Day 3: Barrios & Butterflies

The wet gravel slides under the tires of the bus as Juan Martin says “estamos aqui.” The Mariposa Center, the place where we will be spending the next five days fills us with uncertainty. What would we be doing here for the next couple days? When will we be seeing the girls? When will we start the mission we have been talking about for the last five months?

Suddenly, a lady jumps on to the bus and introduces herself as Amanda. She was joined by another southern Californian, Krista, who would be helping us the whole week. We all learned each other’s names and then split into two groups. One group would visit the neighborhood while the other group toured the Center. We set off for the barrio, where about 70% of the Mariposa girls live and met up with Tricia, a tough Bostonian lady who seemed to captivate everyone around her. We were soon weaving through the houses, saying “hola” to the people’s houses we entered. Although the people’s houses we visited were not (by our standards) in any condition to live in, their attitudes reflected differently; they welcomed us into their homes with smiles and made us feel like part of their community.

As we continued to walk through the neighborhood, we were able to see more of the poverty that seems to always be overlooked by the countless tourists that come to enjoy the luxurious beaches and disregard the poor conditions of those on the other side of their resorts. We were constantly dodging debris, skipping over rain puddles, and steering clear of stray animals. It was an eye-opening experience for us all, being able to see the stark contrast of poverty against the former day’s relaxation and blissful ignorance as we traveled from beach to beach.

When we returned to the center, the groups swapped activities and we began the tour of the center. Once being shown the spaces where we will collaborate with the girls, we finally got our hands dirty on our first construction project. Pierda para la pared in hand, we began to sand down the back wall, preparing it to be painted.

After smoothing down the walls and working up a sweat, we climbed back into the bus and hit the beach to finish off the day. However, today’s trip to the beach came with a different outlook; we saw the mass tourism through a darker lens as we had just come from the striking poverty of the local community. All in all, we had an impactful day and are excited to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us.

~Reece & Kian

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