Let me begin with a short introduction. My name is Douglas Pan from Union City, California. Today I was given the opportunity to be el lida del dia, or leader of the day in English. Much of our day today revolved around planning for our community action project, or CAP for short. We’ve decided to work with Esteli’s Casa de Cultura. A popular place in city, Casa de Cultura encompasses components of both a museum and an arts school. Children and teens of Esteli visit the center to study culture, learn how to paint murals, and study and paint music.

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Our day began with a comfortable wake up time of 8 o’clock. After breakfast at Buffet Esteli, I divided the group into three sections: artists, builders, and painters. Artists are in charge of designing and painting a mural. Builders are in charge of building a fence for the balcony of the second floor. Painters are in charge of reprinting the second floor of the center. The groups each came up with a list of questions and a list of possible supplies. They discussed design ideas and prepared to start working the next day.

In the afternoon, our group visited Casa de Cultura in order to finalize plans and make a final list of supplies. Brian and I walked across the street while groups were planning and got many supplies from the fire station we normally teach at. Thanks to Bryan’s skillful Spanish speaking skills, we borrowed many painting and cleaning supplies. Groups finalized their plans and designs and we headed back to the hotel.

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After a short break, we went to dinner and grabbed ice cream. We then returned to the hostile, had our nightly meeting, some free time, and then went to bed.

Despite the simple schedule, planning and designing big projects drained my energy pretty quickly. I’m surprised how easy it was to get the groups attention, and how people remained on task without much encouragement. For that, I’m very proud of the group today. Being leader is exhausting, and I was reminded of how little patience I have, especially when I’m tired. I think of this as a personal character flaw and will continue to work on think the future.

To my family, I’d like to say that I’m still alive and healthy and miss you all very much. I’ll see you guys in a week!