elina esparza, Glimpser
Student Trip Blog
Heyyy everyone back home! We miss you all very much, but you’ll be very proud to hear that we’ve officially started Day 1 of our Community Action Project (CAP 🧢)!!! We got hands on experience to make our ideas come to life with team work, dedication, and sweat no cap. 🤣🤣 Let’s start from the beginning…We started the day bright and early at 7 A.M. with a traditional Dominican breakfast (Los tres golpes) that workers typically eat before a hard day of work. The breakfast consisted of mashed plantains and potatoes dressed with onions, fried cheese, salami, and eggs with tomatoes YUMMM!!!! We took a breezy ride on a safari bus BUMPING to Daniel’s favorite and now our favorite song “Me La Sube.” #tiripapi When we got to the school, we got straight to work bringing all the tools inside including pickaxes, shovels, saws and more. We divided and conquered into teams split between gardening and painting. First, we removed the old nets wrapped around the withering fence posts and started to soften the dirt with pickaxes. Next the real work began DUN DUN DUNNN, we started digging holes and removing leaves, rocks, and trash. After 3 hours of intense work we took the bus back to the villa and enjoyed a hearty lunch: lentils, rice, chicken, and salad YUMMY!!! After a quick commercial break we headed back to the school to resume our work. The sun was beaming down on us, so we got ice water, and paint was everywhere but most importantly we persevered another 3 hours. After the cumulative 6 hours, we completed: the base coat of the mural, a good amount of the fence, and prepared the dirt for sustainable planting. To celebrate the first CAP day success, we used our free time wisely to shower and indulge in an intense game of “UNO.” After the free time, we sat down to self reflect about many aspects of our trip and one of those being sharing our experiences and what it means to us as Glimpsers here to understand and appreciate the variety of cultures in the city Jarabacoa. Following that was a delicious dinner consisting of garlic bread, chicken alfredo, spaghetti, salad, and refreshing pineapple juice…. BUEN PROVECHO!!! Once again, we followed dinner up with a heated “UNO” match before settling into our nightly meeting. The question of the day was, “What will our community action project mean to the community?” As a collective we’ve agreed that the Community Action Project will help educate the future generations about climate change and sustainability. This is to encourage the agricultural community to grow organically without fertilizer harming the local environment. To end the night, we INHALED a glass of “Emmie’s Laughing Smoothie” which was made of plum, pineapple, and papaya 😜😜. THIS juice WILL make you loose 💃🚽!!! #partypoopers
This wraps up our 1st day of CAP and we hope you were able to spend the day with us. We appreciate all the sweet and thoughtful comments on the blogs so far and we look forward to hearing more from you all back at home!
¡Nos Vemos!
– Medha 💖, Autumn 💙, Mia ❤
Photo Drive link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/187HFurJtGJ_zn1FQHVWuN7D6FdvJKCrj
Comments (14)
Reed Wilson
Okayyyyy is that my baby girl with a pickaxe?? Sounds like lots of hard but rewarding work being done. Stay hydrated out there!
We miss you Madeline! Only a few days left! Oh yeah, your brother says his new favorite breakfast is bacon, egg and cheese. We thought you might find that funny. Love you!
Marie Amboy (Mia's mom)
It’s inspiring to see how much hard work, dedication, and teamwork you all put into making a real difference. From digging in the hot sun to painting and preparing the garden, every effort is helping create something that will have a lasting impact on the community. I especially love that your project is focused on educating future generations about sustainability and protecting the environment—that kind of work can make a difference for years to come!
I also love that you’re balancing all that hard work with laughter, reflection, and unforgettable memories together. Keep supporting one another, stay hydrated, and know that everyone back home is cheering you on!
@Mia – Miss you! No cap. 😉 It might not be Emmie’s Laughing Smoothie (lol!), but will definitely have your favorite boba drink waiting for you when you get back. 😘
Marie Amboy (Mia's mom)
Wow – Six hours of digging, painting, and preparing the garden in that heat is no small accomplishment! It’s wonderful to see you not only making a lasting impact on the community but also taking the time to reflect on what this project means for future generations. I love that you’re also balancing hard work with laughter, reflection, and competitive UNO games. 😊 Keep supporting one another, stay hydrated, and know that everyone back home is cheering you all on. Sending lots of love and encouragement to all of you!
@Mia – My last post got deleted somehow, so I had to repost. Hopefully this one sticks and you see it. 🤞 Miss you, kiddo – no cap! 😆 Will have your favorite boba milk tea waiting for you when you get back home. 😘
Shilpa
What a witty wordplay and a fun article to read with its light and airy humor while conveying deep topics and impact! I feel like i am talking to my daughter Medha live! Wow, 6 hours of manual labor in that Dominican sun?! We are SO proud of you all! From pickaxes and shovels to painting a mural, you are truly making your ideas come to life. Love that you started the day with a real ‘Los tres golpes’ breakfast to power through. Keep persevering, stay hydrated, and keep crushing those UNO matches! This is a true party so “ partypoopers ” stay out😀! You guys are working very hard indeed-sweat, no cap! 🧢 Can’t wait to see the finished project. Sending so much love from back home!
Jenica Wilson
Wow, that breakfast sounds amazing. Hopefully you all get to try EGGS, BACON, GRITS & SAUSAGE!
Berenice Guzman
Hahaha! This blog made me laugh a lot. Great Job Medha, Autumn, Mia.
I googled “Los Tres golpes” and now, I will seriously look for a Dominican restaurant in Bay Area.
Guys are doing excellent work changing this world with small actions, impacting your enviroment and learning from other cultures. So proud of you.
I can not imagine Esdras work for 6 hours in that climate… now I know that he can do it. I have plans for your this summer at home (jajaja)
Thanks for another day of blog.
Ramon Castro
Esperando que estes bien Esdras, que la pases bonito, disfruta este momento, te esperamos de regreso con bien. Se te extrana.
Karolina Castro
Esdras how is the heat?
Do you have a girlfriend yet?
Pavan
This is awesome! So proud of y’all.
Miss you Medha and see you in a few. I have a few garden beds waiting for you here 🙂
Shilpa
I am not seeing my previous comment on this post.. not sure what’s happening. Trying one more time-What a witty wordplay and a fun article to read with its light and airy humor while conveying deep topics and impact! I feel like i am talking to my daughter Medha live! Wow, 6 hours of manual labor in that Dominican sun?! We are SO proud of you all! From pickaxes and shovels to painting a mural, you are truly making your ideas come to life. Love that you started the day with a real ‘Los tres golpes’ breakfast to power through. Keep persevering, stay hydrated, and keep crushing those UNO matches! This is a true party so “ partypoopers ” stay out😀! You guys are working very hard indeed-sweat, no cap! 🧢 Can’t wait to see the finished project. Sending so much love from back home!
Auntie Liz
What an amazing experience! I’m especially loving all the food details. ( the breakfast is my FAVE ) — paired with the pineapple juice YUMMM *chefs kiss* Hope you all continue having an awesome time.. stay hydrated and stick together!
– We miss you Ate Mia! 🫶🏼🥰
Al - Mia's dad
hi mia and friends!! good looking pics! keep enjoying the experience and vibes! ☀️ 🫰🏽
Rhianna Nunes
Awesome job everyone! 💙
Sara West
Seriously, you guys. The descriptions of all the delicious meals. Too good. I now have a new mission — I will be learning to make some of these at home. Starting with Los Tres Golpes. It’s close to a lot of what we eat already, but the combo sounds SO good, so I’m ready for it. Devin, you can help me, yes? 😀 😀
Ok… so we’ll have to sub something for the onions to make it possible for Dad to eat it with us… But, I’m sure we can improvise something 😉
Bahahahahaaa…! #partypoopers
Sounds like it was a fulfilling day. I am catching up on my comments; I just wanted to pop in here to add that I am grateful for all the hard work and long hours you are putting in, experiencing new culture, and contributing to the communities you’re spending time with. I believe that they do truly appreciate you and all you are doing.