August 9th, Day 15
Hello families and friends back home! We miss you all dearly.
This morning we woke up and got ready for our busy day. We had a delicious breakfast which contained hot chocolate, bread with butter, fruits, and huevos revueltos (scrambled eggs with peppers). After breakfast, we departed with our amazing bus driver, Giovanni, to Fundacion Sol Naciente. There, we started working on our Community Action Project (CAP). The first steps of the project were to clean out all the trash from under the bleachers and start making the roof for the hostel and storage room. Nelson, the main coordinator of the Fundacion, helped us in every way possible and always told us to take breaks because of how hard we had been working. We did not realize the extent of the trash under the bleachers. It consisted of layer after layer of plastic food packaging and glass bottles. A lot of small pieces of glass bottles to be exact. We worked until lunch and had another awesome meal made by the CONAMUCA staff. We had rice, meatballs, and macaroni salad. After stuffing our mouths, we went back outside and got to work. We continued picking up trash and closing the gaps in the bleachers to make the roof for the rooms. Working got tough and we had to take a break to regroup and make sure that everyone was on the same page. After a brief meeting, we started working again and it seemed like we were working harder than before. At 4pm, we were told to stop working because, “We deserved our freedom,” insisted by Nelson. So, we went back to CONAMUCA, showered, and rested for the rest of the time until dinner. Dinner was at it’s usual time at 7pm. For dinner, we had Spaghetti, with corn, tomato, and cream, Salad with tomato and cucumber, Cherry Juice, Bread, and Tostones (smashed plantains, which were twice fried). After dinner, we had free time and our Nightly Meeting.
Today was a roller coaster and consisted with a lot of ups and downs. We learned that communication with a large project is a big deal. It is important to communicate what needs to happen, what you personally want to do, and voice any concerns you may have in advanced, so the group is aware as a whole. Communication is not included amongst the 3 C’s of Global Glimpse, but it is a very important skill to have when working in a big group. Furthermore, we discovered that honesty with how we feel is crucial. We were able to confront our feelings using honesty with one another. This made the work go by much more productively. Despite the fact that we have only known each other for 15 days, we’ve grown and bonded closely with one another. As a result, we were able to unite and give something special back to the community.
Overall, today was super duper fun and we were both very excited to be leaders on such a impactful, yet difficult, day. The trip has gone by so quickly, but it feels like we have all known each other our entire lives. We are grateful to have met such amazing people on this trip. The next few days will be the best and saddest. We love and miss you all so much.
Love,
Beatriz and Ella

P.S. Candace and Brad, I have bought 4 pounds of the best coffee you will ever have in your entire life. I can’t wait to see you both and share the trip with you. Love you!