Responsibilities of being El Leader Del Dia commence the night before, started with getting everyone to bed. This is how it went. I accomplished getting one person into bed, but just as I went to find their roommate, that person got out and went back into the hallway, which brought me right back to the start. Eventually with extra help, I got everyone in their rooms by 11:00pm. Glimpsers were up bright and early (6:30 am) to begin Day 1 of our Community Action Project (CAP). On Design Day, it was decided that we would be reconstructing the deteriorated park and basketball court that was no longer in a usable condition in the community of Cristo Rey. We walked to Onaney’s for breakfast at 7:45 and ate a Spanish omelet with bread. Shortly after we got picked up by the Gua Gua and went to pick up our purchased materials: paint, chains, metal poles, etc. . . and our ambassadors met us there. Next, we headed towards Cristo Rey and began working!
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When we arrived, the community members had already began cleaning up the area around the basketball court. Soon after, our basketball crew joined them. Each group ( playground, basketball group) then went to their designated area to begin cleaning up and rebuilding. I was surprised to find an excessive amount of sharp glass; it was not a kid friendly environment, at all. After we finished cleaning, the playground crew began scraping off the 6 layers of old paint that remained on the structure of the swing set. It was tougher than any of us expected .The basketball crew finished cleaning, and found out that the measurements for the backboard were completely wrong. The only solution was to go and buy a new one. Once the new board arrived at the community, they painted it, put a rim on it, and attached the net. While the basketball group fixed the backboard, the painting crew began washing the perimeter of the park, however, the firefighters came to help hose down the dirty sidewalks and walls of the park. Once it dried, they painted a white base coat and on top a nice blue paint. Each crew was successful and I was proud of everyone. Mid-way through all the work we had lunch which consisted of rice, chicken, and salad. At 4pm Cristian, our bus driver picked us up, and when we got back, we had an hour of free time.

For dinner we had mashed potatoes and salami slices with a tangy, delicious juice. We left Onaney’s and had our nightly meeting and I passed off the torch to a new really close friend Theresa Phan.

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Lupita, Ivan, Jr, Mami, Papi! See you guys soon, LOVE YOU! oh and Jose and Melanie too ! LOL Idk if you will read this but Leslie, can’t wait to get back and come over lol