Written by Zoe DeMichele and Jesse Sultan
Hola! At the end of the last blog, we had just arrived in Pueblo Nuevo and met our new families. Moments later, we got to work. Our work of painting tires, digging holes for the fences, and mixing concrete has beautified the Pueblo Nuevo futból field.
But the real work began when we launched the Friendship Camp, created solely by the group. Each day consisted of work in the mornings followed by our camp in the afternoons where we ran around, did crafts, played games, and helped children make friendships. With our homestay families, new bonds have been created with mealtime conversations, board games, and movies long into the night.
We also have gone on many small trips throughout the last two weeks. First, we enjoyed a refreshing visit to a local pool. Then, we traveled to San Isidro to visit the farmer’s market, where we bought and tried exotic fruits, practiced Spanish conversation, and learned the hard way that grapes should not cost nine dollars! Recently, we hiked to a river nearby to further explore the community.
As of this weekend, we just got back from our weekend excursion where we rappelled down a waterfall and stayed at a hotel with many amenities that are not in Pueblo Nuevo, like a naturally heated pool (thanks to the sun), a restaurant, and HOT SHOWERS.
Top highlights of the Week
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Rappelling down the 200-foot waterfall, which we did in pairs, supporting each other through nerves, twisting rope, and rushing water. This excitement didn’t end because, on the walk back, we saw a sloth lounging in its natural habitat.
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The Friendship Camp, where we engaged in unique conversations with the kids and learned many new things like pato pato gonzo (duck duck goose), how to remove full-face face paint, and different leadership strategies.
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Exploring the local community, from enjoying the local pool to navigating the lively farmer’s market in San Isidro and hiking to a nearby river.
Overcoming Challenges
Something that the group has been challenged by in these past weeks was the language barriers between us and our homestay families. Although we are learning new phrases every day, the addition of Friendship Camp has forced everyone to communicate more and push past their limited Spanish knowledge.
Looking Ahead
For the next week, we are going to keep contributing to the community with our service work and are looking forward to many more small trips. Although we will be sad to leave Pueblo Nuevo, we are most excited to visit Uvita at the end of the next week, just before getting home. We will be going surfing and white water rafting with the group, more than ready to stay at another hotel.
