Day 10 – Final Reflection
Student Trip Blog
Buenos Dias everybody! It’s your new Leaders of the Day, Eden, Piper, and Julian, and we are so excited to tell you about our day! As LDDs, we woke up early to knock on everyone’s doors (maybe too loudly) at 6:30 am. We headed straight to breakfast where we were served cheese and ham sandwiches with pineapple juice and prepared for another hard day of work. And…We finally got to do the laundry!!! So look forward to NOT smelling us fresh off the plane.
Time was ticking so Larry herded us to the bus to get to la escuela de Santa Ana on time. Julia and Jose greeted us at Santa Ana and we got right to work on sanding curbs and painting flower boxes. We worked long and hard in the sun and heat but were able to finish early in the end, giving us time for a snack break and to hang out with the kids. After our snack, we divided in two groups. Half of us got started on the concrete and the other half began potting Mangrove trees with the kids and a biologist!!
The kids had a ton of fun painting the sign that will label their new Mangrove Nursery.
Intermission: Camellia’s Chicken Adventure AKA The Chicken Bag Story AKA Chicken Tales! Last night, after a dinner of suspicious chicken, Camellia gathered the extra chicken pieces in a leaking plastic bag and let them sit in a cabinet in her hotel room overnight (Condolences to her roommate, Jeeya). Luckily, this all paid off when the dogs, Mirabel, Pedro, and more, enjoyed our leftovers to their hearts content. We were happy to provide for all our furry friends.
As the mangrove trees were being planted, a small group finished painting the entire curb (in the direct sunlight, backs hunched over, fingers cramping over the paintbrushes) as we trabajar-ed. see figure 1:
Fortunately, we came up with an idea to beat the heat. Two people were awarded the position of umbrella holder, which provided our painters and concrete workers with wonderful, joyous, refreshing shade.
Meanwhile…our concrete mixers were working as hard as ever to handmix and handpour the cement. (Javier, the mason, said that if we could buy a mixer, it would take about a half hour… but that was out of our budget. Shoutout to our sponsors for doing as much as they could). In addition to mixing and pouring, Eden set up the wire foundation and assisted Manuel in smoothing the concrete.
During lunch, the boys and Jose played futbol with the schoolkids (and the kids were lowkey better than the boys). It was a great bonding experience. In fact, a kid from the school recognized Julian out in public as we were shopping later that day. Julian was introduced to his parents and they all got a photo (on a personal camera, so it will be available later).
After we finished eating lunch — and feeding our leftovers to the dogs — we finished up the concrete… or so we thought. Turns out, we needed one last batch to finish, making a total of at least 5 batches of concrete. At the end, we were all sweaty and dirty and looked a mess, which of course means it’s time for an after photo:
At the end of our work day, we had finished all the tasks we had set out to do so we all were satisfied. Some were cleaning up and others were picking mangoes. Larry took pity on us and took us to Gelarti for ice cream.
We had some free-time for shopping and came back to do some self reflections. As the leaders of the day, we learned that leadership is not just gathering people, but we also learned how to keep people motivated when they are exhausted and to check in constantly to keep people healthy with water and breaks. We are glad we had the opportunity to be leaders and are excited for tomorrow’s new leaders: Jasmyn, Kaitlyn, and Myles. We had some chicken nuggets for dinner, and we can’t wait to call you all at around 11:00 am PST tomorrow (7/17/26). Talk to you then.
We are all so tired but so happy that we were able to make an impact. We miss you all and can’t wait to be back…but we also don’t want this trip to end. xoxo ❤️ ❤️
p.s. This is Julian. I just wanted to say hi to my family and Roco. I miss you guys a lot and miss talking to you guys everyday and having family walks everyday.
p.p.s: hi this is camellia. first off just wanted to tell the fam hey yall miss u guysssss a lot but im having a lot of fun as well. also jaymie and esme if ur reading this can u guys plz comment i miss talking to yall. kiana text jaymie and esme idk if they’re reading this. also the kids loved everything soo much its so cute i have pucs. ok bye love yall, expecting essays in the comments…….
p.p.p.s. Jeeya here, hi mama, dada, and LULU! Happy to hear your comments. We are planning on calling around 1pm panama time but I may or may not get to it so it also might be later around 6pm here. Also, you can share this blog with anyone we know so they can see bc I don’t feel like explaining everything over and over again. Love ya!
p.p.p.p.s. this is isyss! just wanted to say, mom you better be feeding princess well and dad you better have whatsapp by the time we get to call home so i can tell you everything! i miss you all so much and cant wait to tell you guys everything!
p.p.p.p.p.s: Safat here! hi family, i miss you all so much!! Christian, thank you for helping with tomorrow’s presentation. Yency & Jamal, thank you for supporting tomorrow as well… sending everyone love
p.p.p.p.p.p.s. This is Eden and Piper, thank you to anyone who made it down this far. Eden first — Hi Mom and Dad! It is a lot of fun here and I have talked to a ton of the locals in kindergarten-level Spanish. I miss both of you (and Joy) and I miss having an airpod in all the time. Hi Aunt Mariel, thank you so much for writing on the blog! I hope you and Hunter and all of your furry friends are doing well. I miss you and we will definitely talk on June 20th to share Latin American stories. Hi Meghan! OH MY GOSH I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG! It’s literally the besssstttt part of my day and I am making you posts right now to read out when I get back. Love all of you. Mwah. PIPER here next, I love you guys all so much, Mom and Dad thank you for the comments and everyone else reading and posting on the blog, I appreciate everyones messages so much they are reallly helping me get through the trip as I miss you all sooooooo much. All the Hugs and All the kisses, I love everyone and I can’t wait to see you guys very soon.
Comments (21)
Hasani Rebholz
Wow, this week is flying by so fast! It feels like you guys just left California, and now it’s almost time to come home. Just a few days left until you’re back make them count and soak in every moment.
I can’t wait to hear more about all
your projects tomorrow and everything you’ve experienced.
Myles,
Uncle Moj saiid hello and was so happy to see you enjoying Panama!
Kick butt tomorrow as the leader.I know you’re going to do great. Love you, miss you, and can’t wait to see you soon! ❤️
Anuradha Mayer
What incredible work you’re all doing. Making a difference in a community and with those kids. They’ll probably remember your visit for many years to come. Sounds like really hard work with concrete and picking mangoes. Hopefully you got to eat some of the mangoes.
Jeeya – So happy to see your comment. I wonder when you’re gonna be writing the blog. Everything is good at home. We were watching videos of when you were little. So cute. You’re on such a big adventure. You’ll remember at your whole life. La U!
Mark
Eden – now I know who to call when I need cement mixed in McCall! Did you get to eat a mango right off the tree?
Anuradha Mayer
What a difference you’re all making with the community you’re helping out in. So fun that you get to play with those kids. Too. They’ll probably always remember how you visited. Sounds like really hard work but also satisfying to see progress. Hope you got to eat some of the mangoes you picked.
Jeeya, So fun to see your comment. I hope you’re having fun and making new friends. You’re on a great big adventure. I got together tonight with Auntie Kaams, Sharon and Farah – they were asking about you and applying for college and your upcoming birthday party. Miss you and La u!
Juliet Jamtgaard
Hi Eden! Great work as one of the leaders today. So proud. And so many life skills you’re learning. Concrete mixing could come in very handy. Same with wire working or umbrella holding. And I fully expect you to speak Kindergarten Spanish to me 24/7 when you come home. It would be awesome if you bring home a mango pit for Joy to plant, but don’t. It’s not worth going to TSA jail for that.
Anyway, keep up the great work. We miss you but are always comforted to see your smiling face. Love Ya.
Jessica Sanchez
Great to hear the big impact you guys are doing for this community. I am sure they will remember this for ever. You guys might think is nothing but for them is everything.
Sammy I am beyond proud of you!! I can’t wait to hear your voice tomorrow. We miss you so much. We are almost heading back as well. I can’t wait to see you. Love you son 😘
Kiana
Hi SISSS idk if my message went through yesterday hopefully it did but anywayssssss…. sounds like today was a lot of work. Honestly so much admiration for all of the physical labor especially in the sun that you all have bene doin. Also omg I can’t believe you left the leaking chicken in your room overnight… I just know it smelt so rancid oh boy. YAY im so happy the kids liked the stuff im just so upset I didn’t bring the rest of the stickers from goldstar! I really miss you sis! its almost almost time. Keep working hard and making a difference. Everybody back home misses you and we can’t wait to see you again and hear all of your stories. PS your hair looks amazing
Carlos Hernandez
Awesome work Niko! I hope you’re learning a ton and really taking the time to enjoy the experience around you. Also- if you have the bandwidth, challenge yourself to learn a number of words / phrases for communication. Best place to try! We love you and we’re incredibly proud of the work you’ve kept up.
Love the family ❤️
susana
hi nancyyyyyy it’s susan, idk if you saw my comment but i wanted to tell you im going to sophia’s to swim and just know we will be thinking about you 💝💝💝💝 much love susan, stay poochina queen !!!!!
Elizabeth Miller
What an incredible journey you are on!
It has been inspiring to watch each of you step up as leaders while serving the community.
Every day, you continue to demonstrate the power of teamwork, dedication, creative thinking, resilience, and an open mind. I also love seeing that you’re having fun along the way. Because some of the best learning happens when you’re fully engaged and enjoying the experience.
As you continue this adventure, I hope you take time to reflect on everything you’re learning about yourselves. These experiences are much more than volunteer hours—they are stories that showcase your character, leadership, problem-solving, adaptability, and commitment to making a difference. I hope you’ll remember these moments and find meaningful ways to include them in your future college applications, essays, interviews, and scholarships.
As you continue this incredible journey, take time to savor every moment—the delicious food, the scenery, the laughter with friends, and the simple joys that make life so sweet.
Enjoy!
Akasha: we love you and miss you, Anak. Mahal kita!
jaymie
Hi camellia, i miss you so much. Not much has been happening in texas but omg i got this weird eye infection and i could barely see out my eye for two days!! I sent some vlogs of what i bought shopping but you can watch those when you get back. I saw in your blog that you saved chicken for the dogs and that makes me miss you so much because i just know you would’ve saved that chicken for me if i was there LOL and we would be eating all the snacks together. i hope your having so much fun and enjoying your last few days and cherishing it all in. I miss you so much and i love you always!! Love, jaymie
Abinesh Pratap
Hi… Cheyaani
Sounds everything goes as plan…GREAT. 6:30 Breakfast, Laundry, get the bus on time. Drink lots of water, as you and your friends work under the sun for long hours. You have some experience in painting, painting is peanut for you girl. In the village dogs eat leftover food. Enjoy the fresh Mango and local ice cream. At last shopping. Dinner is Chicken lucky you Jiggy…Enjoy your stay.
DAD…!!!
Cynthia
Guys, it looks like you’ve done a lot of hard work.That ice scream was well deserved for the heat.
Enjoy the time you have left, and make many beautiful memories. Cynthia, Happy Birthday again, I hope you had a wonderful day. We love you very much!
-Dad, Mom & sisters.
Anthony Davi
It is so nice being able to see the accomplishments you made together as a team in another country. I’m sure this is an experience you will never forget. Piper I’m looking forward to you coming home and being able to talk to you about the experience you had and the work that you’ve done over there to help those in Panama. Love you so much, Grandpa Anthony
Kimberly
It was so good to hear your voice jasmyn. I’m so proud you and everyone for the hard work you guys are doing. I love you and miss you. And I can’t wait to see you.
Kimi Lin
Knowing you all were out there pouring your energy into the concrete mixing and planting under that intense sun makes me so incredibly proud. Picking fresh mangoes straight from the tree sounds like pure magic, and seeing that Larry treated you all to ice cream brings the biggest smile to my face—you earned every single bite of that sweet reward! Keep pouring your hearts into everything you do; you are making such a beautiful difference. 🍦🥭❤️
Private note for Krystal: Krystal, we miss you more than words can say! It has been absolutely scorching here in the San Jose area lately, and every time the heat hits, it just makes me long for your delicious, comforting homemade gelato. Sending you the biggest hug from afar. Please savor every beautiful moment of the rest of your trip—can’t wait to see your shining face when you’re back! ✨☀️
Sukhi Pradeep
Hey Avery it’s your favorite person Sukhi!I just know ur having a great time in Panama helping out and excited to hear all the memories and see photos once you come back!Love and miss uuu
Rachel Bergendahl
Hi Avery!
I have loved checking back on these blogs for updates about your trip every couple of days. I miss you, but I am proud of all of your hard work and the impact you are making! I hope you are having an amazing time and have been able to clear your mind like we talked about. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, and I definitely have a lot to tell you about Indiana and everything haha
By the time you get back, I’ll still be gone for a while, but remember I’m always just a text or FaceTime away!
Love,
Rachel
Sukhi Pradeep
AVERYY! This is ur bestie westie Sukhi!I know ur having the best time in Panama helping out with the community.Im so proud of you and know ur making a ton of memories and im so excited to hear about it when u get home.Love and miss you lots
Sophia
hiii Nancy, didn’t know how to use this website until today because susana showed me how to use it lol, I miss you queen, I have soooooooo much to tell you when you come back love yaaaa saurrrr much pls come back asap !!!!!!!!!!!
Meghan
EDEN!!! I love commenting on your blog I’m so sorry this comment is so late I have been kinda busy (surprisingly). Not sure if you will see this but i’m so proud of all the work you’re doing 🥹🥹🥹 I love you so much and can’t wait to hear all your stories when you get back!! 💗💗💗💗