CAP Day #3…. that’s a wrap!

Hola from Clara and Alex!

Today was our last day of CAP work and we ended up finishing two full houses’ concrete floors and making much progress on the brick house.

Our day consisted of the usual 7 am wake-up call and an 8 am breakfast where we had eggs with peppers, bread rolls, cheese slices, and fruit (Alex’s least favorite breakfast).

As per routine, we got on the Wawa at 8:45 and enjoyed a music-filled hour drive to Monte Coca. We applied our sunscreen and bug spray generously and then began our work. For our last day of CAP work, we decided to change things up a bit. Group 2 started at the brick house while group 1 started with the cement floors. Since it was our third day of work, we immediately began helping the workers out. Unlike yesterday, the sun was very unforgiving. Group 1 mixed cement (double the amount of last time) and created a human assembly line to lay cement floors for the kitchen and living room. By lunchtime, we had finished the majority of the work minus half the kitchen and the porch. Group 2 was put to work removing the huge pile of rocks and sand from the side of the house to the backyard. We worked together to finish the task as efficiently as possible with the help of some neighborhood kids. They helped out with pushing wheelbarrows full of rubble to the pile and even helped us fill shovels full as well to make the work go by quicker. 

By 12 pm, we were all sweaty and low-spirited. However, our catering provided us with a very substantial meal. It consisted of fried chicken wings, pasta salad, rice and beans, and fresh fruit (the best fruit yet). According to the majority of our students, the juice was the best yet. It was so refreshing because it was like a slushy!

After our meal, we went back to work, switching off sites. Some students in group 1 went to the brick house, using pickaxes to dislodge bigger rocks while others used shovels to remove rocks from rooms inside the house. The kids were also trying to help us (one of the little girls kept switching Alex’s flat shovel out with a pointed one because she wanted to match with them). Students in group 2 mixed two batches of cement and again, created an assembly line to pass the buckets into the house. One little boy came to visit us, stole Ella’s fan, and tickled Ella and Frances. We ended up finishing the cement job for the entire house, including the front porch! 

Though the morning was tough due to the beaming sun, today’s afternoon work was relatively easier than the last two days. Everyone’s spirits were high when their stomachs were full and there was an all-around positive energy flowing. We also made sure to take lots of breaks so we could prevent energy depletion and injury, don’t worry ? The general routine we tried to follow was 30 minutes of work and a 5-10 minute break. 

Before the Wawa ride back to El Rancho, Yocabelis, Liz, Holli, and Tey surprised us with a trip to Juan Dolio for ice cream! Everyone enjoyed it and it was such a nice surprise after three days of hard work. 

When we returned to El Rancho, we had an hour of free time during which students showered, packed, or napped. At 5:45 pm, we had a group reflection activity and looked back on all the work we had done. After sharing our responses with the group, we had our 7 pm dinner. For dinner, we had grilled chicken wings, buttered pasta, steamed potatoes, white rice, and fruit. The cats visited us as usual ? Then we had our usual nightly meeting and passed the torch to our next LDDs, Tristan and Abby!

(While writing this blog, Morgan, Ella, Emily, Sabrina, and Abby visited us with a moving choir. They sang I’ll Always Remember You by Hannah Montana!)

Buenos noches familia y amistades!