This morning we started the day with breakfast at 7 am at the Buena Vista lodge restaurant. We enjoyed the meal and were ready for a great day. Our main instructor took us out to a lab where lodge workers make soap on the daily and showed us the process. We dressed up in lab coats and put on safety goggles and then were split into two different groups. Our instructor then explained the process and the science of how they make soap. In our tables we had the two main ingredients and then a mold for the shape of the soap. The two ingredients were poured into a bigger bowl and were stirred until we had a nice and thick solution. At this point we then poured the product into the mold and left the soap to harden.
From the soap lab, we geared up for a long bus ride to the school where most of our service was going to be done. On the bus ride there were some cool sights to see out the window like parrots and other animals you don’t see everyday.
When we arrived at the school, we were all ready to work very hard all day despite the very hot sun beating down. Once again we split up into two groups; one was focused on painting and the other on gardening. The gardening group worked hard to construct a fine garden building steps and then putting signs behind the new flower beds we filled with good soil. Also, we turned a tire into a home for a new plant and then finished by painting the tire orange. We also repainted recycling and trash cans. The other group redesigned a working area by putting down rocks and painting a bench. At the lunch break we had a very exhilarating game of soccer with the local school boys: they were pros. Time ran out eventually and we headed back to the lodge for a nice afternoon of sun, pool, and nice canopy walks. We then ate our dinner and played intense rounds of hide and go seek for the rest of the night. Senior Lawrence Miles said “Two type of rice for dinner!! Now that makes me a happy Larry!”