We had an awesome fun-filled day learning about the rich Dominican Republic culture, while continuing to practice our Spanish. Que divertida (how fun)! For our morning activity, we made clay masks and learned about the decorative masks that are worn during the annual carnival that takes place in the country every Sunday in February. In the afternoon, we moved and grooved to the traditional dances of merengue and bachata to work off our delicious lunch. The Glimpsers did an amazing job practicing their artistic skills and were able to experience first-hand the beautiful ways that the Dominican Republic culture is celebrated.

Our mask-making workshop instructor Gato (nickname of “cat” in Spanish because of his eyes) rotated to the different work stations showing the students how to make different facial features on their masks and how to shape and mold the clay. We were listening to merengue music to get into dance mode for our afternoon workshop facilitated by Paul Rosada (Spanish word for “pink” and he even wore a pink t-shirt for us!). We had quite the lively workout dancing to a few dozen fast-paced songs. I have to say that we’re a pretty coordinated bunch 🙂 It’s clear that Gato and Paul love what they do and are very proud to share their mask-making and dancing talents with young people. They were very charismatic and also were encouraging of our Glimpsers to test out their own talents.

The Glimpsers also prepared for their English Tutoring classes. They learned best practices and strategies from the Program Coordinators and GG Leaders about how to keep the students engaged and how to create a positive and productive learning experience. With the support of our wonderful GG Youth Ambassadors, they planned their first lesson incorporating the key tips that were shared during the seminar.

Lastly, a big part of Dominic Republic culture is the food. We’ve been having such great meals provided by the best restaurant in town. Our lunch consisted of: rice, beans, potatoes, carrots with pork or chicken, and our healthy daily dose of vegetables of tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and carrots. Can’t wait to dive into our Community Action Project tomorrow!