Bueno noches from San Juan de la Maguana delegation #1 & happy Father’s Day to our dads back home!

We started our day at 4:30 am, and ate breakfast in the hotel lobby (rather than at our usual restaurant, Onaney). Then we left the hotel around 6 am and headed towards the market, where we would begin our adventures of working like a local. Some of us worked at vegetable stands, while others worked at the pollo (chicken) stands. At the vegetable stands, we organized and displayed the produce, and assisted customers in packaging their goods. At the chicken stands, we butchered chicken and plucked them. DSC01842The experience at the market was absolutely eye-opening, and friendly workers- specifically for me (Elizabeth). Everybody experienced today in different ways, as the workers in the market had unique stories that added to the depth of this trip. Lesson of the day: Our food comes from more than just a package, but from the hard labour of others in positions less fortunate than ourselves.DSC01849

We returned to the hotel at 10, taking showers and getting rest. At 12 we ate lunch at our usual restaurant, returned to the hotel for a CAP seminar (our Community Action Project, which will be more talked about in tomorrow’s blog), then had free time until dinner. Common activities were taking naps and playing cards with one another. Before dinner, we talked to Mari & Cesar, who own a family-run business on jewelry based on larimar, a natural turquoise stone, unique to San Juan. Expect these as souvenirs when we come back!  During dinner, we played many games, such as ABC, In Bobby’s World, and Around the World, games that helped us continue to bond despite many obstacles and our lack of sleep.

We returned to the hotel and had our Nightly Seminar, opening with a game of Pterodactyl (kudos to Julian, DJ, and JD for making us all laugh after a tiring day!), and  closing our topic of “Working Like A Local.” We also said our final farewells to Doris, one of our In-Country Coordinators, with a brief visit from our Ambassadors. We now pass the “leadership torch” on to JD and Ariel! Stay tuned!