Day 3: Community Day & CAp Seminar

Hola, these are your Lideres del Dia, Chelsea, Ximena M, Fiona, and Aradia enjoying our food-filled fanatastic day three in Costa Rica!

We started our rainy morning with an amazing breakfast of gallo pinto, as well as pancakes and an assortment of tropical fruits like mango and pineapple, washing it down with either a cup of coffee or orange juice.

After a delicous breakfast, we headed off to town where we meet up with the families we spent the whole day with.

In my group (Chelsea), Lena, Diego, Petra, and Lucia along with Diana, all spent the day with Mila and her family, her husband Ronald and her two kids, Mateo and Ana Victoria. They cooked for us a special meal reserved for special occasions for lunch; chicharon, rice, salad, yuca, and a tamarid drink, where we helped them chop vegetables, make the drinks, and clean up. After eating and conversating about our lives, we played fun outdoor games with their neighbors and Aradia’s group (where our group won most of the games). We then moved on to Mila teaching us how to make empandas and tortillas, which were very delicous!

In my group (Ximena M), Thalia, Nia, Zack, and Sophia T all acompanied Dona Carmen as she went through a typical day. For lunch she made us Arroz con Pollo with refried black beans as well as a salad that we all pitched in to make. After lunch we filled our time with many games (Mao and Black Jack) and Dona Carmen even broke out her vintage bingo set for us to play with. Throughout the day we made papuas and even spend quality time with Dona Carmens family and cute kitten.

Greetings!(Aradia) My group(Adien, Sophia I, Sharlyn, Fri, and Colin, was hosted by Johanna’s family. we socialized over fruit, bonded over fried fish, avocados, plantains, rice, potatoes, and salad. then we competed in games with the neighbor groop and while we didn’t win we tried our hardest (love for the game, respect for the rules!). We then cooled down and made empanadas together. it was amazing to make all that food and learn about the community with everyone.

Hi there! For my group (Fiona), Ximena B, Evan, Andrew, Eleanor, Taliese, and Leona dropped Rosario a visit. We all collectively helped make our delicious lunch of rice, fried fish, vegetable salad (that included plants from her garden), mashed potatoes with cheese, and a side of juice. While sitting at the table, we all got to conversate with her (big thanks to Ximena for translating the whole time!), and really built a connection. Rosario kindly gave us a tour of her home and showed us pictures of her kids. We then cooked empandas and tortillas from scratch, which definitely filled our bellies before dinner. Everyones thankful with for her gratitude and truly loved building a new connection with the Costa Rican community.

Once everyone regrouped together, our lovely Program Coordinators gave us a short seminar about our upcoming CAP (community action project). We then enjoyed a delicious meal of hamburgers, fries, and another fruit juice. Everybody spoke about their different experiences at home and reconnected with our fellow peers. Our nightly meeting included lots of Big Love shoutouts, stories of us conquering nature, and the pre-bed time games continued.

Catch us tomorrow! – Chelsea, Ximena M, Fiona, and Aradia 🙂