Today started off with an early wakeup call and deep sleepers. 6 a.m. isn’t an easy time to wake up at, however, we managed. With a simple breakfast, we started our warm-up for the day, where we learned about the self-sustainable, secluded community; Sonido del Yaque. On our journey, we prepared ourselves for a learning experience about a small community. While we were there we kept in my our question of the day; What would a daily routine look like for this community? How does it compare to your own? After our hike down to the secluded community, with some scraped knees (sorry Jazlynn), we arrived and noticed the small population size of 158 people. The community leader welcomed us with open arms and gave us a tour around. We walked through the area, asking questions along the way, and stopped to learn about their self sustainable agriculture, hydroelectric plant, and there livestock.

Once we were back from our tour, we were able to buy handmade crafts from a local. We were then divided into groups where we were assigned to a family or individual to provide them help with there housework or chores. Some of us were paired with teenagers, others with elderly, and some were even paired with younger kids. Afterward, we conversed with each other about our expereinces, we learned that the people in this commmunity live a very different life than us who come from the states. Their daily routines involve much more effort and overall dedication. From there we had our lunch with the community before progressing into our bonding activites with the kids of the community. Paint was given out freely, which ended up with shoes, shirts, and arms getting painted but seeing the joyous laughter and smiles of the children made it all worthwhile. It was the simplicity of the material and their constant laughter that made it all worth while.