Jeff, our team leader, gave everyone the advice to not give money to the kids who are around but if they offer you a service, go ahead and encourage them by paying them after they have helped you.

Since 62 people went on the trip our main source of travel was a bus. It was Friday and we were going to the market. That's where everyone goes to buy their souveniers for their families. Jeff sat across the aisle from me in the front seat. I noticed his boots. They were plain and black and made in a simple style. I noticed they had cracks where you bend your toes as you walk. It seemed a little unsual to me that he would wear shoes old and worn like that. But then I thought it doesn't matter anyway because we're mostly just camping out.

I enjoyed shopping at the market. I went with my sweet friend Mae. We had an interpreter named Jimmy. He helped us talk to the workers in the shops. Usually he could talk them down to a lower price. I was satisfied with the things I found for my family.

When I got back on the bus it was fun to listen to the buzz of excitement around as other ladies would tell of the things they bought for their friends and family. When Jeff got back on the bus I observed he had new shoes on. They were black like the other hiking boots he had but they were shinier and had a fancy design on the sides.

After leaving the market I settled in for the hour and a half drive. When I got bored I looked at Jeff's shoes again. Wait a minute. Those aren't new they're the same ones he had on before. He had taken them to the market and had them mended. Some talented Nicaraguan shoe craftsman had thoroughly stitched over the cracked part of the boots. And then he must have had them shined. I asked him about the impressive boots and he told me how they sewed them on a sewing machine. In our discussion about the hiking boots Jeff told how when he was young he had to wear corrective shoes because his heels didn't land in the right way when he walked. They were sort of like the ones Forrest Gump wore in the movie except he didn't wear braces. Jeff also told how he found a shoe shine boy and he said the boy did a good job. Jeff said he paid him two dollars instead of just one. The boots reminded me of what a soldier would wear as he was standing in line for inspection.

It seems just like the young boy, many Nicaraguans have a desire to work hard. I wonder why the unemployment rate is astoundingly more than 50%! I think if they had the opportunity they could really make their nation a successful part of the world economy.