Building Community

July 4th - Today was amazing! We helped to build a Code Talker's home. Everyone pitched in to help. During our mid-day siesta, Ben, Tony and I went down to a clay pond which actually was very cold - a refreshing way to beat the noon day heat! Finishing up for the day we learned the proper way to make a fire and feasted on stir-fry. We grilled the chicken over the fire and cooked the rice in a box! Sarah, "the chef", cooked the veggies. My face is painted right now . . . so so beautiful . . . natural paint. Others are putting on an evening "mud mask" - oh my! We are wrapping up our service here and we've made some wonderful friends and have accomplished a TON of hard work for the community.
-Chrissy

Rafting and Goodbyes

Today was probably one of the best days of the trip. We headed off to the Rio Grande River where we were going whitewater rafting. We met our guides, split into our rafting groups and started down the river. Parts were hard core and others were mellow, but it was all fun. Periodically we had breaks where we'd stop to swim and snack. We rafted all day...an amazing day. We returned to our lunch spot and tried our luck at fishing in the pouring rain. Dinner was great tonight and we had our last evening circle as a group. I will miss my newly made friends, but I will come back to visit them again!
-Tony

Santa Fe Community Farm

This morning we were awoken by a medley of coyote calls, dog barks and roosters sounding off. After we all ate and got ready, our host, Caroline gave a comprehensive tour of the farm and inspired us all with her cheerful words of wisdom and enthusiasm. We got to work in the fields erradicating invasive species, while carefully avoiding the cucumbers, zucchinis and oats. We all worked diligently for a few hot hours and enjoyed bonding over our effort. Lunch was tamales, which made us feel “southwestern.” 

Lending a Hand in Santa Fe

This was our first day working at the food bank. We helped stack food and organize goods. Everyone worked really well together and we had plenty of laughs as Ian and Tudor competed to see who could assemble the most boxes. Later, we helped get the food bank looking nice and clean. We worked so hard today that we finished half an hour early! So, we got to do laundry and go swimming. And our totally awesome leaders bought us some Mexican food form Maria’s. It was delicious. That was our awesome day.