July 4, 2014,
Today after we had breakfast we had an aid and development seminar where the group debated if the United States should or should not give money to other countries. Then we took a bus ride up into the mountains to a community in a place called Rio Blanco. There we met a man named Esteban who is one of the founders of a local organization called Federacion de Campesions Hacia El Futuro. After a tour of the area where we got to see how they make bamboo furniture and a wonderful lunch, we heard Esteban’s story about the organization and why they were founded. Their main objectives are to protect the environment in the mountains and to fight for the improvement of the lives for people living in the mountains. Then we began the first part of our Community Action Project, or CAP, by asking the people in the organization questions about their lives. After that we returned home and started a seminar on how we will teach English to some of the locals and after the seminar we planned our first English classes. Then we had a dinner of hotdogs, hamburgers, French fries, and cake to commemorate the Fourth of July. Then we had our nightly meeting where we discussed what we will do tomorrow.
After a day of hearing locals who fight for electricity and roads to their communities, I am truly thankful for all that I have. Happy Fourth of July!
– Rob L-R.