Dia 4: Unfortunate Events (with a side of popsicles!)

Hola Familias! 

This is coming from Ella Dux, Kacie Tran, Yayra Adeborna, and Giselle Maldenado

This morning we woke up in Sosúa, Puerto Plata, in a beautiful hotel on the water. There we had multiple breakfast options, each of us choosing our own, ranging all the way from an american style breakfast to a traditional dominican style breakfast. After a bumpy 3 hour bus ride filled with continuous chatter and a bunch of naps, we finally made it back to the villas. Home sweet home! When we arrived, everyone was so relieved to be eating our adoptive grandparents’ (Ursula & Aurelia) food again! 

Shortly after, we took a short ride into town. It was bustling with motorcycles and music blasting from every direction. It was awesome to see the hard work ethic of the people of Jarabacoa, and the cultural differences spread throughout the entire community from our lives back in the states. We got to visit a local supermarket with rows and rows of Dominican snacks, spices, and aromas which filled the entire store. Most of the Glimpsers with us got to purchase “Dinos” which are the Dominican version of Oreos! I’m sure anyone reading this would enjoy some of those delicious cookies. We got lots of things coming home for you guys too! In general, looking around the city felt so nice, although insanely hot. 

When you look at the photos we were all so amazed at the umbrellas, and we ended up getting delicious popsicles from a local store which was extremely refreshing considering the amount of humid weather here. It was an amazing surprise from our Program Coordinator, Luis! 

During our free time later, some of the Glimpsers headed into the pool while the others were able to strengthen their connections together through laughter and great conversations. Unfortunately, there was an accident which resulted in one of the Glimpsers having to seek medical attention. We won’t lie, it was definitely hard to navigate through, but we all were able to pivot and learn to become flexible during stressful situations. It was a brief throwback to the many challenges we endured at the beginning of our journey to the Dominican Republic. We are very grateful to say that our fellow glimpser is now doing well and is keeping her amazing positive attitude up even during times of difficulties.

To end the night, we were delighted for Taco Thursday! Our amazing adoptive grandparents once again served us some delicious food which kept spirits high after such an unpredictable day. It was a wonderful way to wrap up our fun adventure from Puerto Plata to our second home. 

Ella Dux here! To me, being the leader of the day was a great chance to implement my communication skills in a larger setting through water reminders and count off calls. Although, I also learned that I still have a lot to improve in my leadership style; such as my confidence in using my voice. But despite that, this opportunity was a big step in my personal growth and I am leaving it with a lot of gratitude. 

Hi I am Giselle M! Being leader of the day today was a fun learning experience. I learned to be more confident and commanding in a way that can positively help the group without coming off rude. It also helped me build more ways of thinking and coming up with things when there’s any sort of conflict. Los extraño muchísimo y espero una bienvenida extravagante:) Los amo mucho y oro por ustedes todos los días.

Hi, this is Yayra A. Today honestly felt insane as a leader and I think I’ve learned a lot and significantly grown as a leader and as a person in general. Navigating through ups and downs was tough but in the end I learned that you can’t do everything alone, and you have to keep your team around you. But overall my trip has been so fun and I appreciate everyone, for the Glimpsers and just the parents for allowing your kids to participate because this group has been so incredible and my days are filled with so much joy and laughter!

Hi! This is Kacie writing. Being Leader of the Day today was an experience that I can definitely say was one I will never forget. I think there were lots of ups and downs throughout leading everyone today. After writing this at the end of day and doing some self reflecting, I am able to spot some room for improvement in terms of my leadership qualities. However, I think it overall went well. My fellow leaders working alongside me were amazing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group. I think my prior experience with working with kids definitely made it easier for me to grab everyone’s attention, but I also am so grateful to be working with peers who made my role much more efficient and also more fun!

For more photos, visit our Google Drive where our leaders post more highlights daily. Also, be prepared to see all the photos we’ve taken when we return.