Today was the second day of our Community Action Project (CAP), and the eleventh day of the trip. Looking back, it feels like a complete blur, being occupied every second of our days in Costa Rica. Upon our early arrival back to Escuela Santa Rosa, we discovered preparations for the children’s art and language festival. However, we were determined to continue the progress we’ve made in painting the fences. In the next couple hours, we completed the main section of the fence overlooking the road, improving safety by coating it with corrosion-reducing paint which shined brightly under the harsh sun and improved its condition as well as aesthetics.
Around 10 am, the school’s principal eagerly encouraged us to attend the festival. After gathering our supplies, we spent time appreciating the hard work and dedication each student poured into their performances, a variety of dance, poetry, and song. Sadly, we still had work to do, so we returned to our delegated tasks. Through persistent focus, we rounded off a sizable amount of work and managed to complete the entire side of the fence that protected the students from the large drop-off and road below. Unfortunately, our work was cut short as large rain clouds rolled, shrouding the peak of Turrialba Volcano and casting a shadow over the town of Santa Rosa and the school. It was impractical to continue painting while it rained. Instead, our group engaged in activities including basketball, soccer, volleyball, and yoga. As the conditions worsened, we were led inside the covered areas of the school and played some team-building games including a spin-off of Capture the Flag and a team-based rock paper scissors game.
The rain eased, allowing us to head back to the base home. As we neared, we witnessed a flash flood in the river close to our base house. This was a rare sighting of high-speed waters carrying debris from the nearby mountains filling the usually quaint stream. The hours that followed were spent resting after hours of working in the hot sun and getting covered in paint. Dinner was a welcome reminder of home, with a classic meal of beef-patty burgers, enjoyed by all. The nightly meeting was followed by a celebration of the 17th birthday of one of our fellow Glimpsers: Kaitlyn. The event was commemorated by cake, ice cream, cupcakes, and coconut-covered marshmallows.
Hey Emily this is charlie I hope your having a lot of fun I miss you tons Ill see you soon.
Well, what a day it sounds like you all had! There’s something truly noble about pushing on with the painting task even amidst a bustling festival and, later, even as ominous rain clouds roll in. We can just picture you all: determined, paintbrushes in hand, heads held high against the burning sun. It’s like a scene out of a very messy and very colorful superhero movie!
And when the rain started, we imagined the scrambling to cover the paint cans and the rush to find shelter. Oh, how we wish we could have been there for the impromptu sports and games. Basketball, soccer, volleyball, and yoga? Wow, you all have more energy than a pack of sugared-up squirrels! It sounds like the ‘capture the flag’ and rock-paper-scissors game was a lot of fun too. The camaraderie and team spirit you all have shown throughout this trip is inspiring.
That flash flood sounds like an adventure in itself! It’s so important to understand and respect the power of Mother Nature, and it seems like you had a firsthand lesson in that. But it wasn’t all hard work and natural phenomena, was it? That dinner sounds fantastic! We bet those burgers tasted even better after a long day of work. And a birthday celebration too! Make sure you all gave Kaitlyn an extra-big piece of cake from us.
Remember to rest up and refuel because there’s still more painting to do! We are incredibly proud of all your hard work. Keep those brushes (and those spirits) high!
Hello everyone! Despite the rainy weather, it sounds like you have accomplished quite a bite today by painting a good chunk of the fence. It is awesome to hear that you got to attend the art and language festival and interacted with the students at the school. I’m sure the students appreciated having such a great audience.
I believe this is the first blog posting about a rainstorm that actually interfered with your work or activities. That’s not bad, because I thought the rain was going to be challenge for you guys the entire time. But on the bright side, you got to have fun playing soccer, basketball, yoga and some indoor games. It shows how flexible and resilient you all are by taking things in stride. I am so relieved that the rain let up so that you all could head to your home base safely. The flash flood sounds pretty wild! I hope the weather will be better for you tomorrow so that you will get more painting done, if that is the plan. Otherwise, enjoy whatever projects or activities that you have left to do. I can’t believe it’s been 11 days already! Where did the time go? Stay safe and be well!
See you in a few days Averie! We love and miss you so much!
It’s crazy to see day 11 already. We waited for a long time for day 1 and in just a few more days you’ll be back home. Enjoy every last minute and embrace the time you have left! Love to hear about the efforts you’ll are doing at the school. I’m sure you all brought big smiles to the kids! Enjoy your evening!