Day 2: Sunday- First Day of Work!

This was our first day to flex our volunteer muscles and get to work! We were downstairs at 7am sharp... (ok maybe a few minutes later) for a quick breakfast and briefing of the upcoming day. Once at Rainsong, we met the owner Mary, a truly dedicated individual. Before anything, she told us to go watch the baby howler monkeys have their breakfast. She didn't have to tell us twice! The 4 baby monkeys-- Francesca, Doddles, Evee, and Mona were all on their own and without Rainsong would not have survived. Lauren S. went first and fed the small monkey with a baby bottle filled with milk and honey as we looked on. The rest of us got our chance to feed them and let them use arms and heads as a jungle gym-- they jumped from person to person and even sat on top of some heads.










After a short meeting where we divided up jobs, we got to experience another incredible opportunity. We fed a young anteater-- Anti. Locals saved her after her mother was killed by dogs and she is being raised in the Sancutary instead. We gave her orange slices to eat and watched her walk around the Sancutary.

Then we got to the REAL work! Rainsong is a wonderful place that helps so many animals, but animals are DIRTY! We cleaned out crates, cages, fridges, aquariums, turtle ponds, and more. Other volunteers worked on preparing the food for the animals by cutting up fruit.

After a lunch break in the shade, we started the 30 minute walk back to the hotel-- which wasn't easy. The heat was brutal and the road baked in the sun, but we toughed it out and made it back to the hotel. After a dip in the pool, 3 volunteers (Lauren Z., Hanna, and Amber) went back to Rainsong to do additional feeding of the animals and work. The bus wasn't running so they had to walk there AND back again in the heat of the day!

That night we went to dinner at a small restaurant and ate to our hearts content. It was a delicious meal of rice, beans, fried chicken, fish, pasta, cole slaw, and salad.

Mike asked "Does anyone feel that mist or is that just my sweat?"

-- It was just his sweat.

Then Amber led Jewish learning and we discussed what we thought the definition of community was and how it was significant to Judaism and this trip. There was great discussion as people explored different opinions and thoughts.

Then we walked back to the hotel and hung out on the beach to stay cool. Day 2 was complete! Tomorrow? We'll be picking up trash on the beach to allow the sea turtles to lay their eggs!