Day 12: Final CAP Day

Pura Vida! This is Liam and Courtney, your final student LDD’s, here to recap today’s third and final CAP day! We woke everyone up at 7:15 with Master of Puppets by Metallica (that was all Liam) to get everyone energized for their final day of hard work at the school. We started off our day with a delicious breakfast of french toast, fried eggs, and fruit (especially the papaya). Next, we began our trek to the school in preparation for our last work session, led by Antonio (Liam’s favorite foreman).

Right when we got to the school, the smell of dust hit us like a thick fog. Antonio had spent the morning preparing the gym floor so that we could continue our chiseling. After a quick streching circle, we eagerly split into four groups: sifting, chiseling, concrete mixing, and ramp sweeping. The difficulty of the hard physical labor set in so we took many water breaks to offset the fatigue and oppressing humidity.

The hunger began to set in and we scampered back to the lodge at 11:45 for a scrumptious lunch of pork fried rice and refried beans with salad. After a fairly long period to digest, the stroll through the hot sun back to the school began, with our final period of work readily awaiting us. We put on our gloves, goggles, and 70 SPF suncreen as the clouds parted; the intense tropical sun beating down upon the thin metal roofs. The work spontaneously resumed, and everyone settled back into their familiar roles they had become accustomed to during the past two days. However, because of how hard and efficiently we worked, some of the jobs were finally done. We instituted a rotation between the people chiseling and the rest of the group resting under the shade of the patio. To reduce fatigue and boredom, we lead some fun games with the people on break, such as black magic and Wisconsin soccer (with the ball that got stuck in the ceiling not long after). The anxiety within the group rose as we viewed the light at the end of the long tunnel that has been our CAP project.

While being a long and strenouos ordeal, the group reflected on the meaningful impact that we were able to have on the local community of Aquiares. We recapped our actions with today’s question in mind: “What will you take away from your CAP experience to apply to your lives back home?” While we were preparing to leave the school for the last time, we took one last look back at what we had accomplished. Next, we trooped back to the house after a quick stop at the market for one final opportunity to stock up on Costa Rican goods. Right as we left the market, the rain started pouring down upon us and we zoomed back to our accomodations.

As we were all soaking wet, a group of us went swimming in the pool to enjoy the rain, and the fresh air the rain had brought with it. Soon after, we gathered at the table to enjoy a delightful dinner of pastel de yuca (a cassarole of beef, cheese, mashed yuca, and tomatoes). This may have been the best dinner yet and left us happy and full for the nightly meeting.

The nightly meeting went as per usual, and we passed the torch over to Senora after quickly recapping the day. As much fun as the trip has been, a lot of us are ready and excited to be reunited with our families on Sunday. Wish us luck for a smooth plane trip so we can sleep, and that we survive the six hour layover in Newark. Goodnight, and see you Sunday! <3

-Liam & Courtney

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