¡Hola Familias! Ellie and Alex on the blog for today. The day began with an early wake-up call of 6:30 am. Although unusual, the Glimpsers rose to the occasion getting ready with haste and excitement. Our amazing kitchen staff, Marie and Andrea, arrived early and prepared us a delicious breakfast complete with fluffy pancakes, eggs and freshly squeezed juice, and an assortment of local fruit. As the Líderes Del Día, we were enthralled to see everyone was ready at the 8 o’clock mark with little to no shepherding. This is Costa Rica after all, so we abided by “Tico time,” leaving 15 minutes late.

We arrived at the school and while we were waiting for the supplies to be ready Jeromie introduced us to a new game, water bottle musical chairs. The game consisted of fierce competition, culminating in a kicking face-off between Borese and Ocean, with Ocean taking the victory in spectacular fashion. Finally, it was time to get to work. We split off into 3 groups: demolition, painting, and gutter-clearing. Through high energy and teamwork, the gutter-clearing group finished early and decided to help the other group paint the bleachers a navy blue and bright teal. Where no one else would go, there was Jailene, pushing the boundaries of what could and could not be painted. Demolition attacked the challenge of clearing the tiles on the floor with energy and determination, and the pillar-painting group gained great progress on their painting job. Señora, or Aimee, lead an efficient system of painting to help them work quickly and effectively. The group worked through the paint fumes.

At around 12 pm, we walked back to Casa Aquires and had a filling lunch of rice, beans, beef, and chicken. Many opted to take a quick power nap in the 15-minute break, before heading to another hot and hard 3 hours of work. Even though everyone was tired from the early rise, through teamwork and passion, the group was able to finish a variety of different tasks, including putting the finishing touches on the very florescent bleachers, cleaning and painting the walls, freshening up the concert stage, and of course, lots of demo. The day was filled with many entertaining moments, such as Jeromie’s sweeping skills, Wunnyuriti’s skinny jeans, and Fabi looking like a smurf. Fun fact: Today was Dia de Los Virgin Angeles (Virgin Mary Day), so none of the kids were in school :(. Downtime culminated in a lively debate on the ownership of a backpack, long hot showers, and fat naps. Some chose to stay behind and play soccer while the rain beat down on a tin roof. At dinner, we had soup with cerdo (pork) and beans, as well as salad. Following that, we had our nightly meeting and reflected on the day.

Looking back on the day, a feeling of satisfaction coursed through our veins. Through heat, exhaustion, giant bugs, and lots of bad jokes, the group endured, knowing that our hard work would make an impact. As kids and students ourselves, we understand how important it is to have a safe and comfortable learning environment, and we were happy to provide assistance to help create something sustainable and long-lasting for the community.

Personal Messages:
Alex: Hi Mom and Dad, I hope you are doing well with both Maren and I gone. I enjoyed calling you today and look forward to calling again on Saturday. Have fun in NYC!!!! ( see you soon!!!) Love you!!!!

Ellie: Hi Mom & Harrison, I miss you both! I loved talking to you today and I can’t wait to see you both in less than a week:) We are all having a great time and I can’t wait to show you pictures! See you soon love you!!

See all the pictures from today’s adventures here!