Day 10 – Final Reflection
Student Trip Blog
Hey guys!! Today’s blog is brought to you by Cynthia, Devon, and Nancy!!!!! Today we officially started our CAP project bright and early at 6:30 AM. It was a lot of hard work, but we were determined and pushed through. As the LDDs, we got up super early at 6 to wake everyone up on time. For breakfast, we embraced our adopted Panamanian culture and ate delicious chicken and cheese empanadas, scrambled eggs, and side of fresh fruit including mangos, pineapple, and papaya. After we consumed our energy, we were ready to start our long day of hard work.
We left the hotel later than expected, and we arrived at the Santa Ana Elementary school at 9:30 to begin our three main tasks. The boys, with the exception of a few girls, got started on mixing the cement for the concrete floor that we installed. It took so much time, energy, and sweat that no one wanted to do anything else after.
Our second task involved a smaller group of girls to varnish tables and benches. This task was pretty simple. We were under the shade, jammin’ out to our Spanish music thanks to Jose, and we finished up all our layers before lunch! Our third, and final task was equally as grueling as mixing the concrete. A much smaller group of about 5 people were working on sanding and filing any patches on the garden bed curbs. Even after just minutes, everyone was sweating so much that our clothes were no longer wearable. For this task, we made a lot of progress, but we didn’t finish, so we’ll have to continue it tomorrow. We even needed more supplies.
Around 10 AM it was time for a snack break. We had a few options for snacks, both salty and sweet. Our salty options were potato and plantain chips, and our sweet options were Oreos! Cynthia also made sure everyone was hydrated by filling water bottles and adding electrolytes.
After three and a half hours of hard work, our well-deserved lunch had finally arrived. We ate delicious beef and rice with a side of salad. During this lunch break, the students from Santa Ana had their dismissal and the guys and Camellia played soccer with the kids! Camellia also gave them stickers, temporary tattoos, and the toys that she brought for them.
After this much-needed lunch break, we all headed back to our stations. Our varnishing and sanding down the curbs were pretty much done, but our concrete mixers needed a lot of work! We decided to all join the concrete team, allowing them to give themselves a break. First, we had to bring in the sand, gravel, and concrete in our wheelbarrows. After gathering these materials, we put the water in the center and started mixing with our shovels! The mixture was VERY heavy and took a lot of practice before we could get into it. After repeating this process three times, we finally finished up at around 4:30 PM. SHOUT-OUT to Nico, Sammy, Myles, and Xavi for working really hard and rolling in so many wheelbarrows.
We all got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel. Going in the bus felt AMAZING. It was so fresh and cooled us off after being out in the hot Panama weather for a good 6 hours. It is currently winter in Panama, but it is still hot and humid. As we arrived at the hotel, we had our free time before dinner. Some headed to the local coffee shop, others to the bakery, and many took this time to freshen up and shower.
Dinner was served at 6:00 PM. Today we had chicken soup with rice and pineapple juice. We finally faced our fears and ordered something from the hotel’s actual restaurant. Myles was the first to order, and others soon followed. The fan favorite is the papas Piggy (piggy fries). This delicious dish includes French fries, bacon, cheese, and pico de gallo. To end off our night and time as leaders of the day, we had our nightly meeting and handed off our role to the next leaders. As we are writing this blog, we are enjoying our last moments as leaders. From first-day roommates to being leaders of the day together. We have enjoyed every day together and were glad to be able to work together.
Cynthia: HIII!! I am having sooo much fun but I do miss all of you (mom, dad, Sara, Jacqui, and Jazmin). I have met so many fun people, and we all have had a great time together. I have made so many fun new memories in these last couple of days and I’ve been taking so many pictures and can’t wait to show you guys my trip. I actually had to buy a memory card because my camera’s storage got full. There are only a couple days left and I am sad that this trip is going by so fast but I am excited to see all of you again. Sending lots of love and can’t wait to see and talk to you guys about everything!! Los quiero mucho!!
Devon: Hi, family and everyone else! I’m falling asleep as I’m writing this. I had such a fun day as a leader, and I’ve been able to find what I want to improve on. I think that I can improve on my communication of my instructions more clearly to my team next time, but otherwise I think I did pretty well. I miss everyone, especially Wispy. My only request right now is to please bring her to the airport so I can see her when I get in the car. I’m ready for bed, so I’m signing out.
Nancy: Heyyy family and friends! I’m having so much fun on my trip, but I definitely miss telling you guys all about my days! I’m journaling every day, so I WILL be telling you allll about it. OH, and don’t forget about the photos. I brought my adapter so best believe I will be getting all my photos to my phone as soon as I get it back! I’ve learned so much so far, and I’ve made so many new friends that I can’t wait to tell you all about! Not only have I learned about the culture and life here, but I’ve also learned about myself as a leader. Being a leader requires drive, patience, and initiative. There’s not one day that I go without thinking each and every one of you guys and I love you all so much! See you soon!
P.S. Jaymie, if you’re seeing this, Camellia misses you and is asking you to please comment on our blogs.
P.S. Liloooo, thank you so much for helping me while I’m away. I really appreciate it, and I pinky promise I won’t forget your magnet. Please keep reminding me though đ
Comments (21)
Jessica Sanchez
Hello everyone!!! Great blog to the leaders of the day. You guys did a well detailed blog. I am proud of everyoneâs hard work to making sure that school looks amazing. I know itâs hard to work under the hot weather but over all you guys did it.
Sammy I love seeing you work hard. I know you put in all your love into this.
Counting the days until we see you!!
Love you son!!! đ
Hasani Rebholz
GG students love reading the updates. Hereâs a little nugget to keep you going:
There is a season for hard work and a season to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Success isnât built overnightâit comes through dedication, discipline, and perseverance. Every early morning, every late night, and every challenge overcome becomes part of the foundation for something greater.
But life isnât meant to be all work. After giving your best, take time to rest, celebrate your accomplishments, laugh with family and friends, and create memories that last. Rest isnât a sign of weakness; itâs what renews your strength for the journey ahead.
Myles I see you. Love the picture of you milking the cow. It reminded me of the 4Hâď¸ daysâ¤ď¸
Anuradha Mayer
Wow, You all are working so hard out there and in the heat. Sounds like a bonding experience. Can yâall make sure you work that hard and help your families when you get back home đ You are making a big difference In the local community. Thatâs fabulous! Keep on going. I bet the time is going fast. Itâs going slow for all of us families waiting for you to come home.
Jeeya, We talk about you every day and I do really think Lulu misses you. La u and miss you hon!
Kimi Lin
What an incredible start to the CAP project! Pushing through a grueling first day under the hot sunâfrom mixing heavy concrete to sanding and varnishingâshows what a truly resilient and dedicated team you are!
To Krystal: We are incredibly proud of you for jumping right in, digging, and crushing that tough concrete workâyour strength and dedication really shine through!
Keep up the amazing teamwork and energy, stay safe, and have an awesome Day 2!
Kimi Lin
What an incredible start to the CAP project! Pushing through a grueling first day under the hot sunâfrom mixing heavy concrete to sanding and varnishingâshows what a truly resilient and dedicated team you are!!!
To Krystal: We are incredibly proud of you for jumping right in, digging, and crushing that tough concrete workâyour strength and dedication really shine through!
Keep up the amazing teamwork and energy, stay safe, and have an awesome Day 2!
Cynthia
Cynthia, we’re so happy you’re having such a great time and doing what you love, always helping out and being there for anyone who needs you. We love you so much, and we miss you even more! We’re sad you won’t be with us for you birthday this Friday, but we hope you have a wonderful birthday full of adventure, surrounded by the friends you’ve made. Sending you a million hugs! We love you so much đ â¤ď¸ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEAUTIFUL!!!đđđđđđđ
Izabel Hernandez
Niko,
We enjoyed reading about your day and all the hard work youâve been doing! We hope youâre having a lot of fun and making new friendships along the way!! We miss you and look forward to the blogs everyday to see what your day has been filled with.
(We hope those hard days of mowing the North Carolina lawn paid off!)
Love,
Mom, Dad, Olivia, Charlotte, Everett, & Cali
Lorraine Sousa
Wow! Kudos to you all for working so hard in the heat! I canât wait to see your final garden project.
Hi Kaitlyn! Hi Jasmine! Iâm looking forward to hearing all about your trip.
Love, Mami
Yvette Naas
Hi Avery!
Another wonderful blog entry! So amazing to see all the hard work you and your friends are doing on day 1 of your project! It reminds me of the Los Ninos volunteer trip I did in high school years ago. We also worked mixing and laying cement in a school to help build a foundation! I love that you get to build a garden and something that will continue to bring joy to many children for years to come. Iâm so curious what you and the team will plant!?
Keep working hard, having fun and opening yourself up to this experience. Canât wait to see what day 2 brings!
Love you so much my girl! I have a list of new shows for us to watch when you get back đ Miss you đ
Xoxo,
Mom, Dad, Dylan and Daisy
PS. I sure hope you are practicing your Spanish with the kids at the school or with people you meet!?
Meghan
Wow your community action project looks like a ton of work- I am sure it will pay off and greatly benefit the school. Hopefully you guys are getting some time to relax too after all that time working in the heat! Eden- hope you’re still having lots of fun đđ miss you
Elizabeth Miller
Wow! It sounds like today was a lot of hard labor in the heat, and I love seeing the amazing teamwork. How thoughtful that others jumped in to help with the concrete work.
Thatâs what great leaders do!
Keep journaling, keep showing up as your best selvesâthe kids are watchingâand continue growing into the incredible leaders you already are. The skyâs the limit!
So proud of all of you.
Akasha, I miss you and your funny self. Mahal na mahal kita đđđ
Lorenzo
Sounded like it was fun, and busy, hope it was a great time.
Jessica (Devon's Mom)
Wow! That cement was A MASSIVE PROJECT!!! Kudos to the concrete team for working all day. It was great seeing the rest of you pitching in to get it finished. All of you are quite impressive!
I bet the school is super grateful for all of your effort.
Devon, I miss you so so so much! I can’t believe you miss that cat more than me… đ
I’ll make sure she is with us when we pick you up.
I love you more than Whispy,
Mom
PS- Jasmine still hasn’t had the baby
Abinesh Pratap
Hi… Cheyaani
Are you starts counting days? Great to see you there. I like your new black colorful t-shirt. You look cool in Panama. You have good breakfasts, Mangos is momâs favorite, enjoy the ripe ones. Have a good time with Elementary school kids.
DADâŚ!!!
Mario Rebholz
LDDs love the updates! Keep up the good work!
Myles we miss you a bunch. When I get home from work itâs sooo quiet in the house without you there. Keep working hard enjoy yourself have fun and definitely step out of your comfort zone and get some real Panamanian food! Donât even worry about what it is just try it.
Love Dad
Monica G
Wowsa you all are better than me! The hot flashes would take over haha
Anyhow, great job to everyone…way to push through and work as a team.
Glad that you’re all eating and staying hydrated.
I’m excited to hear what other foods you guys order from the menu. Piper you’re adventurous with food…close your eyes and just pick haha
Also, I haven’t heard much about desserts. I know that my child has a sweet tooth like no other. So Piper maybe even order dessert from the menu!!
Also, are there street food vendors? That might be super yummy food too.
Anyhow, I’m proud of all the hard work you all are doing!
BTW Piper, it’s not only hot in Panama it’s been 105° here in Oakley. We are dying haha! So far my favorite day we’ve had was overcast and humid. It reminds of our weather in Cabo.
Please journal everything so we can talk more about it when you get home
Love you,
Mommy
P.S. Brother says Hi.. he said you’re not missin much at home. There some strawberry cake in the freezer if it lasts until you get back
Kiana Nejad
Hi Camellia itâs Kiana! Sounds like you had a very productive and day filled of hard work. I hope you had fun playing with the sweet kids đ
Iâm so proud of you for working hard even in the hot and humid weather and making such a good change for the local community. I miss you so much and canât wait for you to come home. I love youâ¤ď¸Goodnight and sleep tight!
Manuel
Wow you guys have been working hard from waking up early in the morning to working under the hot weather for an extended period of time.
To Julian,
Everyone back home misses you and we canât wait for you to come back. Hopefully you come back with new friendships and experiences that will help you with your future endeavors.
Sarita Prasad (Cheyaaniâs grandmother)
Hi this is Cheyaani’s grandmother. I hope you having so much fun with your new friends and having great time together too. Sending lots of love and can’t wait to see and talk to you about STUDENT TRIP BLOGS. Love you so much
Rey Maguad (Summer Search)
NANCY! So happy to hear about your trip. It sounded like a super hard but super rewarding day. Thanks to all of you for sharing this update and these awesome photos.
Brian from Summer Search
Thank you all for sharing your stories – I’m glad to hear you’ve been learning a lot. The food sounds delicious!