Our theme today was split between Global Business and Working Like a Local! Our breakfast started with scrambled eggs, bread, ham, cheese, and cereal. Our morning hobbies were as usual: yoga, relaxing, and playing cards. Later, we learned about the coffee industry in the Dominican Republic and specifically local farmers and producers in Jarabacoa.

For our first activity, we went to Don Miguel’s coffee greenhouse, learning about his team of workers, the pay and working conditions in Jarabacoa, and experiencing a small snippet of what their jobs are like firsthand. We weeded the coffee plants, made new rows of soil for new plants, and gave our thanks to Don Miguel for showing us his farm.

After a short break, we moved on to the coffee factory, where we saw a local family factory grow, sort, package, and sell coffee beans after a long process of cultivation, processing, and encasing coffee beans for various blends. Maintaining health regulations, we walked around the factory and relaxed afterward in the nearby coffee shops, drinking black coffee and buying more for ourselves and our loved ones.

After heading back home and decompressing, we reflected on our day and how it affected our thinking as a whole group of Americans. We gave our appreciation and love to each other, just as we did to Don Miguel and Melvin, our guide for the factory. Keeping positivity and humor around our group, we ended our Day 4 proud.