For our final CAP day, we continued to work on our projects. The day before, the arrow team completed their project, so today, the members were able to help with the construction of the pathway and finish up painting tires and play structures as well. With more hands contributing to the pathway project, we were able to get a lot of work done. We created the cement mixture that the construction workers used to complete a portion of the pathway that connected to the rest of the school.

At noon, the directors of Carlos Garbay gave a small speech to express their gratitude for the contributions we made to the institution and school environment. Following the speech, the students gifted each of us a handmade card, thanking us for our work. One of the directors said in her speech that the size of the card did not matter – what mattered was the amount of effort and good intent put behind it. The whole presentation was very heartwarming and sweet.

Afterward, we continued to work on our projects until 2:30 pm, but unfortunately, we were not able to personally complete the entire pathway, however, the majority of the work was done and the construction workers hired by Carlos Garbay will be able to finish up the pathway. On the bright side, we finished our other two projects which include painting arrows, tires, and play structures.

One thing we noticed about everybody was that although the work was arduous and messy, we had a lot of fun doing it by motivating and encouraging each other, and also by looking out for one another. This resembles our quote of the day: “Enthusiasm is a volcano on whose top never grows the grass of hesitation,” (Khalil Gibran). The moment we arrived at the school, everyone was eager to begin working on the projects since it was our last CAP day and were anticipating the results of our hard work.

For dinner, we went to Lina’s to celebrate Paco’s birthday and our last dinner together. We had burritos, enchiladas, and flautas. We cut a chocolate cake and sang happy birthday to Paco! Also, Don Fernando, our bus driver for this trip, gave a sweet little speech and gave us all gifts. It was an emotional last night together.

What we’ve learned from being Lideres Del Dia were that checking in on others and setting a positive work atmosphere was key for staying motivated in order to have a productive day. The CAP project allowed us to experience what it feels like to work as a team. Seeing the change we instilled with our work in only three days showed us the significance of teamwork and how enthusiasm can make a positive impact on a group’s work.

Gifts from the students of Carlos Garbay.

Completed path!

Happy birthday Paco!

RB1A Gals

RB1A guys being silly

Your favorite LDDs