The day started very early for many of us. Lindsey and Sophia were fortunate enough to sleep through a pig slaughter, but woke at 5:00 am to the sounds of women carving the leftover meat, and then enjoyed their breakfast of beans with the aroma of the meat circulating through the air. Jason and Dylan drifted to sleep with the sounds of the weaving looms as their family weaved throughout the night. We all arrived at the Chico Mendes house at 9:00 am, enthusiastic to begin our day. We started our group activities carrying tree saplings and various tools up a mountain in order to contribute to the reforestation project of Chico Mendes. Once we reached the summit, we delved into hands-on labor and planted exactly 110 saplings. In the process we got our hands, legs, and faces covered with dirt. After our hours of toil, we marched down the mountain, collecting trash along the trail. We then parted ways to go to our homestays where we ate lunch with our families. We congregated again to continue a different but related project, shoveling, mixing, and stuffing plastic bags with dirt. Being experts at the task, as we had done this yesterday as well, we were able to indulge in the activity with some dirt and crab apple fights on the side. Afterwards, on our way to the soccer field, we scavenged the roads for a bomb panaderia, which we were unable to find. As we write this, we are about to commence in a competitive, bloody, battle of gringo futbol together with some local players. Later we will return to our homes where some of us will go out of our comfort zones and explore the bucket showers and hole toilets, while some of us will ignore the dirt that smothers their bodies and retire exhausted to bed. Over and out.
— Jason and Lindsey
