Community day with the best people!

¡Holas Amigos, and welcome to our Community Day!

We kicked off the morning with some high energy—Janiya and Lauren enthusiastically woke everyone up by banging on doors at 7:00 AM. For breakfast, we had oatmeal with bananas and a roll. Afterward, we had a mental warm-up session before boarding the bus to head to our community site.

Upon arrival, we split into groups and joined our respective host families. Janiya’s host family was incredibly welcoming, offering delicious coffee and later helping to prepare lunch. Lauren supported her kind host family by folding laundry and playing with the children. Kaylee’s host greeted her with warm hospitality, coffee, and lots of laughter.

Around noon, our entire group reconvened for lunch with most of the families in the community. We enjoyed a meal of rice with chicken, potato salad, and a side of crispy rice. During this time, we bonded with many of the children and took plenty of pictures. Everyone made an effort to speak Spanish with the locals, and we all felt a strong sense of connection. Some of us even got the chance to walk to a beautiful waterfall with kids from the comunidad (word of the day!).

Later, we visited the site where we’ll be completing our Community Action Project (CAP). We had the honor of meeting the inspiring woman whose home we’ll be helping to rebuild. Afterward, we gave our “Big Love” shoutout to the president of the community, Ramón De Julio.

Back at the hotel, we went up the mountain to play volleyball with local kids and parents, which was a joyful and heartwarming experience. We ended the day with a group reflection session.

For dinner, we had Dominican lasagna with garlic bread. During our nightly meeting, Lauren, Janiya, and Kaylee passed the torch to tomorrow’s Leaders of the Day: Leah, Marissa, and Kyleigh. To wrap up the night, we watched a documentary on immigration to prepare for our upcoming trip to the beach tomorrow!

P.S. I miss all my friends and family so much and can’t wait to see my cats! – Love, Lauren
P.S. I miss my bed, my dad, and my aunt very much. Also, Grandma—I miss your food! – Love, Janiya
P.S. I’m having so much fun and loving every second! – Kaylee