Que lo que friends and families!! Duck (Olivia) and Goose (Gracelyn) here!

Today was dedicated to our CAP delivery which was to supply the community of Rio Grande with running water as well as creating a community sign to unify the people. We started the morning off with what everyone seemed to think was a great wake up call (“Good morning starshine, the world says hello!” -Willy Wonka). After enjoying a nice breakfast, we headed over to Rio Grande to begin our project. Our first task was to dig a trench for the pipes to go into, and almost everyone (*cough cough CARLOS*) was eager to help! Meanwhile, another group of people were working on creating the sign. It was great to see all of us working so hard to help out the community. Even those of us who preferred to have been on the sign making team were willing to pick up shovels and do their part to make progress with the pipelines. The sign was mainly being welded the entire first half of the day which meant that that group couldn’t do much to help out. Fortunately, many of them went down to the trenches (through no man’s land) to help dig. When it was finally time for lunch (which was AMAZING carbs on carbs y’all [spaghetti and bread]) we were tired but still enthusiastic about how much progress had already been made. After eating lunch, we were all ready to get back down to business (to defeat the Huns if ya know what I’m sayin), and finally people were able to begin painting the sign. When it was time to go back to the hotel, it began to rain a little… and then a lottle… and then a LOT! We got changed for English tutoring and zipped over to the school during which we all got soaked. Today was our last day of English tutoring, which meant TALENT SHOW!!!! It was super fun to watch the kids, teens, and adults come together to showcase some of their talents, which included singing, dancing, and a puppet show! Afterwards, all of us took pictures with our classes and some of us even traded social media with them. We managed to get back with a little time to spare before dinner, and then we commenced our Nightly Meeting after eating some delicious food (classic Dominican food- burgers and soda LOL). The “torch” was passed down to Angelica and Allyson. The day was great, and we just made it a whole lot better *finger guns*.

Being the lider del dia (especially this close to the end) is hard because so many close friends have been made so everyone wants to talk all day long. Personally, I had trouble asserting my leadership because it isn’t really my character. However, on a more positive note, Olivia and I were great at collaborating and working as a team. If I had to do it again, I would make sure I had everyone’s attention and they were all ready to go sooner. -Gracelyn (Goose)

I agree with Gracelyn that being leader was definitely more difficult as we’re coming to the end of our trip. I’m not a very assertive person either, so I had trouble trying to get everyone’s attention when announcing important things to them. Even though I could’ve worked on that a bit more, Gracelyn and I stayed positive and supportive throughout the day, even when we were tired from working. Next time I need to be in a leadership position, I know now that I can’t be afraid to be loud and take control. – Olivia (Duck)

Overall, today we learned the value of hard work and commitment, especially when it comes to doing things that affect such large communities of people. We also learned how privileged we are in the US, something that seems to get more and more clear everyday. AND MISS YOU REETU WE THINK OF YOU EVERYDAY!

That’s all folks lots of love,

Gracelyn and Olivia