Today was Immigration Day. The day started off with some of the Glimpsers exercising with the Executive Director of Global Glimpse, Eliza, a super special treat.  At 7:00am, the Glimpsers officially woke up and had breakfast. Then, we headed out to Batey Palave.  Batey Palave is a community that used to be a sugar cane plantation, and is now heavily populated with Dominicans of Hatian decent.  When we arrived, the community members were waiting for us and we were greeted by the kids with a chain of high-fives.

We were welcomed with a series of dances both Haitian and different types of Dominican dances. Following that, were given a presentation on the immigration issues faced by Dominicans of Haitian decent. After this talk, we spoke to actual Dominicans of Haitian decent and talked about their hardships and their life stories. Then, we split up into groups and get a big tour of the community. Throughout the tour, we saw different types of houses and locations in the community. After that, we were treated to an amazing Haitian lunch consisting of Sardines, rice & beans, salad, beef and vegetables.

Following that, the Glimpsers and local interacted with community members through different type of activities such as “Wah”, Mickey Mouse, and Common Ground. During common ground we were asked different questions that we had to answer “YES” or “NO” if we agreed with the statement.  It was so special to see what we had in common with the members of Batey Palave.  We gave thanks to UJEDO and Imagine Santo Domingo, which supports the youth of the community with certificates of appreciation and a gift.

Then Javier drove us home where most of the Glimpsers fell asleep. Upon arrival at the hostel, we wrote letters of appreciation to the many donors of Global Glimpse. Following that we had Empanadas for dinner. Then, we split into our self-reflection groups and talked about Immigration Day. Lastly, we had out nightly meetings and went to bed.

Stay tuned because tomorrow is the first day of our CAP project!

 

FAST FACTS:

Weather: The weather today was very hot and sunny, bet were mainly protected by the shades from the trees.

Best Meal: Haitian food!!!!

Best Moment: Glimpsers and community playing games together and express their feelings and found similarities with each other

Biggest Takeaway: Our biggest takeaway is, realizing why people leave their homeland for opportunities and realize how fortunate we are.