Day 6: Biocultural Diversity (7/14)

Dear Parents, Friends, and Families

BIG LOVE from Kimi Slaughter and Nathaniel Hill!! We are excited to share with you our experience as leaders of the day as well as our trip experience overall. Today’s theme was “Bio-Cultural Diversity”. Our question of the day was “What is Bio-Cultural Diversity and why should we care?”

Our day started with an early wake-up call at 6:30 am, and we then proceeded to eat breakfast at 7:30. This morning we were delighted with a filling breakfast of waffles, sausage, and eggs. This morning’s breakfast was special to a lot of Glimpsers because it held a nostalgic feel. It was close to home and cured homesickness which has been a constant feeling during this trip.

After breakfast students headed to the bus to visit Playa Venao. The bus ride was an hour and 30 minutes yet it felt like no time passed. Students were singing their hearts out to emotional tunes including Bruno Mars and Los Prisioneros. Even students who didn’t speak Spanish found themselves dancing and connecting with the music regardless of language barriers. It was a beautiful bonding experience that had students connecting on a playful and memorable level. This bonding experience transformed students’ relationships from new friends to feeling like a family.

When we arrived at Playa Venao we were greeted by our 3 organization leaders and their names were Rod, Scott, and Luz. Rod was the founder of Eco Basura. He led us in an activity in order for them to learn about Biocultural Diversity. The students learned about a process called ‘synergy’. During the synergy activity, we learned that we must be attentive to how a cycle is going. When we don’t it causes disturbance in the ecosystem. Students also learned about the composting process and what it does for the environment. Scott was the founder of Save the turtles. He taught us how his organization works. The students learned about endangered sea turtles and Arobatas.

After the students finished learning about Biocultural Diversity they were given free time at the beach. Students played in the ocean, played volleyball, and purchased drinks. When students got back on the bus they stopped for a souvenir trip. The souvenir store was filled with beautiful cultural art and indigenous artwork. It was then time to return to the hotel, students enjoyed lunch and were left with an hour of free time. After free time ended dinner was served to the students. Today they were allowed to sit in the main restaurant which was a nice change of scenery. They were able to view the Copa Americana soccer game and enjoyed their fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and fries.

The night ended with our routine nighty meeting. We reviewed the events of the day, their thorn and roses, along with passing the torch to the next leaders.

Kimi Slaughter

My experience as the leader of the day was transformative. Previously I had been feeling extremely homesick. Although my time in Panama has been amazing, I miss my friends and family more than I expected. There’s been constant reminders of them everywhere yet being Leader provided me easement in my emotions. I was able to connect with the rest of my peers on a leadership level and it helped me forget how much I miss my friends. In being a leader, I learned how to lead a group my age while bringing joyful energy to the scenery. One aspect of this trip that has surprised me the most has been the amount of self-reflection I’ve been doing. I’ve found myself journaling my experience almost every day. I’ve also been journaling about the strong emotions I’ve been feeling. Including homesickness, stress, and just using it as a way to vent. I’m extremely grateful for the peace this trip has brought me and I learned how healing it is to write down my feelings.

Nathaniel Hill

To keep it short and sweet, my experience as a leader has been impactful for me because it allowed me to bond more with new faces and get out of my comfort zone. To add on, I’ve learned that being a leader isn’t just about having authority over another but it’s about connecting to your peers on a deeper level and getting to know them. In all, this trip has been phenomenal and I would definitely do it again!! BIG LOVE <3

LDDs Kimi and Nathaniel presenting our speaker with a gift from GGL!

Group Photo at Playa Venao!

Beach Volleyball in our Free Time!

Today’s adventure was led by our wonderful in-country PCs- Luz and Marco!