Day 5- Community Day (No. 5)

Hola amigos/ Hello friends,

The four LDDs of today had a very special task of making sure everything went smoothly for community day. We woke up for breakfast, had everyone do a mental warm-up, and stretching before we headed out to meet the local families we were going to be working with. We split up into four groups and had a chance to spend time with a family for the day. Here are some details…

Diego Caldera:

I was the LDD for group 1. Today I learnt how a morning was spent with Judy and family. Her family resonated with our group through bringing us new shared experiences and getting us up and moving through a few of their favorite activities. These shared experiences brought us closer to each other and even closer to the family, as we all hope to see them again soon. Our group and I were able to get through nearly a full 3 hour adventure throughout the mountains, pushing past limits in ourselves and revealing a hidden potential within us all. Being the leader of the day brought a sense of responsibility to me along with my fellow Lider Del Dia. We were all supportive of each other’s difficulties throughout the day and worked well together in bringing the students as best of a day as possible as we took time to take care of ourselves and each other in order to bring our peers the day they deserve. Today I’ve discovered a new sense of compassion toward others, this compassion from being a leader is something I wish to carry over into my days even when I’m not an LDD and bringing compassion towards everyone along with myself, as we´re all leaders with or without the title of LDD.

Jaismeen Ghuman:

Today, June 9, 2024 was community day and I was the LDD of group 4. My peers and I visited a house shared by 2 sisters, Amalia and Carol and their cousin, Sicilia. Amilia was extremely welcoming and she taught my group members how to play Rummi (a board game consisting of numbers). Since Amilia did not have children in her house, we were able to cherish her hidden motherly emotions as she taught us different things and took care of us for 5 hours. The sisters were curious about our background and culture just like we were which made us comfortable and confident to open up to them and ask them questions too. Amilia’s house was open to all and her neighbors and their kids visited her and stayed their most of the time. The neighbors coming over to keep the sisters company and spend time with them reminded me of my hometown. The love and the bond between the community made me realize that despite being from different countries and communities, many of us are similar and share common experiences. I am the most proud of mine and my peer’s inquisitiveness and respectful nature towards the people present in the house. The Spanish speakers always made sure to translate words and phrases to include everyone. Collectively, we all put our skills and efforts together to create a heartwarming environment. What I learned today was by being open to differences and embracing them, we are able to resonate and empathize with people even more. 

Kevin Collins:

I was the Lider Del Dia for June 9th, 2024, and today my group mates and I spent the day with Don Pancho, Donya Aida, and their family. We learned how they passed their time on a typical day in Aquiares, with different games such as Jack Six, Naipes, El Burro. We also made Empanadas and Arepas with Donya Aida, after their very generous meal of rice and beans that they graciously cooked for us. What surprised me the most today was how similar their daily activities were to ours in the United States, and Don Pancho frequently reminded us of how all of us are the same, no matter our background or where we come from. While we were visiting, we also had many neighbors come up to the door and say hello and wish the family well, which is something that you don’t really see in the US. Something that I was proud of our group for doing was overcoming the language barrier from Spanish to English. Even though me and some of my group mates don’t speak any Spanish, our other peers helped us to translate and I am very grateful that it was not extremely difficult to communicate with our hosts. Spending time in the community in Turrialba helped me realize that what Don Pancho said earlier was true, that although we may be different in many ways, we are people all the same, and we should treat each other with respect just like the local people in Aquiares. 

Zoe Arkin:

Today for community day we visited families in Aquiares. My group visited a small family, Dylan (Dad), Paula (Mom), and  Julian (Son), where we got to experience a day in their lives. We helped Paula with making lunch which was a rice dish with tuna and cheese layered on top. I spent a lot of time with the son who had just gotten a new play kitchen where we took turns being the cook and customer. We went back and forth cooking fake chicken and eggs. I was able to practice a lot of Spanish since the son solely spoke Spanish since he was so young. We made banana bread and then the family took us to a community soccer game. There were people all around interacting with the game. What surprised me the most was how welcoming and friendly everyone was. It is not weird to just say hi and strike a conversation with anyone. In my community back at home, the sense of community is not felt as strong. We went on a hike where Dylan brought us to this secluded forest with a stream with a bunch of flowers. There, we were able to really bond as a small group by exchanging little facts we had learned from our past. We went back to the house and made empanadas while Julian and I continued to make our fake food and impress everyone with our fake cooking abilities. Being Lider Del Dia has taught me a new sense of responsibility. I acted as a translator for the family along with another student and reminded people to constantly drink water.  

Eureka!

Today’s community bonding concluded with a shared experience within our peers as we battled in the sport of volleyball through the intense rivalry between The Mangos and Los Queso’s which lasted to a deuce of 100 points with sweat and tears (no blood). Later after, we arrived and we were settled and had ate, the LDD’s came together in order to make a decision about an important detail in our evening schedule. As the LDD’s came to a decision, we were able to present it to our peers and in agreement by all. We brushed over it with our brimming excitement in the movie night which was to come later in the day. Eureka we have found the answer we were looking for. Until next time, as we anticipate our upcoming  LDD’s Emily and Arleth for Day 6 of our 2 week long trip.

More photos from today here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3cp3y2t4rvFpdR6C6