Day 5: Community Day!!!

Hey guys!! We apologize for the late blog post, but after the full day we had yesterday it was decided to write this update this morning instead. Yesterday morning some of us started off our day bird watching from 4-6am. We found some toucans and Costa Rican Squirrels. Later, after everyone woke up and had breakfast, we played rock, paper, scissors for a mental warmup. Our day started to really take off after that, when everyone left to spend the day with their 3 respective families.

One group spent the day at the bed and breakfast with the family who runs it. They made tortillas with the cook, had lunch and got a tour of the inner house. The owner, Liz, told the group her own inspiring story of overcoming a brain tumor, taking care of her sick mother, all while she continues to care for this hotel and its residents. Since this group ended early, many of its members decided to play various card games to pass the time until the groups came back. They also went to the market to purchase snacks for the movie night that took place later at 8.

Another group headed over to another village by the school where we’re gonna do our CAP project. We started off by meeting the whole family and getting to introduce ourselves as well as them introducing themselves, There were a few kids, a 2-year-old, a 7-year-old, and lastly a 12-year-old. We all decided to go to the park. and it was extremely hot. We were all sweating through our clothes. On our way to the park we passed a couple of interesting trees such as a Cotton tree, Mango tree, Blackberry tree, and Avacado tree. Hanging out with the kids and getting to know how they live and what their hobbies are and sharing interests was such an amazing experience to share all together. When it was time for lunch they made us a caldo a mini salad and a drink called tamarindo. All the kids started to play video games and cards with the little kids all sharing a bond just talking and getting to know each other cause not all of us spoke Spanish, but to know that we all had a great time regardless and even learned more Spanish was a great experience. As a combined family we all created and learned how to make empanadas.

The third group went with Maria, one of the staff who helps around during meal times. When we got to her home, she began to explain a little activity that she had planned for us. Maria does handmade crafts with recycled leather that is sourced from Copa Airlines. Every four years, Copa gets new seats for their airplanes and the leather that is removed from the seats is then used by Maria and her companions to make various items: keychains, backpacks, duffel bags, wallets, tote bags, etc. So our activity was making keychains from the leather and then painting our own creations. There were so many great designs and everyone had a blast! After that, we had lunch and made dessert, bolitas de cornflakes. To end the day with Maria, we made tortillas con queso. We struggled a bit in the beginning, but got the hang of it after a while, and then turned out delicious!

To end the day, we had a whole group movie night! Everyone got their comfy clothes on, their blankets, and various Costa Rican snacks. We decided to watch Maze Runner. After the movie, everyone headed off to their rooms and got ready for bed.

Stay tuned for more of our fun activities!!

• Mj, Jackie, Audrey signing out