8
Location: Rio Claro
This morning we left on a hike to a beautiful waterfall nearby where we suffered climbing uphill. After a nice swim with the fish, we walked back to the hotel where we prepared to leave for Rio Claro. After we got on the bus, we made a stop for lunch at this amazing food place. We boarded back up and began our two-hour drive to a new adventure, but before we reached our destination, we made a quick stop at Fatima’s house (a local leader and teacher to the community). While we were there, she talked about the sort of work we would be doing the following day. We were able to learn from her story that she is a very empowering woman who has been through a lot and loved her kids more than anything. Fatima has three girls and one son (very attractive), and one little grandson who is the cutest singer ever. Following that afternoon we went on a walk around the community with her family. It was very interesting to be able to see the community that we, as the GoBeyond Program, would be working with. It was the 4th of July, and we were missing our parents, so JB and Anna allowed us to call home for a few minutes. Dinner was great, and as bedtime came around the corner, we were excited about the new day coming ahead and being able to paint, play with the kids, and get sunburnt. While we may not have done many activities, the day was still impactful, and we all had plenty of fun helping each other. Goodnight!