Student Trip Blog
Hello Friends and Families,
This is Fernando, Catalina and Brandon, your Lideres del Dia for our first day of the CAP (Community Action Project).
A CAP project is one of the most important parts of a global glimpse trip. It allows us to collaborate together with one another and the community to leave our mark on the local people. For our specific trip the basis of our CAP project is the need for a more secure and reliable source of water. In more detail, our project consists of digging trenches and replacing piping to provide a better water system for the local people of Turrialba, Costa Rica.
Our day began with the usual waking up at 6-7 am and a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), fresh fruit and juice. After breakfast we had the opportunity to interact with a local craftsman from the area and learn more about the making of bracelets and jewelry from natural materials.
Following the purchasing of unique and locally made souvenirs we headed out for our first day on the CAP project. We walked as a group with our shovels and gloves, filled with enthusiasm and energy, ready to work and give back to this amazing Central American community.
Before beginning to work we did a mental warm up, something we do every morning to get our energy up and our minds awake. Today we led the group in a game of telephone, helping us practice not only our Spanish, using Spanish and trip related phrases, but also practice communication, key to ensuring the we were successful in the CAP project which requires a lot of team work and joint effort.
Once we were done with the mental warm up we were introduced to Armando a foreman of the local ASADA, a local organization in charge of managing the distribution of water in the community. He showed us how to properly use the tools (shovel and pickaxe) in a safe manner and helped us develop the skills necessary to efficiently excavate the trench into which the new pipes will be laid.
After this we were split into two groups and collaboratively began the excavation. We worked around rocks and hard soil, breaking a sweat as we began to see the trench grow deeper.
This project was a continuation of the previous delegation’s work showing how it takes a collaborative effort to make an impact, allowing us to become part of something bigger than ourselves. After a couple hours of hard but rewarding work we headed back to our base home for lunch where we enjoyed a warm Caldo de Res, beef stew, with traditional rice and a side salad.
After lunch, we headed back for another hour or so of hard work, seeing our progress advance. As we ended our day of work on the CAP we were able to see just how much we were able to accomplish together, making much progress from what the terrain originally was.
We enjoyed some free time after a long day of work with time in the pool, playing pool, and dabbling in card games like spoons and palace.
We ended the day with some good dinner, snacks, and a movie night. Perfect way to end a hard day of work!!!!!
