9
Location: Uvita
Hello everyone!
Today we woke up from a solid night in our apartments and made a delicious breakfast of pancakes and eggs. After cleaning, we hopped on the bus and headed to start our workday. We arrived at the central education of Uvita to help create a better area for volunteers to stay when serving in the area. We started to sand down the metal bars creating the door of the bedroom for the volunteers and the bunk-bed inside of the room. Kendall befriended an adorable kitty cat and soon after, named it Quendal; this is her Spanish name in which I thought was how she spelled her real name. Doh! After that, we split into groups and started fetching dirt, painting walls, painting butterfly murals on the walls, painting the bunks, and painting the roof. When everyone was all tuckered out, and after many water breaks/ mango breaks, we headed to grab some lunch. (Today was most-likely the hottest day yet with temperatures ranging between 90-100 degrees!)
Lunch consisted of a buffet-style where many people got rice, beans, chicken, empanadas, chips, watermelon, mashed potatoes, and more! It was delicious, and I was able to bring some back to the apartment for a short snack a while before dinner. After lunch, we headed back on the bus with Hugo and invited him to eat dinner with us later that night. He agreed, and we were so excited! (Hugo is the best!)
Arriving back at the school, we set back to work and finished up the space. Also, while taking a break from the heat, we participated in activities with one of the kids. We discussed nature and its involvement in everyday life. While talking about these topics, we completed activities such as painting rocks, creating murals on pieces of paper, and making masks out of leaves, all while discussing their significance to us/each other. Fatima, the mother of Gloria, who was the teacher at the school in La Carpio, taught/described each activity in detail and explained how nature impacted her life. After putting the finishing touches on everything and giving Fatima some toys, we headed back home to the apartment. We got back and got ready to start cooking our dinner consisting of salad, chicken tacos, and brownies, but we encountered a short downfall when the power went out for about an hour. It was fun, though because we listened to some music and had a mini dance party. With the power back on (and starting a bit late on dinner), we started cooking with Enrico on the chicken and the others prepping the salad, brownies, and veg. Hugo arrived a bit early, so we turned on the US vs. another team that I cannot recall at the moment, and he was really into it. We chatted with him about his grandchildren, and soon after, dinner was served. It was delicious, and the brownies were scrumptious! After a few laughing fits this vlog has come to an end and so has the day. Now off to pack and prep for the indigenous tomorrow! Cannot wait and thanks for tuning in!
-Margaret B. Winstead