Day 7: Community Action Project. CAPPPPP!!!

Today was CAP Day 1. We had to wake up at 6:00 am but the LDDs which are me (Rayjelis) and Olivia, had to wake up around 5 am to wake up everyone else. Everyone was still a bit tired but we still had very positive vibes and a positive mindset. We had a playlist of songs on the bus to keep the vibes up. When we got to the site it was hot and sunny, and a lot of work needed to be done, which we of course handled. Half of the group started putting bamboo sticks down in the soil next to where the seedling would be planted. The other half of the group started planting the seedlings in the holes which the Magnificos had already dug. We also had help from some volunteers from Banco General who basically are people who live in the nearby area, a huge thank you to them. Sandra and Ceaser led the reforestation group, and inspired us to work hard and put in our best efforts! If you’re interested in more information, you can find the photos on the Instagram, (@proecoazuero). Just to remind EVERYONE, Ray planted a total of NINETEEN plants. I, on the other hand, planted around 7 but put up around over 30 sticks. We planted on the side of hills, which was a little scary! Do not worry, we were very careful. To keep the vibes up we played music, and had many laughs. The views were beautiful and everywhere you looked there was a nice view even if we were dying of heat and sweating our butts off but the important part was that we were able to make a different in this community for future generations.

For lunch, an extremely kind local family made food for all of us! She cooked for all of us, the Global Glimpse group, and the volunteers. We had white rice, lentils, meat, and potato salad. Muy delicioso! We all sat around, enjoyed the dinner, and listened to some nice music. We even got to eat with the dogs and chickens! There were many cows as well (a bit further down though). We owe her a big thank you

On the way back to the hotel we stopped for ice cream! I (Olivia) had brownie ice cream, and it was super good. It was amazing to cool down after our morning full of work. Then, we went to the plaza to go buy some small, nice things, I (Rayjelis) brought pants and a bottle of water. Now I’m down to ten dollars. It is safe to say we are exploring Panama to the fullest.

To fully immerse ourselves in the Panamanian culture, we made masks!!! Which are traditional to Panamainian people, and are important to the locals who live here. We made Diablicos which are traditional Panamanian expressions of emotions and moods. The history goes, the Spaniards arrived in Panama, and they wanted to introduce religion, but the only way to communicate the ‘goods’ and ‘bads’ in the eyes of Catholicism was to use mini devil caricatures. The Panamanian people spread the culture of the Diablicos and turned them into festive attire. Thankfully, the presenters Don Dario and Maria taught us how to make our own! We had total freedom to creatively express ourselves. We used red, blue, yellow, and black etc. Everyone finished and shared their masks accompanied with nice conversation. This experience was SOOO much fun!

Now! We have to prepare for Cap Day 2.

We want to send a big message to our friends and family, we miss you all SOOOO MUCH. We can not wait to see you all again, and share every joyous experience with you. We can’t wait to give you all the knowledge we learned about panama and gifts. Missing my mom’s cooking and my brother bothering me and my dad (Rayjelis), I also miss TAKIS I can’t wait to see you all in person so with much love and hugs from Rayjelis and Olivia. To all the families, your love and support means so much to us glimpsers. We thank you all so much. Yes I am eating all the food and drinking a lot of water (Rayjelis)

Love, Rayjelis and Olivia