Dia 6: Fun and Done!

Hello, families! Our names are Amina, Micah, Catherine, and Ruhami and we were your leaders of the day today! After a delicious breakfast by our amazing cooks, Ursula & Aurelia, we got ready for our final Community Action Project (CAP) day. We are so proud of everyone and all the hard work that was put in even through the heat and soreness from yesterday. 

We finally finished the trench today. WE HIT RIVER! Some of the locals helped with digging the trench and one even said a prayer for all of us. We are honored to be able to work with the community and make an impact. We were all really surprised with all of the kindness and willingness to help from the community here. Also, while working on the trench, we encountered a cow crossing a river! 

After a couple of hours, we headed back to the villa for lunch. Today we had spring rice, beef with squash, chicken with carrots, and arepitas (fried dough made of corn). Then it was back to the CAP site where we finished all of our projects with 30 minutes to spare! 

Back at base, everyone cleaned up and intense games of UNO and Old Maid ensued. Micah led a self reflection discussion about our feelings on the CAP and what we learned from the experience. Soon after, it was dinner time and we had a taste of back home with some chicken tenders and fries made by our incredible cooks. 

Hi! This is Amina R. Being leader of the day today was such a fun experience. For me, it was a little challenging because I started off the day not feeling the best but I tried my best to show up as much as I can for my group. I am so incredibly proud of everyone who pushed through the heat and got everything done half an hour early! Overall, this experience has definitely helped me step outside of my comfort zone and really connect with everyone in the group a lot more. 

Hello! My name is Ruhami and being leader of the day was a new and exciting experience. As leader of the day, one of my roles was translating our assignments at the CAP. I helped my fellow workers to ask for more materials, instructions, and clarification. I loved seeing people take the chance to put themselves out there trying to speak Spanish despite the language barrier. One person I was translating for was this little boy who came to help us paint, which was very heartwarming.

Hello beautiful people. My name is Micah and being leader of the day (LDD) was both nerve racking and fun at the same time. Even though we’ve been on the same schedule for the last couple of days, everything went out of my head the moment I dawned the LDD sash. We had to perform a talent to earn our sashes. While Nathaly and Maddie taught me to count from 1-10 in Portuguese, Italian, and French, I ended up signing the alphabet in ASL.

Today everyone was so amazing to lead. Very patient and amazing to work with. I think the hardest part of being LDD was finding my voice between coaching and commanding (different leadership styles I scored the highest and lowest in). But throughout the day I got reassurance from my peers that I did in fact find that even middle voice. By observing my group I was able to see how deeply everyone cares for each other and is willing to give a helping hand. Seeing everyone caring for each other more and more everyday is my favorite part of being in the program, and being a leader helped me notice it way more. I will miss Ursula & Aurelia’s cooking and practicing Spanish with Nathaly, Karla, and Luis.

P.S I will bring Dinos back lol

Hello world, Catherine here! Being leader of the day was such a unique growth experience for me. This opportunity made me reflect on how important preparation really was, which is a skill that I realized I must practice, but I’m so proud and lucky to have such patient and supporting group members. My highlight today has to be making and pouring cement (peep the photo), along with digging up holes for trail signs with a pickaxe. WOW–is it harder than it looks! I was fortunate enough to have experienced community leaders by my side who offer me advice. I’ll never forget the sight of families by the river and playground, as well as the curious passersby who offered us help. Today reminded me exactly why we were here, to give to a community and expect nothing back. Now that our trip is nearing its end, I’m going to cherish the rest of my time with the other savvy travelers. All the funny night games, warm roommate conversations, and genuine relationships that I made with the people here, will be held tightly in my heart.

P.S. Me and my roommate Micah are so glad that our roommates were healing from their series of unfortunate events, (bless them!) Finally, I must share appreciation for the scrumptious food I devoured here and the Spanish language that I’m now SO inspired to learn.

P.P.S. More photos on our Google Drive!