I specifically wanted to be El Lider Del Dia for the final day of our CAP project because I knew that we would all be consumed with pride and fulfillment. Not only are we happy with our results, we are all impressed by our productivity, teamwork, and efficiency. Let me start from the beginning:

After my morning jog with a few other Glimpsers, I woke up everyone else at 7am to get ready for breakfast at Imabite. We returned back to the hostel for an Energizer before taking the bus at 9:20 to our favorite place, Barrilete. As always, we were greeted by the adorable children and showered with their hugs and bright smiles. Both the construction crew and painting team then started on their unfinished work right away. As a part of the mural team, we continued painting the vowel banner, the airplane, the river, the volcano, and added in geometric shapes and numbers. Meanwhile, the construction team patched the cement and landed it on the kitchen. The cover-up for the chimney was installed, too. When lunch time rolled around, everyone finished their food quickly so they could get back to work. Some climbed up to the roof after to patch up holes and my team focused on tying up any loose ends. When that was completed, Maria brought in the kids and one by one, we filled their tiny hands — hands that would represent the petals and together become flowers — with different colors. The kids rushed into the classroom eagerly and we guided their hands to imprint onto the murals. Because of everyone’s collaboration, all of our projects were finished by 2pm. We hustled to clean up because we were notified of a special performance for us.

By the time I walked out, I saw that chairs were lined up for us and that the kids were already playing with some of my fellow Glimpsers — jumping around, laughing, and taking pictures with their cameras. When the music was ready, they put on a show that included the following dances: folklore, el Viejo y la Vieja, and Palo de Mayo. Their costumes were so vibrant and all of us enjoyed their very merry dance performances. Some of us were brought up to dance along and then later everyone came up to jam to — as Gabi would put it — Justine Bieber’s “I’m Sorry” song. Subsequently came the kids’ beloved activity, the piñata. Candy rained down and the kids ran to collect them. Maria and Ramon then thanked us and told us how much they appreciated our work and contributions to Barrilete. By this time, we had to start saying goodbyes. With dry paint splattered on our clothes, we gave tight hugs to every single person. We are so happy to have been a part of this community and so grateful to have collaborated with such an important center in Leon. The kids made a path for us as we walked back to our bus — which made it all the more difficult to leave, but we knew that we would always be welcomed back.

After our sentimental goodbyes, we arrived back to the hostel to shower and walk to Imabite. We finished dinner early, around 5:30, to get to our last day of English tutoring. When my English group stepped into the building, we actually saw that our students had planned a surprise for us. The classroom was decorated with balloons, quotes, and handmade gifts. The best part was that our students were so excited to see us, just like everyday we had class. After tutoring, we got together with other classes and had another dance party, or more specifically, a salsa dance party. Our time came to an end and we returned to the hostel for our nightly meeting.

Overall, it was a fulfilling day as our visions for Barrilete were transformed into reality. We know that the teaching murals, the water trench, the chimney cover-up, and the roof patch ups greatly benefit the center. All of the Glimpsers cherished our time spent here building on a place of immense value. I would like to end this blog entry on a quote brought up by Joseph during the nightly meeting:

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” -John C. Maxwell

P.S. sorry for the late entry! Emma’s blog tonight should provide sufficient reasons.. with all the fun we had today 😉