Dear families and friends, today was a fun day! We woke up at 8:30 am, then had breakfast at 9 am. After that we had our daily health check-in and then headed out to the field, it was about a 10-minute walk to the field. We had a lot of fun playing kickball at the park in the rain and sunshine. In all, we played 2 games of kickball at the field. We were all super competitive and loved to push each other to be the best in whatever we did. We all connected with each other on a different level that we hadn’t before and everyone felt included.

We returned back to the hotel to freshen up because it is super hot and humid here. But unfortunately, we received the news that there was no water in the City, once again. There have been issues with the water for the last 2 days where it comes and goes, but the hotel keeps extra water in case of emergency and they have water tanks which they turn on for a certain time for everyone to shower within the time period.

Around 1 pm we had lunch.  Today was also the first day we were all able to go outside with no GG leader. It was definitely an amazing experience to roam around and experience Panama by ourselves. But when it came to going out without GG leaders there were rules we had to follow. The glimpsers were not to go out alone- only in groups of 4 or more.  We also had to sign out and in when going out and sign or name the places we were going to in order for the GG leaders to know where every glimpser was at the time. Lastly, we had to be careful and safe and we all had to be back by 5 pm before having dinner at 6 pm. Many of the Glimpsers went to McDonalds or either the Grocery store or the corner cafe before coming back to the hotel for dinner.

After returning and having dinner we played a movie in the common room after having a vote. The winning movie that was chosen was Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift. We enjoyed the movie and had plenty of snacks. Some watermelon, candies, chips, cookies, and more were purchased during our free time. The movie went well and bedtime was set to 10 pm since we had an early morning because we were waking up to start the first day of our CAP project working with the non-profit organization of Pro Eco Azuero to help reforest the land of Azuero. In the end, it was an easy but memorable day for everyone.

Dania Orduna

My experience with being the leader of the day was so much fun I really enjoyed being able to project my voice because I am a very talkative person. I also enjoyed having to write down what was going on throughout the day because I will have it as memories later on. It also showed me that being a leader is a really tough challenge because you really have to be on top of things, which showed me a life lesson that I will take with me for the rest of my life. And overall it was an amazing experience and I hope to continue to use these skills that I have learned as I grow.

Ashley Castellanos

My experience being leader of the day was very incredible. This day was a challenge for me personally, since this helped me get out of my comfort zone, not only that, also being the leader of the day taught me that to be a leader you have to set a goal to be able to finish with your goals. However, being a leader is a very pleasant experience, since it not only helps you get out of your comfort zone, it is also something that helps us change things in ourselves, no matter how small they may be, and at the same time, it also helps us to discover ourselves, explore new situations, overcome our fears and even discover the world. For me personally, being a leader was an incredible experience, since it helped me discover new knowledge and at the same time, I was able to share memorable moments with other people.

Joanna Rosas

My experience with being leader of the day was quite enjoyable and also a great learning experience. What I learned with being leader of the day is that it comes with lots of responsibility and also using your voice to speak up. I feel like it was very helpful in the way of helping me come out of my comfort zone. This is because I am the type of person that tends to stay quiet and try to mind my own business due to the fear of being seen as different or standing out. With begin leader of the day I learned that it’s okay to come out of your shell and be loud in order to get everyone’s attention when needed. I also learned that with being the leader of the day at times you have to put others’ needs before yourselves. For example, making sure everyone had their 3 meals of the day before sitting down to eat and also reminding the glimpsers many times throughout the day to hydrate, reapply sunscreen, and always be safe and careful when going out because today was the first day we were able to go out in groups of 4 or more with having more freedom to explore Las Tablas. At times it might be hard to get everyone’s attention when needed or to make sure everyone is on time but you have to remember to be patient and kind to everyone. Overall being leader of the day was a great learning experience and I will continue to use the skills I have learned in the future since it helped me discover a new part of myself and see the world in a new way while also being able to come out of my comfort zone.