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Student Trip Blog

The Beginning of Change

Hola families and friends!

It is your leaders of the day, Sofia and Charlotte. We started the day off bright and early at 6:00AM sharp. Us leaders got ready before and then made sure our peers were ready for breakfast. After knocking on their doors, everyone came down and had a delicious meal that consisted of fried dough, chicken, cheese, fruit salad, and lemonade.

While some of us were finishing breakfast, a few Glimpsers went out to buy materials for the CAP project such as gloves and masks. The two of us leaders worked together to do headcount and sheperded everyone onto the bus to head to Escuela Santa Ana to begin our CAP project.

Once we arrived, we immediately got to work and split into teams. First, we removed the old walls of the recycling center, which was originally created out of plastic bottles. It was time-consuming but we worked together and got it done quickly. While some of us painted the beams of the recycling center, others dug a foundation for the extension. Lisensia was particularly good at using the pickaxe and worked extra hard at every task. Then, we began the task we were all dreading: mixing cement. Gio, Karen, Shiloh, and Eric worked especially hard and made a huge difference. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to install the two support poles and lay the outline of the foundation.

After some time, lunch finally arrived to the CAP site from our wonderful food providers. We had rice with mushrooms, mashed potatoes, chicken, plantain, and lemonade. We ate lunch quickly so that we could immediately get back to work. We kept doing our job of mixing cement and painting, and some of us took turns so that the people that were working could take a small break. Originally, we were nervous about CAP but it wasn’t as bad as we expected. Many people found it really fun, even though we got messy. In fact, at the end of the day, Sofia’s face was covered all in paint. Charlotte enjoyed learning a little bit of Spanish from the young children at the school.

By the time we all got back on the bus, we were all exhausted and needed a shower. After some well-deserved rest and self-care, many of us decided to go out for some shopping. Glimpsers found souvenirs, snacks, and some familiar foods (McDonalds!).

For dinner, we had tacos for Taco Tuesday with various toppings like cheese, pico de gallo, frijoles, and guacamole. We can say for sure that everyone enjoyed it: each plate was completely cleaned!

After dinner, we had the Nightly Meeting to recap our day. We passed the torch to Dana and Marisa, our next leaders of the day. We cut meeting a little short to have a surprise celebration for our hardworking glimpser: Karen. Karen has been extremely dedicated and efficient, keeping track of time and supporting roommates however she can. We sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed ice cream all together. Shout out to Xander, Marisa, Bri, and Charlotte for helping to organize the party.

Although we miss home, we’ve made great connections and memories in the past six days. We can’t believe our time is over halfway over but we know we will make the most of it!

Big Love,

Charlotte and Sofia

P.S. I can’t wait to see you mom, Mari, Roman and all my friends -Sofia

P.P.S I miss you Mom, Dad, Dj, and Louie! I am so excited to give you all huge hugs on Sunday night! – Charlotte

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