Buenos Noches from Ella and Tyler!
We made it through day two of our CAP, the hardest day! We started our day at 7 am and made our way down to an amazing breakfast of pancakes and fruit at 8.
With no time to spare, we jumped on the Wawa and headed to Monte Coca trading out our wonderful driver, Kelvin for a man coincidentally also named Kelvin for the rest of the day. Kelvin seems to be the Dominican Matt (shout out to both our dads). The ride was full of music and laughter so amazing we decided to start the 1st ever GG Choir.
Finally arriving after our 17th trip over the sketchiest bridge in the world, we jumped into work. Working in the same groups as yesterday, Group 1 continued work on building up the house. The work today was moving bricks and then later making more cement and concrete. The cement was the binding between the bricks while the concrete was poured into the laid bricks for extra stability. This was a lively debate about which is which. To pass the time of moving the bricks through our human conveyor belt we sang half of Hamilton, to the dismay of half the group. Special thanks to Holli for the new voice in the choir and all the hard labor they put in. As for Group 2, we started work on laying floors in a new house (yay us for finishing house 1!!!!:) We mixed so much concrete and formed a very effective chain to bring the buckets into the house, the workload was pretty much the same as yesterday but made easier with some incredible overcast clouds. Many many thanks to Liz and Yocabelis for providing speakers and some amazing 90s RnB music, it truly made a difference and kept spirits up.
Lunch was once again scrumdiddlyumptious and delivered directly to Monte Coca (giant thanks to our catering!). We had rice, pork, pickled veggies, fruit as always, and Ella’s (plus many others) favorite juice yet, passionfruit (Tyler still wanted the lemonade back). After eating we had a bit of downtime, some of us taking a nap or reading in the Wawa, others in the SSDI building, practicing for our upcoming concert.
Getting right back into it, groups switched locations, Group 1 continuing the cement mixing and laying the floors of the new house. Group 2 continued to mix cement and concrete, once again forming a human chain to deliver it. Group 1 finished a room early and had some time to horse around with some of the local kids (the fight for the fans was real). We worked super hard until a bit before 4 when we wrapped up and headed back to the Wawa, somehow even more covered in concrete than yesterday.
Many of us slept on the way back, wiped out from all our work. Once back, the power was luckily on for most of us, and we fought for the showers before continuing our much-needed naps and quiet time. Our lovely Liz came around and helped us connect to a quick call with loved ones.
The next event was dinner, a lovely meal consisting of burgers, fries, fruit (duh!), and Coca-Cola [made with real cane sugar (thank you to all those who harvested it) AKA the only way to make it]. Lebron had a hard time making his plate and ended up with practically a salad for a burger. Soon after we moved into our Nightly Meeting.
That will do it for us as LDDs as we pass the torch to Alex and Clara to finish off our CAP tomorrow for CAP Day 3!
See you all soon and much love! – Tyler and Ella
Hi everyone, We are all so happy to hear you made it through Day 2 of CAP! Sounds like everyone worked really hard while keeping spirits up with some form of music. Sounds like fun!
Congrats Group 1 on finishing up early. Keep up the great work guys. So nice to hear you had time to take a much needed shower and enjoyed a delicious dinner. Rest up, you’re so close to the finish line guys.
The call was a wonderful surprise. I’m so glad you were allowed to call back after the call dropped. Thank you (LIZ)!!! We love and miss you Isabel. The babies miss you very much too. Thanks Morgan for giving her a hug for me.
Tyler, so very proud of who you are as a person! Thanks to you and Ella for this post, your leadership, and for working so hard together today (and all week). We are so glad you are having this wonderful experience – be present and enjoy it. All my love – American Matt
Such amazing teamwork!! Thanks for the download on all your outstanding efforts and impactful adventures. Great job Ella!! -Dad (aka Matt, aka Kelvin)
Thanks for the great post. I enjoyed all the details. Sounds like you all continue to make the most of even the hard days. And I think singing together is a great way to make the work feel easier. I know at least one member of your group who can do a mean Guns and Ships, among others.
(And while this is technically a response to CAP day 2, I know by the time you read this day 3 will be in the books. So congrats!! You made it! Very proud of you.)
Greetings, Glimpsers! It appears that the second day of CAP was a blend of diligent effort, remarkable teamwork, and an abundance of joy and laughter. I trust you’re all taking moments to appreciate your own greatness! Your mutual support and service to the community is truly heartwarming. The frequent singing and dancing among you all is a testament to the universal language of music and movement. I’m relieved that you safely crossed what you’ve dubbed the “sketchiest bridge in the world.” Remember, life will present its own sketchy bridges, but with determination, effort, and belief, you can successfully navigate them! It’s impressive that you’ve formed the inaugural GG choir – you’re truly paving the way! Continue to relish this journey, and remember, you are an exceptional group of leaders! A special shout-out to Tyler and Ella for their fantastic post!
Xoie’s Mom (I miss you, Grasshopper! 🙂 )