Today was another great day in Maya Center! It was our last day working at the school. We started the day with an amazing
breakfast, which consisted of tortillas, beans, cheese, fresh watermelon and
papaya, and eggs. We worked on the library, painted the fence, and continued
the wall, finishing our service project! During the recess we played with the
kids. We also went tubing to look for birds, but instead we relaxed.
Elizabeth was the day’s
block-buster, breaking all the blocks like a champ with Grace to fill the holes
in the cinder blocks to finish the fence. Sidney, Nicholas, Philip, and
Veronica gave the fence a final coat of paint. Henry, Lena, and Chloe were
super organizers of the library.
During break, everyone had
their final recess playing with the children. Chloe was running a huge game of
Simon says, Rowan, and Emma were spinning kids around, Sidney, Grace, Charlotte,
Henry, and Lena, were giving some piggyback rides, but directed many children
to Philip who was later tackled by about twenty small children (sorry but not
sorry). Veronica smartly stayed in the
shade, where only the chill kids hung out with her.
For lunch we had soup, more
tortillas, fruit, rice, and cinnamon sugar rings. After we were finished, the
kids from the Mayan Center joined us for an activity that was focused on global
problems. We separated into groups to discuss four of the UN’s major problems.
The groups were poverty and hunger, gender equality, education, child
mortality. Everyone chose which of the four they identified with or were the
most passionate about. We shared our thoughts with the group. We went into
partners and went outside onto the concrete patio. We had to blindfolds a
partner and direct them across a “minefield” where the mines were backpacks and
water bottles. There was a second round where each team had to come up with
code words that stood for all the directions. We realized that this was more
difficult than originally perceived.
We left for the tubing trip
where some of us played a game of karate in the bus. Philip, Charlotte, Grace,
Rowan, and Emma sang Taylor Swift songs while the rest of us were playing
Sherlock Holmes for a mystery back at the lodge. We arrived at the destination
and hiked a ways into the forest. We found a jaguar footprint! After collapsing
into the river, Juan showed us a few different bird species, which not many of
us noticed because we were already so tired or to far behind to hear (*cough*
Charlotte). After a relaxing forty minutes, we reached the end of our tour and
rode the bus home.
We arrived at the lodge and
prepared for the final host family dinner. Everyone had a lot of fun and, as
always, the food was AMAZING. Lena, Sidney, Veronica, Emma, and Carlos taught
and played many rounds of the card game spoons with the children of their host
family. Josephina, Grace, Rowan, Elizabeth and Henry played go fish and bologna
sandwich. Before hand we helped Juana make delicious corn tortillas. After
returning to the hotel, we wrapped up the night with ANCHOR and were all
extremely happy to go to our rooms and sleep.
- Emma and Elizabeth (Leaders of
the Day)
Our Block-busters
Filling in the fence holes
Playing with the kids
Our Block-busters
Filling in the fence holes
Playing with the kids
