Hello loved ones! Sammy and Cindy here!

After a long, stress-filled day, we are proud to say that the dream team was able to finish up our CAP projects. We started off with a “late” wake-up call at 7 a.m. We then made our way to our usual Buffet Estelí to enjoy our daily serving of Gallo Pinto with a special surprise appearance: Pancakes! After breakfast, we went on a bus trip and arrived at La Montañita with a strong motivation to finish our job that was nearing completion.

By the end of the day, the classrooms were decked out with new clean window panels, backpack and jacket hooks, handmade bookshelves, new fluorescent lights and fixtures, and a surplus amount of school supplies (notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, markers, etc.). The playground group remodeled the basketball hoop, added court lines, removed garbage and dangerous playground equipment, built a driveway, and added new concrete benches. In the garden, we added our finishing touches that consisted of pathways, a gate, a trellis, a sink, garden signs, fencing, and the garden wall decorated with Glimpser’s handprints as well as the little handprints of the students at La Montañita. We were satisfied to see the bright reactions of the students as they walked around their updated school. It was a very complicated, difficult task, but we really came together to complete our plans successfully.

Sydney, Cammie, Tyler, Lan-Anh, and Kelsey built a beautiful, enclosed garden. Helen, Daisy, Jackie, Liz, Elisa, Adrianna, Maricela, and Kam painted and created functional, Nicaraguan-colored bookshelves and signs. Brendan, Jason, Buna, Sarb, Bernardo, Paulette, and Devin dug, lifted, and carried every rock and stone they could. And every Glimpser contributed to every other project in some way. Additionally, there are special shout-outs to Maricela, Buna, and Jason for creating a powerful connection to the kids during the last two days and to Brendan for being the kindest, most helpful group member for everyone. The students and teachers all expressed their gratitude as we wrapped up and said our sad goodbyes. We wished them the best of luck for the future and jumped on our bus to the next leadership opportunity of the day. We truly hope our Courage, Commitment, and Compassion were on full display this week. Our bodies and minds are tired, but our hearts are full.

 

As we arrived back at Hostel Tomabú, we had some time to ourselves to get ready for another session of English tutoring. The two hours flew by and as soon as we knew it we were on our way to dinner at the infamous Buffet Estelí. The staff served us a mouthwatering plate of fried enchiladas, rice, beans, plantains, and fresh dragon fruit lemonade juice. We then headed back to the hostel to self-reflect on our CAP project and continue on with our nightly meeting as we passed on the torch to our illustrious author peer, Elisa.