone flocked to their rooms to take a much deserved power-nap. We woke up in time for a dinner of salad, fish, and rice. After dinner we headed straight to our next activity: English tutoring. We walked to a local private school called San Luis where we broke into groups of about 4 and anxiously awaited our students arrival. Unfortunately, there was a slight miscommunication about the time, so each group only received a few students. Despite the small hiccup in our plans, we were able to be flexible with our lesson plans and every group managed to bond and interact with their students. Every student appeared to be having fun and learning. One student in my group managed to say “I like English class!” Although we were tutoring the students in English, we were the ones who learned so much from the experience and we expect that our future tutoring sessions will be even better. As our tutoring sessions ended, we headed back to our hostel where we held our nightly meeting and reflected on our experiences. As the day comes to an end, we are all going to bed as happy, healthy, and endlessly curious global citizens. We anxiosuly await our future adventures in the beautiful city of Matagalpa.

-Paulina Ruiz

Me planting Blackberries.

From left to right: Jay, Leslie, Krina, me and Emma.

Reyna and Cynthia are now pros at catching chicken