CAP Day 1! (No. 5)

Hey everyone, it’s the leaders of the day, Stephanie and Donaria! Today we woke everyone up at 7:00AM to get everyone ready for our first CAP day, making sure that everyone had their bug spray, sunscreen, and most importantly, water. At around 9:00 we headed to our CAP project site, Hato Viejo, where we met up with the community leader, Roberto.

Once we arrived, we split into two groups of ten: one in charge of carrying cement all the way to the top of the hill and back and the other in charge of shoveling and spreading sand on the dirt. Here is where we met some kids of the community, who promised to help us (they never did) but helped us by smiling and telling us “You can do it.” Although we had a plan, we had to switch things up and had to pick axe the dirt while others shoveled. Our bus driver Noel taught us how to properly use the pickaxe and how far we should dig. Not only that but Noel was our cheerleader, often telling us that we must be strong and to push through. And even then, if he saw us struggling, he would take over for us. After endless work we took a ten-minute break to drink water, wipe the sweat from our faces, apply any necessary repellant/sunscreen, and eat snacks. Once, we finished our break we continued working, and we rotated jobs with our partners once we saw what our strengths and weaknesses were. This process was probably the most confusing part.  Initially we thought we just had to clear the branches but then they told us to dig a foot deep, and lastly, 6 inches (or about the length of a hand). Nevertheless, we still cooperated and worked our way through with the help of the community.

At 12:00PM we headed back to the ranch to eat some lunch, which included some delicious frijoles y arroz (sorry JC), beef and onions, fruit, and cherry juice. We were worn out from the work this morning and ate everything! Some people cleaned up after lunch, others took a short nap, and at 1:35 we did some stretches to help with any pain. At around 1:45 we headed back to the truck were on our way to work some more!

Arriving at the scene everyone was tired, yet we were still motivated to keep going and dig around 100ft. of dirt. Thank you to our DJ, Pam, who made sure the speaker was next to us and constantly played songs that would wake us up, which gave Matthew a dance break from the work, sharing the energy around everyone. At around 3:30PM, we had another ten-minute break where Stephanie talked to the little kids who shared how their dog recently had puppies! Once we got back to work, we quickly realized that we had met and surpassed our goal of digging more than 100ft, giving us the chance to go back home.

The car ride included dancing and singing. The whole group sang to sexyyred, Bryson Tiller, Glorilla, Meghan the Stallion, and more. Arriving home, half the group went to the pool while the other got to enjoy a hot shower (yes, hot water!). Once that was over, we started writing appreciation letters to our Global Glimpse supporters.

Unfortunately, we ended our day with a black-out but that didn’t stop us from continuing having fun, ending our night with board games in the dark.

Signing off, your leaders of the day, Stephanie and Donaria.

P.S Students who did not call on Tuesday will be calling home tomorrow; be aware if you receive a call from an unknown number. Happy fourth of July!