We are sorry this post is a little late, but this is from Monday, July 20.

“Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” – Anonymous

Today was our second official fun day of this trip! We woke up at 7:00 AM and had frosted flakes and fruit loops with a side of fruit for breakfast. Since there were two leaders today, we split everybody into two groups so that we could all fit on both of the Safari trucks along with a few ambassadors. We headed out and made our way to the Aguas Blancas waterfall! The drive in the safari was rough, but we all still managed to enjoy each other’s company by singing and laughing with one another. When we arrived, we hiked for an hour to the top of the waterfall and enjoyed the beautiful view. After being at the top of the waterfall and taking in the breathtaking view we walked back down and got ready to go into the water. Despite the freezing water, there were still some brave people that got all the way in. We were only there for about 30 to 40 minutes until we had our almuerzo (lunch); we had ham and cheese sandwiches with chips and  juice boxes!

After almuerzo, we began to head back to the hotel to freshen up. The ride back was exhausting so it was a relief when we arrived. We had time to rest and to prepare for our last English class with our group. It was a bitter sweet moment for all of us because even though we weren’t with them for long we all got attached to our students. We taught for two hours, said our goodbyes, and headed back to the hotel. Once we arrived back at the hotel we had dinner which was mashed potatoes, chicken fingers, and vegetables. YUM! When we finished our dinner, we made sure the tables were clean and began moving the tables for our nightly meeting. Since we finished nightly meeting early we had some extra free time! Some of us hung out for a little while and others went straight to bed.

One thing that we all learned today was that tourism could be sustainable because of all the attractions and beautiful places that Costanza has to offer. We also learned that the people in this community are a big part of being able to make tourism possible here.

What we are most proud of was making sure that everyone made it all the way to top of the mountain and got to enjoy the view of the waterfall. We acknowledged that hiking is harder on some of us while on the other hand easier for others, but we were still very proud of everyone that pushed themselves.

Elizabeth’s Perspective: As one of the leaders today, I was becoming more and more inspired by my co-leader, Atenas. Right from the start of the day she woke up motivated to lead the day with nothing but a big smile on her face. She consistently reminded everybody to drink water throughout the whole day, which was very important because we were hiking on a really hot day. She also asked people if they needed anything from her or me throughout the day, which was partially the reason she inspired me since I love when people care about others.

Atenas’s Perspective: The person that inspired me the most today was my co-leader, Elizabeth. She really surprised me because of the way she stepped out of her comfort zone and led the group in a really beneficial way, which also really helped me a lot. She had a really positive attitude the whole day and even brought my energy up when I was feeling tired. In addition, she inspired me to spread my positive energy to everyone else in the group.

Elizabeth’s perspective: For me being El Lider Del Dia was something I really enjoyed and looked forward to from the start. Everybody made it seem somewhat easy, but it did have its challenges. Our group is full of curiosity and joy, and that is why being the leader was very fun today! I was able to learn that I handle being under pressure very well, and that made my job as a leader much easier while also making me a better leader to everyone.

Atenas’s Perspective: Being El Lider Del Dia was fun and exciting for me! From the start I had to take the initiative and wake everyone up to make sure we didn’t run late. Being a “leader” was kind of a new experience for me, but I really stepped out of my comfort zone and led everyone in a positive way; I was also a good role model by keeping my energy up when everyone else was really tired because of the long safari ride. What I learned about myself today was that the mood you’re in can be really contagious and can also affect how others are feeling.