Day 7 – Free Day

Today was Free Day and was led by us (Jasmine Barajas and Ashley Barahona). We started off the day by sleeping in later than usual which was really needed after the long day yesterday. Our breakfast was self-served between 9:30 am to 10:30 am. The food was pancakes, scrambled eggs, and pineapple which was delicious. Once we finished breakfast we headed over to the grassy area behind the building. A few played volleyball, soccer, and telephone which was played by most of the group. We attempted to play telephone using Spanish phrases like “Eres una chismosa” which ended up confusing everybody.

After lunch, we headed over to the town for four hours. Many of us bought souvenirs for loved ones or for ourselves. A good amount of us went to get smoothies which was refreshing for the very hot day. A couple of us purchased pizza or appetizing empanadas. We also got candy for the planned candy salad that would happen later in the day. In addition, some of the glimpsers got a haircut at a local barbershop. At 5:00 pm we headed back to the Hotel to continue 15-minute calls to our families and fill out midtrip surveys. The mid-trip surveys took longer than expected, but once we finished, we had our dinner which consisted of rice, potatoes, salad, beans, and salami.

Once dinner ended, we had our nightly meeting. We announced the next leaders of the day after they showed their talents in front of the group. One of the leaders showed their strength by squatting while carrying someone. Another showed their passion for writing by reading us a poem they had created throughout the week. Both were captivating to watch and listen to.

The day prior, Ashley and Jasmine (the writers of this blog) showcased their talents as well. I (Ashley) decided to share a story about an experience I had in elementary school with the group. I (Jasmine) chose to show two different voices I could make; For one of the voices I impersonated Stitch.

After the nightly meeting, we made the candy salad. We formed a line behind a camera and everybody took turns saying their name and the candy that they brought. Right after everyone put their candies in the bowl, each one of us grabbed our portion of candy and put it in bags. Afterwards, we hung out and now we are here writing blogs.

Overall, the day was incredibly fun and we all fully started to trust each other, which was very special for our group. We hope you enjoyed reading our blog and have a good night or morning.