¡Hola familias y amigos! This is co-leaders Sasha and Sergio checking in from the village of La Trinchera!

Today we began day 4 on the work site with William, our hilarious maestro de obras (foreman). We have been working really hard and are just putting finishing touches on the school today. The paint for the school is NOT beige as Sergio had previously suggested, but rather a light shade of pink. It is coupled with coffee brown, which looks great! The interior walls alternate between two shades of verde (green). Photos to come soon!

In addition to sanding and painting the entire school, students have started their independent projects (which we hope to describe in detail on the blog once we have better internet connectivity). Projects vary from learning to cook traditional Tico meals with our amazing cooks, Anita and Judy, to teaching English classes to the kids in the village. A few students will also be introducing the locals to the game of kickball!

One of the best parts of the trip so far has been the food! All of the food that we eat comes directly from this community – the pineapples, milk, root vegetables…EVERYTHING! The villagers have gone all out with cooking us their best dishes, including fried plantains and pineapples, pan de queso (delicious cheese bread), picadillo (sort of like a stew), and yuca cooked every imaginable way. We’ve also been drinking hot sugar cane juice, coconut water from the actual coconut, and fruit juices of all sorts. YUM!

Bueno, amigos, hasta luego!

– Co-leaders Sasha y Sergio