“In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.” -Marianne Williamson

 Hey everyone! Today was officially the first day of our CAP project and being the leader of the day was an amazing experience. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous since I was supposed to have a partner, but she woke up sick. Therefore, I had to be on my own, but I of course had the support of everyone else. I was surprised that everyone went to bed when they had to the night before and in the morning, nobody gave me any trouble. Instead, everyone woke up, and we were on time for breakfast. I was so grateful since I imagined it to be way harder since not everybody is a morning person. For breakfast, we all enjoyed our smashed plantains, salami, and eggs. Right after breakfast, we were ready to head out to Maguana al Medio where everyone would put in all their strength and effort to create something beautiful for the community. 

 As soon as we arrived, the tasks started. People were divided into groups: cleaning the areas we were going to build on, working on murals, helping with the manual labor, and playing with the smaller kids. I was trying to help a little bit everywhere I could, yet still trying to make sure everyone was okay and doing their part. I never realized how many responsibilities the Leader of the Day had. It really made me appreciate our Global Glimpse leaders and coordinators that have to do this all the time. I quickly realized that stress was starting to get to me since I had to make sure everyone was staying hydrated and putting on sunscreen, as well as checking that nobody was overworking themselves. Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t doing enough, which is what I think was the source of my stress. I really appreciated those who would check on me; I just wish I hadn’t let my stress reflect so obviously. Don’t get me wrong though, I was still very happy to see all of our hard work coming together. 

There were also funny moments like when Irene, our GG coordinator came up with a challenge to see who could drink the most pumps of water without spitting it out. It was so fun. At 12, we had our break and we ate rice, beans, chicken, a type of quesadilla and salad. We all ate so much that we fell into a food coma for a bit. It was a little hard to go back to work after resting for about an hour, but we managed. People went back to their stations and once again continued putting in all their energy that they had. Everything was starting to come together, and it felt good to see all of us working alongside the locals. By 2:15, we were exhausted all I wanted to do was take a nap for several hours, but that wasn’t possible since we now had to leave to make it to English tutoring at 4.

Water drinking competition!

Food coma!

People were either sleeping or laughing the entire bus ride and then when we actually got back, we had to rush to shower and get ready for our last English tutoring class. For the most part, the classes ran smoothly; we all did our best regardless of how tired we were from the work we did earlier. At 7:00, it was finally time to go back to the hostel and enjoy the dinner that was waiting for us. We had delicious potatoes, chicken, and sausages. After we had all finished, we moved on to our nightly meeting where we discussed the importance of helping others. 

Last day of English tutoring!

Today was a great day. It was very satisfying to see all of us working on a project that we know is beneficial to the community we are sharing this experience with. I can say that we have all developed a special bond for one another and have learned to appreciate everyday necessities we have taken for granted. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye. 

Jenny, today’s amazing LDD.