Paint is swept off from each hair of the brush, as the tool is used in finishing a new masterpiece. A masterpiece that would remind the community of Las Flores that change can happen through effort and hardwork. This is the completion of the Las Flores park and this is the completion of the CAP Project (Community Action Project).

(Cholo):

Today was a first for everything for me. Along with Olivia, we were the student leaders of the day and had to organize everything to make sure things go along with schedule. In this case, part two of the CAP Project activity. And yowza, it was an enlightenment.

For one, it can be frustrating to follow the plan when things can go out of hand. An anecdote of this would be limited resources. Throughout the second day, we had recently learned that we actually have to paint the space between the lines of the basketball court in color. At first, it wasn’t bad and was just unexpected. But when we reached to using the red paint, things took a wrong turn. It came to realization that we don’t have enough red paint to cover the blank space in solid color. I felt powerless with Olivia because A.) We no longer had enough money to get sufficient supplies with no means to get more and B.) There was not enough brushes for everyone to use in painting the basketball court. So we had to use alternatives to make progress like using cardboard and or use our own hands. I know for a fact that this wasn’t anyone’s fault that we ran out of the supplies. As a group, we already had a set plan for the way we wanted the park to look, so for this to happen at the last minute affected the group greatly. However, it still frustrated me that this happened because as leader, I needed to make sure things went smoothly. So in a way, I felt responsible for what happened and could’ve turned this disadvantage into an advantage by not letting this affect us negatively. I wanted to be able more positive and inspire others to be the same, also learn not to get frustrated when things don’t go the way you planned it. It’s a domino effect really, but that’s part of being a leader. It is to persevere through obstacles and be determined to reach your overall goal. And that you’re not alone in it. A leader is not a leader without its followers and the followers aren’t followers if they don’t a follow a leader.

Together, Global Glimpse and the community of Las Flores successfully completed the CAP Project in renovating the Las Flores park. My group’s design of the “No Tire Basura” artwork went beyond what was expected and covered majority of the visible wall. The other committees were able to complete their assigned tasks such as hopscotch and the basketball court in general. This showed that when given the right amount of effort, hardwork and determination, you can do anything despite the obstacles. This was not only a great experience, but the highlight of my day because we got the chance to help people and bring pleasure to their lives. Like what one of my idols had once said, “Be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”

(Olivia):

Getting the chance to see a smile not only on the kids, but also on the community members faces had to be the highlight of my day. It’s not everyday where you see someone take time out of their daily routine to help renovate a park. Today was the second day of the CAP, in which Cholo and I were the “El Lider Del Dia” aka leaders of the day. It was really hard being the leader of the day but we got through it successfully.

Being leader of the day takes three things; Courage, Commitment, and Compassion. Throughout the day, we both expressed these traits a lot.. Starting with Courage where Cholo was able to step out of his comfort zone and sung one of his original song called “A Year Too Late”. This showed so much courage because he was able to throw himself out there by letting us hear something that was very personal to him. One thing you have to remember when being a leader is being able to step out of your of your own comfort zone. Next is Commitment: when I get frustrated I often give up, but today I didn’t give up  no matter how many times I got frustrated (which was often) especially during lunch when the food the didn’t arrive on time. Another thing you have to remember when being a leader is YOU CAN’T GIVE UP! If something doesn’t go the way you want it to go, then just you’re just going to have to deal with it and fix it; don’t give up because that gets you nowhere. This was also the lesson that I learned today, which was to never give up and keep going. Honestly, it feels great to know that I didn’t give up along with Cholo and that just kept on going. Last but not least is Compassion. We showed compassion today in many ways, but I think the most important one was when we checked on each committee every hour to see how they were doing and if they needed help in which they were really grateful for it. Having compassion can affect someone greatly because it shows that you care and is willing to help anyone in need.

Overall being the leader of the day was extremely challenging from messing up the bedtime to running out of paint, me and Cholo were able to work together to overcome these challenges. This is also what I’m most proud of being able to keep going when things get tough. Thanks to Cholo, he inspired me to keep going when I said that I was a bad leader. He told that I was doing fine and that I just need to keep going no matter what the situation is. Being a leader has it’s advantages and disadvantages but if you stay open minded, take risk, and never give up you’ll be the best leader that you can be.
In conclusion, we as a part of Global Glimpse did a phenomenal job with the CAP Project and the rest of the day. That includes the English Tutoring Graduation to even the littlest of things like making sure everyone is doing fine or meal calls. Yes, we had our dark moments today, but we helped each other and overcome our problems. It’s not for just leaders but also applies to everyone. Never give up and never let the negativity get to you. With that in your plate, anything is possible. Look at this! We painted murals, built a basketball court and added more games to the Las Flores park. It may had seem difficult, but we did it.