Today was the CAP Preparation day; it was filled with planning, buying supplies, and lots and lots of group problem solving. As this day may seem a tad bit boring, it is by far, one of the most important CAP days, because you can’t drink the milk if you don’t milk the cow (as you can tell, we’re still sad about not milking a cow yesterday!!!!!) After 2 weeks, we finally learned how to listen to each other! Yay! We had an amazing group discussion this morning, regarding the supplies list for the projects. Everyone really stuck to the rule “One Mic”, and not only did we listen to each other, but we also acknowledged each other’s opinions.  I was very proud of the group because the meeting could have easily gone in the opposite direction, but with great focus and perseverance, we were able to stay on topic J The most surprising part of the day was staying under the budget. Our biggest issue at the meeting was having enough money for all of the necessary supplies, but with a few discounts and everyone pitching in an extra $5, we ended the day off with roughly $165 left. I’m proud of everyone for taking the project seriously and putting in their 110% – no one likes planning, or focusing on the little details, but everyone contributed and did so with enthusiasm.

Being the leader of the day today was perfect because I personally enjoy planning events and delegating duties, which is exactly what today’s leader needed to do. My job could have been much harder, but the entire group helped by staying calm and collected. I think the key of today was listening to everyone’s ideas, even if they conflicted with the rest of the group’s ideas, because it allowed us to solve any issues that may come up in the future. My main focus was “Keeping the peace”, as the group noted in the nightly meeting. Who would have thought, that stubborn Keanna would be a problem solver?! Woah! That leads us to what I learned about myself today – I learned that there’s a whole other side of me that can “keep the peace”. I’m usually very strong-minded and I like to stick with my position… even if that position is wrong. Today, I had to hear everybody out individually, and then think of a plan that would be beneficial to the whole group.

Besides planning, our “thorn for the day” was saying our final goodbyes to our wonderful students at the university. We ended it off right, with a fiesta! We ate, we danced, and most importantly, we added each other on Facebook J The tears definitely showed how much of an impact the teachers had on the students, and vice versa.

Overall, today was SPECTACULAR!

*Shout out to the OHANA: Mom, Dad, Phil, Sierra, Lil Ant, Neesah, Marley, Jonah, and Jamaica (yes, my dog is part of the family)! Love and miss you guys! 4 more days!