Aid and Development Day (No. 3)

Buenas Noches from Bella and Marcus.

It was a beautiful day – no rain! Today we had a later start;  most of us got up around 7:00 am, and as usual, some of us participated in yoga with Michelle.

We had more of an American-style breakfast today: pancakes and scrambled eggs with fruit and some orange juice. After eating, we led a series of energizers as a mental warm-up.

Our morning consisted of two seminars to prepare us for our Community Action Project (C.A.P.). We learned about the importance of sustainable development and the difference between helping and supporting. Our delegation first split into three groups with different amounts of materials with the direction to build their own cubes out of paper. We then discussed what happens when different groups have access to different resources. After a short break, students then explored how we would use our skills to be great volunteers during our next three days of C.A.P.

The afternoon began with a delicious lunch accompanied by mint, kiwi, and cucumber juice! We used our day at home to bond a little more during our free time. We had an hour and a half to play games and just talk before had our afternoon seminar.

For two hours, our guest speaker: Rodrigo taught us how to use our abilities to plan and execute almost any sustainable project. Much Big Love to Hannah and Kayla for their awesome translation skills. Rodrigo only spoke Spanish, so they made sure the group understood the session and took the risk of presenting alongside Rodrigo. Students were then sent off to practice the skills needed to give back to a community. Rodrigo then lead Bella to plant a tree in the backyard of our beautiful home, symbolizing that we are all capable of acting and supporting our community!

We now know that in order to take action, we need to have a plan to execute our ideas. Here is a sample video you can watch: IMG_2894. Students feel confident to tackle whatever work they need to do tomorrow. We’ll be working hard to improve a local school from 8 am to 4 pm.

Our long day of learning ended with time to reflect. Students broke into four groups and asked questions of each other to get to know one another better.

During our nightly meeting, we gave Big Love to our reflection groups, as all of us felt we got to know each other on a more vulnerable yet safe and connected level.

We wanted to give extra appreciation to our chefs: Michael, Marvin, Dona Ligia, and Dona Ligia’s daughter. There is a photo of the with us at the tables where we take our meals; we took a picture to express our thanks to them.

As we finish typing this blog, we have a small bonfire lit to make s’mores to celebrate the fourth of July, or for those to don’t celebrate, just another time to bond and laugh together before our big day tomorrow.

We hope you’re all happy and well in the States, and we’re sending you virtual s’mores filled with love and positive energy.

Your leaders of the day – Bella and Marcus, signing off!