Today, we started our day early by waking up at 6:30. The bus ride to our first destination, Barahona, was a long two hours. On the way there, we listened to music and ate our breakfast. When we arrived we were given a presentation on the stone called Larimar. Larimar is a stone that is only found in the DR. Originally, it was thought that this stone was from the ocean because they found it washed up on the shore. After an expedition to the mountain nearby, they discovered it is created from a process that occurs in a volcano. When the volcano erupts, Larimar is then carried with water to the land below. We learned that the density of this stone is a 4 on the scale of 1-10. One of the higher placed leaders on the expedition decided to name the stone after his daughter, whose name was Larissa and mar meaning “the sea” forming Larimar. After the presentation, we were given the opportunity to purchase already made rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings or the option to design our own jewelry.

After we made our purchases, we hopped on the bus to go to the beach called Playa Quemaito. After being served lunch by our most magnificent and magnanimous LDD’s, we changed into our swimsuits and jumped into the water. The ocean was beautiful and the water was the perfect temperature to cool us down. Everybody participated by swimming in the water, playing games like Marco Polo and chicken fight, and some of us even collected rocks. We took a break from the water by buying sodas, or sitting on a chair to tan and soak up the sun. Although the rocks on the beach were pretty painful to walk on barefoot, we all had a super fun time bonding and just talking and laughing with each other. After our amazing time at the beach, we sadly had to go back to Onaney to eat dinner, have our nightly meeting, and go to sleep .