Every day, we waste products, ones that could be valuable to others but we don’t give it much thought when throwing it away. We aren’t sustainable. Today, we learned that the number one foreign aid organization, USAID cause more problems than it solves. Since the aid given to these countries is often not sustainable, it prevents the country from supporting itself in the long run, becoming dependent on foreign aid. In Haiti, the number one source of income comes from foreign aid, mainly from the US. Following the living like a local day, we were able to see the other half to the process. In order for a community to improve they need support. With Plan Cordillera, we were able to get a glimpse into how development and sustainability work. They are successful because they are able to implement a plan and have structure so they have an idea of the final outcome. Plan Cordillera’s mission is to establish a better coexistence between humans and the environment.

After lunch, we gathered together to discuss ideas for our Community Action Project (CAP) in order to improve the community we had visited earlier. We brainstormed ideas that we believed could help them. Most of the locals in Las Cabirmas had wanted to improve the community center. We discussed the most feasible projects that we could accomplish in three days, such as flooring, walls, and decorating. We separated into three different groups: management, artistic, and manual labor and we created a base plan for the presentation. Manual labor groups discussed the types of materials needed and the total cost, management discussed design, and the artistic group designed a mural to paint on the wall.

After discussing our CAP, we headed over to the school for our second English tutoring class. As teachers, we formed closer bonds with our students and we got some nicknames too. Some of us lost our names and became: White Chocolate, Match, Grape, and Coconut. When our classes ended, we took some photos and planned our next ones in heavy anticipation because most of us had become more comfortable being teachers.

Being the leaders of the day, we both tried new things, like speaking Spanish to the locals and became more vocal even though we both are on the quiet side. It was a fun experience leading all our new friends on this trip with the help of Julio and John. We want to give our appreciation to Global Glimpse for allowing us to be leaders of the day which allowed us to become better leaders and people as well.