Day 10 – Final Reflection
Student Trip Blog
Hello, the best leaders of the day are here!!! Amanda, Ray, and McKayla.
Today we continued our execution of our CAP project: Day 2! One group worked on sanding wood and painted signs for the Vivero (greenhouse). Another group worked on creating our hydroponic system, which included shoveling out dirt for the pipes in front of the greenhouse, and leveling out the land for the irrigation system. The greenhouse group made a lot of progress with Seth and Amanda finishing out the germination beds, and the others (Ray, McKayla, Angelica, Binika) in our group cut and zip tied the green mesh tarp on the greenhouse. Parents, don’t worry! We made sure everyone drank enough water with a snack break too! Ray advocated to get ice for our waters starting tomorrow!! After finishing up before our lunch break at 12:15pm, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse (pun intended) of the students practicing their military marching band, they picked a couple students out of the crowd to join them for a minute. After heading back to the hotel, there was some free time which some glimpsers decided to take a walk to a close coffee shop, where we got Frappes, smoothies, empanadas, and pastries!! Muy delicioso! Some stopped by the shops or grocery store. After dinner, we passed the torch (barbie head) to tomorrows leaders, Renato, JJ, and Antoni. We then practiced a surprise dance for tomorrow….
PARENTS we are planning on calling home at 3:30-5:00pm (your time) GGLs will confirm with you or let you know any updates, so BE READY we can’t wait to talk to you!!!!! <3
McKayla: Hi Family!!! I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to see you all and talk to you all soon! Especially you mom, I love you more and I can’t wait to talk to you, I’m doing so amazing so don’t worry! I think I would make you proud as being leader of the day today! I really have stepped out of my comfort zone this whole trip and have been making all of my core memories. I can’t wait to show you alll of my pictures that I took and share with you all of my experiences. Can’t wait to talk to you tomorrow! Give Nala kisses for me!! And for everyone else who has been commenting, thank you for all the love!! It means so much more than you know and I can’t wait to hug you all!
Ray: Hey MOM!! I miss you a lot, and I hope you’re doing well. I hope peepaw and meemaw are also doing well and miss them too! I got some trinkets, and maybe a hammock as well… but shh it’s okay haha. I have been enjoying my time and I’m actually really sad to soon be leaving. The beach was exciting, and I can’t wait to tell you all about how I feel tomorrow. I hope you’ve been having a good week and miss me tehe!!
Amanda: HI mom, dad, Summer, Connor, and red! I miss you guys, but I’m having so much fun! My favorite activity so far was community day. I’m kinda running out of cash…hehe…(dad was right). Make sure you guys comment everyday. Be ready for the call. I think the heat is stronger here, I have to drink a lot of water, but both times I drank soda my stomach hurt, and today the vanilla Frappe made my stomach hurt. Since I was one of the Liders del Dia today, I had to wake up earlier to knock on everyone else’s door, and I got a temporary alarm clock for being a leader and I set my own, but neither went off. So at 6:02am McKayla and Ray showed up to my door when we were supposed to be waking people up at 6. Anyway bye, talk to you tomorrow.
Comments (23)
Jennifer Sagan
Awesome Amanda! I can’t wait to hear about everything! I bet the only challenging thing for you is getting out of bed so early in the morning! Ha ha!
Love,
Mom
Cynthia Delgado
Please tell Gavy I am proud of her and she’s looking happy!
YMCA – Swim Team WAVE 🏊
Coach Jason
Cynthia Delgado
Dear Gavy – I hope you’re having a lot of fun in Panama . We should hang out soon. It’s been a little while since we hanged out and also do a picnic. We all miss you and I’m very proud of you. Just making it to Sargeant in Cadet and also doing the Cadet Academy Camp again. Great job with your swimming too. All right talk to you when you get back.
Sincerely Matthew
Sara Switzer
Looks like everyone is so happy in all the pictures!! Can’t wait to hear about it tomorrow when you call. Renato be a good leader of the day and keep everyone’s spirits up!
Cynthia Delgado
Dear Gavy; The leveling process for the hydrophonic station i bet it came out looking good! 😊
I can’t wait to know all about the food you been eating 🥰 enjoy the day today! Love; Dad, Ethan, Loki 🐕and Mami 💗
Laura Hastings
McKayla!
You go girl! Learning girl power is so important, and I think you are doing just that! We all miss you and I can’t wait to give you a big hug!
Love… Grammy
Kristin
Heeeey Easy Peasy!
We can’t wait to hear from you today! The project looks like it’s coming along great. Also looks like everyone is having fun. We are almost finished with the fire pit and lit an inaugural fire with success! We are going to have a pool party on Saturday when you’re home to enjoy the new outdoor space. Miss you and love you.
Have a beautiful night.
Xoxox ❤️❤️❤️
Mom, Dad, P Dog, Cally baby and Crazy Cat (oh my is she crazy) 🐈⬛
Brittany Valentine
Amazing job leaders! Ray mom couldn’t be more proud of you and all your accomplishments!! I miss you so much kid!!! I love you!!!!
Robert Plant
McKayla, what an amazing trip! We are all so proud of you. Great to hear you stepping out of your comfort zone and taking advantage of this amazing opportunity. Can’t wait to hear more about it when you get back. Poppy!!
Patrick Mullins
Very cool that you’re building a greenhouse! Looks like it is going well – nice work! (Elenore can tell you how much I love plants and gardening.)
Elenore, I am so excited to see you soon! Love you!
Aimee (McK’s Mom❤️)
Hello Glimpsers ! First off , love the title of the blog 😂! I also want to thank every single student for making this such a memorable trip for my daughter; she went into this a little apprehensive, not knowing anyone and being the only student from CT. Reading this blog , everyone has made her feel like family and given her the opportunity to be her authentic self; I know each one of you on this trip has contributed to this and I thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️. McKayla! Of course I’m so proud of you; you are doing amazing things and I l love you most ! I loved reading your blog! Doing things outside your comfort zone is not always easy , but when you feel support by good people, and you trust yourself, you thrive . Good luck to JJ, Antoni and Renato on being next Leader of the Day! Love you McK!
Bob
Hello students! Your time in Panama is quickly coming to an end and we parents are so extremely proud of each and every one of you. I know it’s cool to go to another country on vacation but to do it for work and to help while giving up summertime with friends and family is very admirable. The blogs of the day have been written masterfully, I feel like I was there. Keep up the great work!
Ains
We miss you and love you!! Mom dad Midge Dj calisimo and meecee
Jen Cadran
You can feel the momentum building with every part of this CAP project. Huge shoutout to Amanda, Ray, and McKayla for leading the charge today!
The marching band moment sounded like such a fun surprise, and the post‑work treats were well deserved.
I’m very curious about this surprise dance!
Can’t wait to hear from you Rob, I’m sure you have lots to share since we last checked in, love you – mom
Agnieszka
I love seeing all of you working so hard together and having fun at the same time. ❤️ It looks like you are really making a difference with this project, and I’m sure you will all be so proud when you see everything finished.
Angelica, I saw you on that ladder looking so happy. 😂 I guess you really found your place in the greenhouse. Just please remember you are there to build garden beds, not to start a new career as a construction worker. 😂❤️
We miss you so much and love seeing you happy and enjoying this adventure. We can’t wait to hear all about it when you come home.
Love, Mom & Dad ❤️
Cynthia Delgado
Listing listing Glimpse; Each of one of you have done a wonderful job, did something special in this trip to Las Tablas Panama 🇵🇦 meaning that is what you going to take in your heart for the rest of your life… VIVE LA VIDA to the fullest with kindness, respect and honor… With Love Mama Serrano with all respect ❤️ Gavy Mother
Juan Martinez-Muñoz
Stayed hydrated AND making sure to enjoy some delicious coffee? That’s what CAP is all about! Super glad to see the project is going well and y’all are having a good time!
Jennifer Mccaffrey
Amazing work! Congrats to the leaders of the day! Glad you all are making sure to drink enough water. Milina I see you know how to level now, so you can help me with the patio when you get home 😉 I hope someone gets a recording of the surprise dance – that sounds super fun. Enjoy your last couple days in Panama!
Lanah
Cant wait to see you be a leader Renato make me proud. I miss and love you sm!!! Ur doing amazing things! <3
Leo Sagan
I’m proud of you, Amanda, and all of the other students who have served as LOD so far. Taking on leadership responsibilities and representing your group can feel a little outside your comfort zone at first, but those experiences are incredibly valuable for personal growth.
It’s great to see how much progress has already been made on the planting beds, greenhouse, and other projects. It will be exciting for all of us back home to watch the project develop day by day. I also hope you’re able to continue to interact with your Panamanian peers at the school. Even though you live far apart, I’m sure you’ll discover that you have a lot in common.
As you mentioned, sticking with water and lighter drinks is probably the best way to stay hydrated. Heavier, sugary drinks may not agree with you when you’re spending long days doing physical work in a warm climate.
Too bad about the alarm clocks! Then again, setting up a traditional alarm clock might be a new experience for someone from Gen Z. It’s good that you had your fellow LODs there to help. That’s what teamwork is all about: supporting one another and helping the group succeed together.
Cynthia Delgado
Dear, Amanda, Ray & McKayla… I love your stories and I see the hard work you all have done as a team. ❤️🇵🇦 Dios me los Bendiga!!! 🙏Mama Serrano 😘
Agnieszka
Moje kochane słoneczko, my tak strasznie tęsknimy za tobą. Tak było fajnie usłyszec twój głos dzisiaj. Twoje zwierzaki tęsknią też za tobą bardzo. Jestesmy z ciebie bardzo dumni jak patrzymy na zdjęcia z tej wyprawy. Nie mogę się doczekać jak mi opowiesz wszystko dokładnie jak tam było. Przesyłam ci dużo całusków i uścisków i widzimy się w Piątek. Nie mogę się doczekać. ❤️
Mary Downie
Hola todos! I love reading your daily blogs – it looks like you are all having a wonderful time. This makes my heart happy! Enjoy the last few days – soak it all up! I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you all!
Shout out to Binika and JJ! I hope you are both loving this experience! And I hope you have caught the travel bug!
And shout out to my Southwick girls- Amanda, Angelica and Ainsleigh! I cannot wait to hear all about the trip and see lots of pictures! I’m so happy that you embraced this experience!
BIG LOVE to you all!
Julianne rossi
Hi Amanda! Dad shared that you are doing a service project. That is an amazing opportunity. I am so excited for you. I am looking forward to seeing and hearing about it. Enjoy every minute. Love Auntie Julianne