A group photo of us after our merengue and bachata dance lesson with Orlando!

“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”

–Wade Davis

Today, glimpsers really had the opportunity to learn more about culture in the Dominican Republic! Our day started with a program seminar preparing them for English tutoring. They prepared exciting lessons in their tutoring groups, which they would later teach, to children, adolescents, and adults.

Glimpsers at the Museo Candido Bido!

Our culture tour started at Museo Candido Bido where we learned merengue and bachata with our excellent teacher Orlando. The glimpsers were shy at first but after 5 minutes they were excited and moving their hips to the music! They all danced together and kept smiles on their faces even though they were hot and sweaty! This was a perfect example of them being courageous and committed to the global glimpse experience.

Although the electricity was out, Christopher still gave us a museum tour of the works of Bido, a famous Dominican artist. We saw many of his pieces, which included orange and blue colors and women with no eyes and ears. The museum had a beautiful piano in the middle of it and Emily shared her musical talents with us. It was a wonderful surprised that added more to our culture day.

Our last stop was to Piro’s Workshop where we saw and learned about the puppets made for the carnival activities. These puppets included the “chocolate” policeman, the Gaga man, dolls, and other really cool puppets! Our tour given by Osvaldo ended with a surprise dancing show by the puppets!

Back at la fundacion, glimpsers quickly changed and prepared for their first English tutoring lesson! As I circulated to the classrooms I was truly inspired by what I saw. I saw glimpsers tutoring one-on-one, speaking Spanish, and working together to come up with back up activities. I also heard colors, directions, the days of the week, and daily routines. Although some groups struggled, they learned that teaching is more difficult than it looks. However they are looking forward to trying new strategies and jumping into the classroom later this week!

Glimpsers preparing for their “Telling Time” english tutoring lesson with one of the Dominican Republic Global Glimpse Ambassadors!