Final Reflection Day

Hey guys! It’s Nilanjan and Arsenio, and we’re joined by the two leaders of the day for tomorrow, Kaiden and Jocelyn.

Today was all about reflecting on the entirety of our journey and the memories we made along the way. We began the day at 7 AM like normal, but today we spent our hour before breakfast packing for our return journey home. Breakfast was at 8 AM, where we had carby dishes like mangú, mashed potatoes, pancakes, a bunch of bread, and more.

Then, we spent 3 hours from 9 AM to 12 PM, though it felt like a good 6 hours. Yet this was a very important reflective time that brought out a lot of sentiments that made the group feel even more close and tightly knit. We first drew a diagram analyzing all the aspects of our trip, including some of our most impactful experiences, who we were inspired by, and what we learned not just about the group, but about ourselves, and what it means to be a leader! We then played a “touch someone who…” game, in which two thirds of our group would have their eyes closed, while the last third of the group would tap people on the shoulders of whom they felt fit the prompt. For example, one prompt was “touch someone who impacted you on this trip.” Yet we also had silly prompts like “touch someone who would do anything for a good plate of food.” Overall, it helped us feel closer to each other, and it was a quiet way to show appreciation for one another and the memories we made along the way. Tears were shed.

We also did other activities, such as the “start, stop, and continue”, in which we wrote about the things that we would like to start, stop, and continue doing – hence the name. We also played a 30 second compliment game, in which we wrote a compliment for each person in our group, including GGLs and PCs, in under 30 seconds, passing each other’s papers around in a circle. It was a fast-paced activity, but it was worth it. Finally, we opened up the floor for Glimpsers to share appreciation for the people we met along the way. More tears were shed.

Then, lunch. Coming full circle, at 12 PM, we had salad, rice, beans, tostones, and fried chicken strips (we forgot the name in Spanish). This was almost the exact same meal we had on our first day at the Altocerro Hotel, and we enjoyed it just as much. But this time, we wrote messages of big love in each other’s notebooks while we ate and wrote our contact information to create a group chat!

Following lunch, we individually filled out our final digital evaluation regarding the trip, and got our suitcases packed for our return trip home. Even though we had a 45-minute delay before we left Constanza (we will miss you Constanza!!) for Santiago, we played lots of card games and bonded in the dining room and in the minimarket of the hotel where we got ice cream!

On our bus drive to Santiago, we all said “hi” to Buche (yes, Buche is back!!!) and sang lots of ranchera and pop music. We arrived in Santiago with an extra delay because of traffic and visited the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración, the highest building in Santiago, standing on a hill with a panoramic view of the city. We then ate some New York pizza nearby, and headed back to our first hotel, Aloha Sol. We then had our nightly meeting, with an amazing Lindy Hop dance from Kaiden and beautiful singing from Jocelyn of “Como la Flor”, before finally heading to bed to take a night nap before leaving tomorrow at 3 AM.

That is all for our summary of the day. But just so we can focus on getting through immigration and customs smoothly, we will only get our phones back at Newark!

Arsenio: I enjoyed this trip very much and really appreciated the warm and kind welcome from everyone which made it feel like home. I also want to give a quick shoutout to all of the guys for being awesome roommates. Thank you to the entire group for being so amazing and accepting of everyone.

Jocelyn: I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this trip-I learned a lot and made meaningful memories with everyone I came across on this trip that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get home. Hola mami, papi, y hermanos 🙂 Los extraño muchisimo!! Espero que esten bien, los vere pronto (no se como usar los acentos en este teclado, perdon)

Kaiden: We’re almost done with this trip. It’s so hard to believe it… Shout out to my parents, who financially support me for this trip, and to my sister, who I am so excited to see when we get back! I will miss Constanza; it has felt like a second home to me <3

Nilanjan: Hi Mom, Dad, and Moose! This has been such a fun trip – I have so much to tell you about, from learning about the Haitian bateyes to working in our CAP project. However, I can’t wait to get back, drive home, and get a nice In-n-Out burger!!