DAY 10- CAP PART 2

Hello, my name is Emilio, I attend Sonoma Valley High School and a rising senior. So far, my highlight of the trip has been attending the farm Finca Espinal. There, I had the opportunity to carry and feed baby goats, milk goats, and try goat milk ice cream. Today, I was the co-leader with Julian for the second day of our group’s Community Action Project. Being a leader with Julian was a new experience that, in return, rewarded me with new skills and tactics to become a better leader in the future. My group was attentive, followed requirements, and were committed to working on their jobs for the span of the work day. 

Hello, my name is Julian Cudzinovic. Today, I was the leader of the day with Emilio on the second day of our Community Action Project. At the beginning of the trip, I was initially nervous about being leader, but after getting the opportunity, I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was incredible getting the opportunity to lead this amazing group of people, even without my input, everyone was constantly on task, focused on completeing their projects, and on uplifting and including their fellow students. 

Today, we worked on our Community Action Project at Nutre Hogar. Originally, we planned to still be focused on the same projects as yesterday, but because we were so efficient, the vast majority of them were done. While a third of the students continued painting the nursery walls, the rest split up to focus on smaller projects. We repainted sections of the building’s front, weeded the parking lot, dug-up and relocated trees, and propagated saplings. Everyone was able to work together well, and no one was left without a job. As leaders, we made sure everyone was taking adequate breaks and pacing themselves. We also made sure that everything was delegated accordingly and were doing the most they could to help the group. After multiple hours of work, we took a break for lunch, before returning to work for two more hours. By the end of the afternoon, the nursery painting was almost complete, the front of the building had been revitalized, and much of the back yard had been cleared of debris. After finishing the work day, we returned to the hotel and took a short break, then we separated into three different groups. Some of us went to buy souvenirs and ice cream while others went to the cafe and visited the plaza. Shortly after returning to the hotel, we ate dinner, had our nightly meeting, and passed the torch to Jose and Alicia to become the next leaders. To end the night, the entire group and the leaders watched Mulan while enjoying popcorn and chips.

During the second day of our Community Action Project, we learned the importance of always finding a way to delegate tasks, as on the first day the majority of the projects were completed. In order to maintain a good work flow and rhythm, new tasks were assigned to smaller groups to improve the aesthetic of Nutre Hogar. The importance of organized groups was also shown through our ability to stay productive throughout the day. 

Thank you so much for reading our blog entry, remember to come back tomorrow for Jose and Alicia’s entry, 

Thank you again, 

Julian & Emilio