Day 10 – Final Reflection
Student Trip Blog
Hiiii!! It’s Ari (the one in pink) and Maddy (the one in red), your leaders of the day for day 4!! We have some AMAZING experiences to share with you all!
For breakfast today we had some omelette with Hojaldras, a Panamanian dish that consists of yeast, flour, water, and salt! As the drink we had some delicioussss strawberry and pineapple juice. We also had some coffee with some tea options (fyi the coffee was soso amazing, it was gone in like 5 seconds). Lastly we had fruit cups that had papaya and pineapple!!
Then we took a trip to El Espinal Community, specifically to the fantastic school called Escuela Felicia Castillero de Morcillo. We met the most adorable kids from pre-k to 6th grade.
One of the little girls named Sol became very fond of our friend Joselyn and became attached at the hip with her! It was the cutest thing EVERRR!!
We found out that this school is where our Community Action Project (CAP) will take place!! We are sooo excited to help out the little kids. We went on a tour of all the classrooms that we are going to help decorate in order to elevate the learning experience. All school staff was so nice to everybody and was very welcoming!!
We were so sad to leave the kids behind, but we knew we were coming back to see them again! However, it brightened our day to find out we were stopping for ICE CREAM!
We all had so much fun picking out the flavors and enjoying them all together. After we devoured our desserts, Maddy and I had the honor of gifting the worker, Jair, a gift that enlightened his day.
We went back to the hotel for lunch. Lunch consisted of arroz (rice) con pollo guisado (chicken with sauce/chicken stew), with a salad on the side. For our drink we had strawberry juice again. Since we’re LDD’s we made sure everybody got food first. Then we ate the amazing food that our cook (Ilda) prepared for us which reminded Ari and I of home since we’re both Dominican. We all said gracias to Ilda for the breathtaking food.
After lunch we worked on planning our CAP project so we chose to split into 3 groups to tackle it more efficiently for each of the 3 classrooms. We made a checklist of materials that we need, made a board to present for tomorrow, and got everything ready for the busy day ahead of us!
After all this planning we got the opportunity to explore Chitré near our hotel in groups of 4 or more! We had a map, chose where we were going, informed the adult leadership team, and we were off on our adventure! We came back with LOADS of snacks! They were sooo cheap compared to the pricing in the states (we got like 15 snacks for 3 dollars).
Then the rest of the day went smoothly!
Tomorrow our leaders of the day will be Sani, Dimitri, and Jesse! Stay tuned and don’t forget to comment down below so we can hear all the love!!
P.S
Hiiii Mami, Papi, and Arlette! I know I just talked to yall but to Arlette I miss you soo much and I am so excited to tell ALL of you guys everything. Also Mylee and Sammy if you’re reading this I hope yall came back from your trip safely and I can’t wait to catch up with you guys. So much love for everyone!!!
P.S part 2!
Hola mama, papi, ñaña, tata, and mamita (basically everyone loll). I miss you guys soso much and i hope you guys are doing well!! I cant wait to see you guys when I come back. The trip so far is soso fun and if Samantha is reading this miss you so much. I don’t feel funny or cool without Martin around. Love you all!!
— Day 4 Leaders of the Day
— Maddy and Ari
Comments (23)
Yuderky
Hola Ari,
I am so proud of you!
today you and your group have a great day. I so happy that you were able to spend time with the kids because I know you enjoy them. Congratulations to you and Maddy for your hard work leading up the group. Te extraño mucho!!
See you soon!!!
Mylee
Hi!! Im making it my goal to write every day that I’m back! It’s so great to see you lead Ari especially since I know how great you are at it! It was so funny seeing you guys at the ice cream place because that is the SAME one we went to every time! I hope you got the brownie flavor it is THE BEST one! It’s so cool that your cap project is going to be in a school that’s is LITERALLY perfect for you! Also wanted to let you know that I got your vlogs and you are gonna have a ton on your phone when you get back! Love you and miss you can’t wait to catch up! Sincerely your bestie 😝😝
Twanna
Ari and Maddy thank you for your leadership. It looks like you all are enjoying Panama as you should and learning a lot. The food looks good.
Hiiii Sani. Enjoyed seeing youuuu. I look forward to what You, Jesse, and Dimitri lead us to next.
I Love and Miss You much..and of course cannot wait to hear and see all about it..🥰
Willian
Holaaaa!
Ari, you look amazing. You and Maddy did very good… I’m so proud of you.
I’m pretty sure that you enjoyed working with the kids, you love them, and they look so nice.
We are missing you here and can’t wait to your stories. Muchos muchos besos y abrazos.
Papi.
Merclyn Kuffour
Hello Adriel thanks for calling yesterday it was so good talking with you. continue to have fun love you and also a big thank you to all the leader for keeping our children safe God bless you
Arlette
Hi Ari!! I’m so glad yall are having fun and I’m so proud of your leadership!! We miss you but can’t wait to see all the adventures you go on! 💞🕷️
Paula
Aww. The school kids are adorable!!! See??Y’all shouldn’t complain bc those kids dont seem to mind going to school in the summer!! lol. It’s so rewarding to watch you all come together and work on the CAP! Amina and Addie, I see those big smiles! ❤️
Deloise Snowden
Hello all,
.
You guys did an awesome job as the leaders, very detailed. I’m sure that what you all do at the school will be nothing short of wonderful. Yummy, the food looks tasty and I’m glad everyone is enjoying the journey thus far. Saniiii, you are up next and my my my, I’m excited for you. I know you and your team will do great. Keep learning and enjoying Panama…we love and miss you Sani.
Have a great day all
Allison
Aww Jos your little friend Sol is adorable! Berrit would be so jealous lol. Miss you. Love you. <3<3<3
Alejandrina V
Hola Yaretzi, I am so glad to see you enjoying yourself in Panama. Whenever we ask Madelyn where you are she keeps saying that you are in school😂. Your sisters miss you very much but are very happy that you are enjoying your time there. I hope that you keep learning more about Panama’s culture. Stay safe and keep having fun!!
Valeria Miranda
Ari you look like you’re having a great time!! Enjoy it :))) ❤️❤️❤️Me and Sam miss you sooo much ✨✨✨
sam
Omggg arii leader of the day so proud of you!! You got the most amazing school with the most amazing people and kids! Hope u check out my mural in the English room 😉 I hope you have the most amazing time doing your cap! I miss you already!
Adela
Hola Madelaine! Mi princesa bella! Veo que estás disfrutando que tú estadía en Panamá. Te quiero mucho y te extraño un montón. Desde la distancia recibe un fuerte abrazo de tu abuela. Que Dios te bendiga mi niña hermosa, cuídate mucho.
Mónica Pichardo
Madelaine, Your call yesterday was the best. Hearing how happy you are makes me so grateful. My heart is bursting with pride today! You & Ari did a wonderful job being the leaders on Day 4. I can’t wait to learn about your community action project. I love that you are embracing the culture, meeting the local students, and trying new things with an open heart. “De seguro que esos platanitos los compraste tú”
You are growing into such a beautiful leader. Enjoy the rest of the trip, my love!
Brenda Gonzalez
Hi my dearest Madelaine:
I want you to know that I’m proud of you. You are an amazing, loving and caring young leader. This is only the beginning of a life-long journey.
Keep following your dreams and take the needed steps to get there.
You have a fantastic family, including your tías! Please know that you can always count on us.
Love you very much,
Your tia Brenda.
Mary Ann & Benjeil
Hi Xavia and friends!
Even though our conversations are quick, it is so nice to hear your voice. We are so happy to hear that you’re having a great time and that everyone seems so nice I know you all will make a great impact on the school that you work on and that your contributions will last long after you are gone. Your project seems artsy which is right up your alley. Don’t think I didn’t see your beautiful eye drawing with the perfect arched eye brows! 🥰
Anyway, we miss and love you and can’t wait to hear from you again soon!
Love,
mom and dad
Adelaine
Maddyyyy!! I’m so proud of you for being one of the leaders of the day! ❤️ It looks like you’re having such an amazing time, and I love seeing you step outside your comfort zone, embrace the culture, and help plan something so meaningful for the students. I already know you’re going to make those classrooms look beautiful! Keep enjoying every moment! I miss you and can’t wait to hear all your stories when you get home. Love you so much, ñaña!
Dawn Meredith
Dear Amina,
I’ve been thinking about you so much since you left for Panama, and I just want you to know how incredibly proud I am of you. It takes a special kind of heart to give your time and energy to help others, especially somewhere so far from home.
I hope you’re soaking up every bit of the experience — the people you’re meeting, the work you’re doing, even the challenges that come with being somewhere new. Those are the moments that stay with you forever.
Sending you all my love from here. I can’t wait to hear your stories when you’re back
.
Love you,
Grandma
Angela hollowell
Hey Amir !!!! Looks like you’re having so much fun so happy for you !!!! I missed you for my birthday we had a party at the house . Can’t wait to see you and you can tell me about your wonderful experience. Everyone said hi
Tonya Hollowell
Hope u have a good time stay cool dude 🤣😘
Mohamad Lah
Enjoy the sun!
Pat Harris
I love seeing your smiling face. Looks like you are having sooo much fun. Kudos to your leaders. I was surprised to see you in the front row on some of the pictures. 🤗I bet the days are flying by so fast. Cherish the time there and be safe. My beautiful granddaughter. Love and miss you 🥰 Prayers going up🙏🏾 Grandma
Michelle
Looks like an amazing trip, Jos! I’m not surprised Sol had so much fun with you! Allison is right – Berrit will be so jealous! Love you!