Day 3: Culture day!

Buenas noches from the Dominican Republic from Maddy and Lyriq!

Today we had the honor of learning the history of the Dominican Republic. The Dominicans gained their independence from Haiti in 1844. Juan Pablo Duarte fought for Dominican independence when Pedro Santana tried to join their country with Spain. We also went to the Fire Station, where we were introduced to the first firehouse in Constanza, and we got to see the firemen in action. It was very interactive for all of us to see the firefighters in the firehouse, as well as fun to see the inside of their fire truck. We then headed to an artist’s studio where each Glimpser got the opportunity to make a mask out of clay. It was highly hands-on for the group and was very good bonding as well. Lastly, we entered Paul’s dance studio and learned various dance styles such as merengue, bachata, and Zumba.

As the first Leaders of the Day (LDDs) for this group, we were very engaged in the schedule and time management of the group, as well as enforcement of rules and well-being of each traveller. We liked having a very organized schedule for each hour of the day to ensure smoothness, as well as working on inclusivity for the group as a whole.

To end the night, we learned about sustainable development and started discussing our service learning project that we will be partaking in later. We spoke about why it is important to give back to your community and the impact service has on communities. Lastly, we ended the night with a Fourth of July celebration with cake and a sparkler. Hasta Luego!

-Your former LDD’s, Lyriq and Maddy