DAy 8 Finishing Cap

Hi Families!

Today we woke up at 6:30 to a cool, foggy morning and a breakfast of beans and rice, eggs and bacon, and plantains. As Leaders of the Day, we wanted to ensure that all of the Glimpsers felt comfortable enough to hike 40 minutes to our work site. We did some arm stretches, leg stretches, and checked that everyone had their water bottles FILLED, sunscreen, bug spray, a rain coat, and an extra pair of clothes because we knew that the holes we had been digging would be much muddier then they were before.

We set off on our hike to the work site which was not as hard of a walk as the first day. We knew the work would be hard, given that a huge storm had knocked back some of our work, but we were ready for the day. When we arrived at the site, we realized we had forgotten the gloves at the basehouse, so we sucked it up and started digging barehanded, ready to get our hands dirty. Luckily, no blisters were formed throughout the day. After we dug the water out from the holes, we laid down the pipe and covered it back up with dirt. We did such a good job of digging that we finished three hours early and were able to head home before lunch. In what was supposed to be a three day project, we were able to finish it in one and a half days, which we are extremely proud of.

When we got home, we ate lunch (beef sandwiches and hibiscus juice) then had a lot of free time (since we finished our CAP project so early). We were able to shower, hang out, and call home, which gave everyone a boost of energy to finish out the day. In the meantime, we spent time with each other, laughing, playing, and having fun.

Then, we ate a delicious dinner of canelones with rice and vegetables, which many considered to be the best dinner yet. As soon as the call went out for seconds, almost every chair was yanked away from the table as people rushed to get more.

At our nightly meeting, we reviewed the day and passed the torch onto the next leaders (Clarise, Maddie, and Francisco) and got ready for game night! Our captivating storyteller, Dani, led us through an intense and heated round of mafia with stories that kept us on the edge of our seats as we figured out who among us we could trust.

After that, we went to bed and got as much sleep as we could with the dogs barking all night!

——-

Hi, guys! It’s Alexia!! I’m so excited to be able to write to all of the families. As a leader, I feel as though I did a good job at collaborating with others to ensure that everyone felt comfortable enough to go through their day. Katie, Patrick and I did a very good job at being flexible and adaptive with the schedule, since finishing early at the site left us with a lot of free time. For me, the free time was much needed. Although I did not realize it, yesterday was a very special day for my family that I wish I would have been able to experience it back home. Getting to call my parents uplifted my mood so much, that I made SURE to use up my entire 10 minutes!! Because of the special day, I was a bit down after I heard the news. Leah, Katie, and Gabi checked up on me, and made sure I was okay. They even insisted on snuggling in my twin size bed with me while we talked about anything and everything for at least an hour. I have loved my time in Costa Rica because I genuinely feel like it is life changing. I have learned so much about myself, how to be an effective leader, and how easy it is to put yourself out there because in return, you can make so many good friends. I want to shoutout all of my besties on the trip for making this trip so special because without them, I would not have as much fun as I have. Furthermore, having such good adult leaders, Kel and Julie, and Dani and Julio, made me feel so much more appreciated. Thank you guys so much for reading my blog post!!

Hi everybody, it’s Katie!!! I’m super happy to talk to you guys (and have access to technology for once in so long)! I loved my me as a leader, especially because I had such a good team. Patrick and Alexia seriously made my life so easy because we worked together really well as a team. For me, I really enjoyed getting to experience the CAP project for the first time since I missed it the first day, but I surprisingly really enjoyed the digging and hard work. I tried to make sure everybody took breaks and drank water and we were all super adaptible as our plans changed throughout the day. I had the best time talking and laughing with Alexia, Leah, Gabi, Neriah, and Kenzie, and that for me was exactly the kind of day I wanted to have. This whole day as a leader and my whole experience in Costa Rica has taught me so much about myself and how to be with others. Everybody here, all my fellow Glimpsers, and the community members have taught me that communicating with people can be really easy if you just put in the effort and listen to the people around you. As a leader, this was important for me because I realized that everybody works together better if you listen to them and consider their needs. I feel so grateful for experiencing this and getting to make so many good friends here that I never would have met otherwise. Thanks so much for reading our blog! Mom and Dad, I can’t wait to see you when I get home!!

Hi guys and mom its Patrick!!! I know this blog is getting kinda long so I’m going to try and keep this short but I’m super super excited to talk to you guys and see a screen again. Honsetly I loved being a leader because I felt as if me and my team, Alexia and Katie, worked great together.We really supported each other and I really enjoyed today and had so much fun. I also feel like when when were strggling with some of our weaknesses we helped eachother as a team, and I coudnt be more grateful for that.