Hello families and friends! I was el lider del dia (leader of the day) for our first fun day. Our day started off by waking up at 7AM. Then, after getting ready, we ate breakfast thanks to Licelot. We love Licelot’s food. We ate mangu with salami and watermelon. It was delicious, just like everything else Licelot makes.

Then, we headed off to Club Zona Sur which is a place where people go to make amazing carnival masks. We made masks with the help of Jaimito, an expert in masks. All the glimpsers had so much fun. Every mask made was so unique and creative. In addition, I also presented an award to Jaimito for letting us take part in his carnival traditions.

The picture shown above is Karen and I after we finished painting our masks.

The picture shown above is the group molding their masks with the help of Jaimito and his team.

Shown above are some of the finished masks made by some of the creative glimpsers.

After we finished making and painting our masks, Jaimito let us paint a canvas filled with his original drawings.

Once the glimpsers finished painting on Jaimitos’ canvas, we had the chance to take some final pictures with him, the other artists, and the group. As you can tell by our faces, we had lots of fun!

For lunch, Licelot, our amazing cook delivered our food which was rice, fajitas, and salad. Like always, Licelot’s food was delicious and she told us about the National Orchestra Concert.  So Leslie and Marcos went to work to make a reservation for our group and have Ronald drive us.

After lunch, we headed to Club Falcondo, where we ate Domincan style pizza, tried a delicious Dominican drink, “Morir Sonando”, went swimming, and played sports.

We had the an incredible opportunity to get invited to a concert in La Voz del Yuna. Before leaving, we all got ready and dressed fancy. As you can see, we had lots of fun. Since we were all looking great, we took “prom pictures” (:

It has been an incredible opportunity to be part of this special concert of the National Orchestra. And speaking for the whole group, we were incredibly honored to have the opportunity to meet the governor of Bonao, Nicolas Restituyo.

Then, our night ended by listening to amazing artists representing La Republica Dominicana. Even though we could not stay for the entire concert, we were honored to have attended an important concert in the history of Bonao. I am incredibly honored of being el lider del dia for our first fun day. I feel like it has helped me gain confidence in myself. I might not be the most outgoing person in the group, but I was the leader and learned to step up and take responsibility. I’ll remember this day forever because not only did I have fun, but I also exemplified compassion, which was a new opportunity for me.