Hey everyone! It’s Ari here from Castro Valley High. So I was the “unofficial” first student leader of the day. I called myself the “unofficial” leader because another student was supposed to take charge today but unfortunately she wasn’t feeling so hot. I was passed on the title of “La Lider del Dia” during breakfast this morning. I was quite frightened originally as I wasn’t trained the day before as what the custom is but I couldn’t be surrounded by a more supportive group of people!
Today’s focus was Aid and Development specifically the benefits and downfalls. We started out the morning with a relatively later wake up time of 7:45 which was pretty great! Breakfast was at the famous Sheila’s and it consisted of scrambled eggs and toast. Unfortunately a few students decided to stay at the hostel with the Health Coach as they fell ill as well, causing them to miss out. Luckily everyone was back to good health by the late afternoon!
From breakfast we walked back to the hotel to participate in the first seminar of the day focusing on Aid and Development. In two groups we researched the pros and cons of aid through articles and brainstorming. We even performed skits towards the end! Soon after our seminar we were to expect a speaker from the Peace Corps. Until she arrived we played a fantastic game known as “The Big Wind Blows”. Things got competitive fast amongst both the students and the GG staff! I’d say that game caused laughter more than anything else on our trip so far. Soon after Kareen from the Peace Corps joined us to continue our conversation on the positive and negative aspects of aid abroad. Kareen was very inspiring as a Mexican-American first generation college student who decided to spread her knowledge to the Dominican Republic through volunteering.
She then joined us for lunch at Sheila’s where we were served a delicious meal of rice, pork or beef, lasagna, and chenchén. Chenchén is a food item known across the DR as being part of the culture of San Juan. It is corn based and is quite savory!
In the intense heat, we returned to the hostel for yet another seminar. This seminar truly stressed the importance of asking communities what type of aid they want rather than blindly throwing money or projects at them. From there we took a little field trip to a town nearby known as Maguana al Medio. We went to one of the schools to ask locals what improvements they wanted to see in their lovely community. All of ourresearch will be put towards our CAP project when we return to Maguana al Medio. Towards the end of our time there, one of the local boys in my group asked me if we would be interested in a game of volleyball. Soon enough, all of the teenagers nearby were involved in a fierce match! We learned quickly that the locals were far better at volleyball than us!
Our evening started and ended just like every other evening here in San Juan de la Maguana. I am so beyond thankful for the opportunity presented to me today. Not only did I learn a lot about being a leader, our delegation, and effective aid skills, but a lot about myself as well.
This next portion is directed towards my friends and family so I’m sorry to everyone else! You all raised amazing children so thank you for making this possible for them!
Hey everyone! Oh gosh I miss you all loads. I just want everyone to know I’m truly experiencing the trip of a lifetime. I’m so in love with San Juan de la Maguana from the people to the customs! I’m counting down the days until we can call again. Nights are tough without the opportunity to say goodnight to you Mom, Baba, and Maio but your blog comments are really pulling me through! To my pals, come on guys I want to hear from you! Thank you so much to Manga, Amani, and Luli for all of the lovely comments. Guys I’m struggling out here without news updates! Luckily we were enlightened of the recent police involved incidents. I’m so sorry to hear the news and I only wish I could be involved in the Bay. Unfortunately I don’t have access to updates but someone please let me know how our family in the Dallas area is doing. I love and miss my family friends so much! I hope you’re all living your life to the fullest. It’s time for bed now so goodnight and sweet dreams everyone, lots of love!
Hi Marisa! Glad to see your beautiful smile! It sounds like you guys have had very busy days. Marcos misses you a lot! He hugs and kisses your pictures all the time!
Counting down the days till you come home.
Have the day you have!
Love you!
Ari! So great to hear from you directly! Don’t worry bebe, everything and everyone are okay here, nothing for you to be concerned <3 Nico and the kids are still here so we're enjoying their company until tomorrow when they fly back to Dallas. Baba is in VA and will be back Monday, and Maio and I have been pretty much at Natis' or Manga's the entire time. We miss you so much, and are loving reading these updates every night – they keep us going! I love you more than you know and I'm so happy to see you're enjoying this so much! Good night and stay strong, I'm always with you.
Hi Ari! It’s great to see you are having such a great time and learning so much! We have missed having you this week but are so proud of you and the beautiful person you are. Love you, Nico, Caro, Celo, and Vio
Hi it’s Maio. It’s kinda boring without you here so idk what to do. I hope you have fun wherever it is you are and stay safe. I finally landed an Ollie off a 2-stair so I learned a “rad” trick. Miss you see you soon fam
Ari, what a great post! You are amazing! ❤️?❤️?
Thank you for great note, Ari. We can feel the heat of DR. We’re so proud of all of you serving people.
Hey David Hope you are surviving the heat! Great to see you in the pictures. Wish there had been a video of the dancing though. We all look forward to that demonstration! Ethan and Kaykay say HI they are both spending the night. We made homemade ice cream today. Not sure there will be any left by the time you get back. We all miss you and praying for you and the rest of the group. Love ya, Mom and the rest of the clan.
Hi Ari,
Loved your report and miss you a lot 🙂
Been at the ASF tourney in VA and it’s like a sauna here and very to play during the day.
Our old msn team got knocked out in the first round 🙂 but AP is in the final, so hope they win tomorrow.
Everything is good at home and with bibi and baba.
I’m heading back home on Monday.
Been reading the blog daily and love them and sort of imagine myself there and eating at Sheila’s etc 🙂
Proud of you for stepping up on a short notice and very glad that you are having fun.
Looking forward to more fun reports from your group. Hope everyone feeling not so well recover quickly and you guys can continue with your projects with a full team.
Love you very much, all the best.
Luv,
Baba
Hey Ariana,
On behalf of all the people in the golden state, we miss you so much. Keith and I have taken to Twitter to complain about the lack of Ariana in our lives. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll survive. We’re so glad you’re having such an amazing time there. It looks stunning, and we wish we could be there with you. We’re so glad you’re healthy and enjoying yourself. San Juan de la Maguana is lucky to have you in its presence. We just hope it brings you back safely. We all love and miss you Ariana, and are eagerly waiting for your return.
You’re the best!
Hugs and ksses from everyone here,
We love you,
-Bawer “Bodhi” Dean Young
*kisses
Darn, I tried so hard to not spell anything wrong.
Hello Robert and group
The trip sounds very exciting. Happy to see the interactions between groups and the DR people are going well. It is important to embrace the culture and adapt to the environment.
Thank you for sharing photos and describing their experiences. Very comforting for me to hear.
Robert drink plenty of water and use the mix. It will keep you hydrated.Keep the posts coming. Jason and aunty Michelle, grandma Jackie send their love.
Love mom
Ari, great post and photos!! I loved reading all the details and seeing the smiling faces. Sorry to hear that some of the students fell ill. I’m sure you are all in good hands with the dedicated GG staff. To all: Be safe and have fun!
Amanda, I hope you are enjoying your time…we’re checking the blog daily! Love you and miss you very much!
Love,
Julie
Hi Jess, wow it’s been 5 days now since you left. The house is different without you. We miss you much. I’m glad to hear you all are having a great time in the DR. All the pictures look really nice.? you all look really happy. Love you lots.xoxoxox
Love Mom.?
Hi, I hope this msg finds you well. By the looks of it, I’m happy that you are enjoying yourself. So are you adapting to your everyday routine? The weather, food and culture? I can’t wait to hear from you.
As for life here in the states, the news in Dallas is disturbing,and here in the good old Eastside, weather is nice and the A’s are doing ok.Everyone says hi. Well, take care, you are loved and we think of you every minute. Love you mija.
Kyla,
So great to hear about what you all are doing there. I was excited to see that you got a chance to do something you love in playing volleyball, even if y’all got beat by the locals. Hope you are enjoying the food too! Thanks Ariana for the great update!
Lamont
Hey Maruka Tuka Luca! I haven’t called you that in a long time! Lol I can see you are having an amazing time so far! Immerse yourself in the culture and people and see the amazing beauty the rest of the world has to offer. We miss and love you!
Hi Zara, We miss you!!! Sounds like you’re having an amazing time! Place isn’t the same without you! Hope things are great! Love you!!!
Hi Ari! I love your reporting and really feel that I am making this amazing trip with you. So glad you and your group are making the very best of such an opportunity! Much love – Patty
Hey Jessica, how are you doing? How’s everything going over were your at? Well you have 11 days left.? it seems forever. I can’t wait to see you and give you a big hug. Love you lots.xoxoxox
Sorry I just found this post and was looking at the wrong city lol. But anyway I’m glad you’re having a good time and learning a lot. We all miss you so much! The groupchat is basically about Pokemon so no news there. The group isn’t the same without you but I’ so proud of you and miss you tremendously!