Que honda chicos?
After a well-spent karaoke/fiesta night, the group had too much energy to fall asleep. The problem was then that the next morning we had a hard time waking up at 7:30am. After having breakfast, we rode the bus to the community center in Mata de Cadillo. We conducted the interview for the Discovery/Needs Assessment phase of our CAP project (Community Action Project). The community decided that their biggest need is a kitchen; we will help them build this so they can host guests and events at the community center. This need is especially important because when they hosted events in the past, the locals had to cook their meals at home and it was cold by the time they celebrated together. We’re excited about making this wish a reality, and after a meeting back at the accommodations, we ended up figuring out a basic plan of how we can make this project happen. We also discovered that we need a lot more information before we finalize any decisions.
After a morning filled with our community action project, we had our first afternoon of English tutoring! It was a bit of a challenge, because the person with the keys to the school was VERY late. We had 8 different classes ranging from beginner to advanced. We all had our struggles and little successes, but over time, we will continue to adapt and improve our teaching. After tutoring, we had time to prepare for our next session on Wednesday, and now we actually know what to prepare for.
We ended the night with a yummy sopa, a self-reflection where we got to know more about each other, a discussion about aid and development, and a lot of Big Love in our nightly meeting. Little by little our team is getting closer to each other. ๐
With love,
Valerie & Briseyda
Everyone dancing merengue and having a great night.
Their current method of cooking consisting of cinder blocks and a metal rod.
Group photo at the community center where we’ll be building a kitchen.
Advanced-level tutoring team.
Everyone preparing for their next English tutoring session.
So excited to hear about your CAP project, sounds like you are going to be busy. I feel so proud of all of you for dedicating part of your summer to helping others. We really hope that your English classes go smoothly and that you’re able to be successful. Wishing you a great day tomorrow. Jessica we love you and miss you. Hugs and kisses from all of us.
Looks like you had quite a party!
Glad you’ll help with the kitchen, Mathieu, you know how I feel about heating cold dished ๐ ๐
Good luck on figuring out the teaching part!
seeing their method of cooking was very eye opening, itโs so amazing that you guys are able to fix that for them through the cap project. lorenzo, im glad that your smiling and jumping in more pictures, looking good. love you
Hi Anjali!
It was great to hear your voice for a few minutes before the call dropped. Glad to see that you are having fun and learning about local culture. Adding a kitchen to the community center is a great project. Canโt wait to hear more about it.
We miss you and love you๐!
Mom & Dad
Thank you Valerie and Briseyda for these updates. We love to hear the adventures and of course see our kids.
Thank you for the daily updates. Everyday I look forward to reading about your adventures. As much as I miss you Natalie, seeing these pictures and reading about what you all are doing over there makes it worth it. I am so proud. I cannot wait to hear all about it when you return. Love always, your big sister!
Wow, another great day! Love and miss you Abby! Mom, Dad and Taylor! xoxo