Stakes to steaks

YOOO FAMILY WAZZUPPP!! Okay let me start by saying we all love and miss y’all so much, we see your comments and well wishes and it truly feels like we’ve all become one happy family. Okay so today we the LDD’s (Max & Brandon) woke up at 5:00 AM SHARP in order to get ourselves ready for the day and out into the halls to wake up everyone else at 5:40. The is pretty much the same, but today, TODAY these kids got an immediate serenade from “Brandon Dow and his back up dancers Max and Daniel” (we’re working on a group name). After we got everyone up and downstairs for health check at 6:20 we took breakfast to go and were on the bus by 6:35, which was pretty good timing. Our bus rides are usually HYPE filled with music loud singing laughter and so much other stuff (I make sure of it) but this morning we were really trying to take in the silence and mentally prepare for what was to come.

We had already planted around 800 trees the day before, endured the beaming sun and NO CLOUDS OR BREEZE so we were expecting the worst but ready for it as well. At 7:20 We got to our CAP project and met up with Sandra and her OUTSTANDING team at “Pro Eco Azuero” the “Magnificos”, slipped on our boots and got straight to work. One thing I noticed about the Glimpsers on this trip, yes individually were amazing and strong, but when we band together and have our eye on the prize NOTHING can stop us. From approximately 7:30 to 9:43 we had planted another set of about 800 tree’s, we beat the estimated time by 2 hours and some change so we were all happy and hyped that we used the power of teamwork to accomplish such a tedious but necessary job of reforestation in a Panamanian forest.

We got back on the bus and I shared out my baby wipes so that we could all get the surface level dirt off and after that the energy was so high I had no other choice but to go back to my designated position as the bus DJ/Hype Man. On our way back to the hotel we stopped and got lunch to go so we could enjoy the maximum amount of free time.

WE SAID BYE TO THE BEST GET AWAY DRIVER EVER, ABELITO. It was sad to know that he’d never drive us around again but we sent him off right. The second we got back everyone raced to the showers to wash off the sweat and dirt accumulated through a hard day’s work of planting. Afterwards we had free time where many headed to Merca Chitre (The local market), Super 99 or McDonalds to go shopping or enjoy a meal with friends. After a few hours of free time we had a seminar and finalized our letters of appreciation, in which we wrote about everything that we loved about Global Glimpse, Panama and the people that we shared this once in a lifetime experience with. This lead into the final calls home for Glimpsers, though some did have to wait until tomorrow to make their calls. Once finished with their call we got ready for dinner at a STEAK HOUSE.

Everyone dressed up and we were treated to a incredible dinner full of lots of pictures and stuffed faces. Glimpsers could choose between either steak, burgers or wings all coming with a side of fries that was sooooo good. After the short walk back to the hotel we engaged in our nightly meeting where Brandon and I passed the Leader of the Day torch to Daniel, who will lead on the final day of our Global Glimpse experience. Its bitter sweet that we will be going home so soon and I know that everybody on this trip has made lasting bonds with their fellow Glimpsers.

*Brandon (shout out to Milan, Skye, Agatha, Amaree, Tristan, Asia, Jalyn, Auntie Corra, Ma and last but not least MY MOMMY I love you all so much thank you for your loving words they truly got me through.

*Max (Sorry I couldn’t call today Mom I will tomorrow morning).