Day Two

The group's focus for the first few days of the trip has been renovating the town's bus stop, using fresh paint and a new roof. With a little help from locals Alejandro and Luis, the bus stop nearly transforms over the course of a single day.


Thursday morning brings another day of gorgeous weather - a little uncharacteristic for the "rainy season" in Manzanillo.




Megan scrubs down the posts in preparation for a new coat of paint.




Work continues on the concrete posts that serve to keep cars off the beach.


The roof, in transition.


Out with the old.










Leslie and Neftali scrub one of the concrete benches in preparation for paint. Neftali is the daughter of the Cabinas' proprietors, and spent most of the day assisting us with painting projects.








Nick and Joe get creative with some makeshift "steps".








Manzanillo charm.



So far, the group has received and overwhelmingly positive response from the community, who recognize the university students from previous visits. In addition to renovating the bus stop, students will also do some clean-up work at the school, and there is talk of maintaining the hiking trails that wind through the jungle.

In addition to the service projects, several students have taken advantage of the outdoor adventures that Manzanillo has to offer. The group members take "shifts", spending a few hours here and there fishing, hiking or cooking in the Cabinas before returning to work. The opportunities to work and interact with the local people are practically endless, and have allowed the students to broaden their cultural horizons.