Feliz Viernes! This is Fiona and Timericka coming to you with the latest updates from Jarabacoa. Today was Aid and Development Day! We started our day off with a nutritious traditional Dominican Republic breakfast that consisted of fried cheese, mashed plantains (called “Mongu” in the DR), salami, fried egg, and watermelon. It was very filling and prepared with love from our staff.

We had a quick mental warm-up before we hopped in our truck and headed to a school for deaf kids in Jarabacoa (The Maria Auxiliadora School for the Deaf). There we met with the founder, one of their teachers, and some of the kids that go to the school. The school is very small with only 6 students with ages ranging from 6 to 13. This school was very different from the schools we all go to in America. The teacher taught us how to spell our names, say how old we are, and a few basic greetings. After, we explored the rest of the school. This experience sparked inspiration in us to help people with limited resources, like how the founder of the school decided to make a huge change in the education for the hearing impaired in Jarabacoa.

After this activity, we headed back to base where we ate a delicious lunch. Following lunch, we headed to our local bug-filled gazebo (we promise we have on bug spray) to have our seminar. During our seminar we learned how to provide proper help to communities in need, and the steps we need to take for our CAP project. One specific thing we learned is that we cannot help people who don’t want help and it is essential to find the root of a problem. This conversation led us to apply these principles to the community that we will be helping during our CAP project.

When we got to the community it was very scenic, with lots of mountains, cows, dogs, and families. We started by being introduced to the two community leaders. These leaders then led us along the road where we would be doing our project. I know all of you have been at the edge of your seats waiting to find out when we will get to work. Well, the wait is over!!! We will be digging a dirt tunnel for 500ft to put in pipes to provide the community with everyday access to water.  The community leaders shared with us how much of a struggle it has been without water. They have also expressed that the opportunity to get water was such a blessing for them. The words of wisdom from the community leaders led us to feel more grateful for the things we have back home. It’s shocking to know that people are living without clean water, while we go every day without having to think about not having water at all.

Being leaders of the day made us realize how important it is to lead by example and how our energy impacted the rest of the group’s energy. It was difficult having to answer a lot of questions, but it got better as the day went on. We learned that working together is better than working alone. Finally, we will be passing the leadership torch to our fellow peers Mayra and Nicolaus.