My name is Eduardo Flores Galindo and I attend Novato High school in California. I applied to Global Glimpse and was surprisingly accepted to journey through San Juan in the Dominican Republic. What really appealed to me was the rich culture and history with the Spanish of this diverse country. I arrived a day late to the Dominican Republic due to a crazy flight schedule, but was greeted by a great group of people whom I now call my family. As I got situated in the hostel, I was given details on how we have nightly meetings to summarize how the day went. Best of all Glimpsers were given the chance to hone their leadership skills by becoming what we call “El Lider Del Dia.” The torch was passed unto me last night by a fellow Glimpser named Anudeep. In all decency I was a little hesitant about this opportunity because the group does tend to be energetic, but I was up for the challenge.

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The day that was bestowed upon me was free day which started off waking up nice and late, a change from waking up between six and seven. We then headed off to our beloved restaurant, Sheila’s, for dinner. We had a nice scrambled egg mixed in with veggies, a flavorsome piece of salami, and a nice side of fluffy mashed potatoes. After this delectable Screen Shot 2016-06-19 at 6.32.15 PMmeal everyone was thrilled to wander throughout this city accompanied by friends and our lovely ambassadors. In the first half of my free day we all left together to exchange money that we were eager to spend on food. We walked a few blocks away from our hotel to a local market where everyone engorged themselves with crackers, juices, chips, and basic necessities. As we walked through the beautiful city of San Juan the aroma of fresh air, flowers, and street food rushed into our lungs. Besides the local market we visited the striking cathedral which towered above us. We were greeted by a guard who was more than happy to let us in and guide us through the church. What really made my day was climbing to the very top which was guarded by an infinite amount of stairs. After our time was up we excitedly headed over to Sheila’s for lunch where we had a full plate of chicken, pasta, and rice. Everyone left on a full stomach.

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Something I noticed and gave me pleasure was seeing everyone eager to go out to enjoy Screen Shot 2016-06-19 at 6.33.31 PMthe second half of their free time with their ambassadors. Everyone was making good friends and connections with such interesting people. One of our ambassadors makes his living as a professional clown! This time I headed out with a smaller group of friends who wanted to make calls back home, but due to business hours no calls were able to be made. We continued to wander around glumly, but gladly Victor was with us cracking jokes and raising our spirits with his wonderful vibe. After some time walking around the ambassadors decided that we go to the park and play a game of basketball. After a struggle of air balls and a few threes against Neeraj and Félix my team won. Jasmine and Clara then decided that we head back just in time to buy small gifts for friends and family back home. Walking back to the hostel, Victor craved a tasty pizza, we waited a great time but it was worth it because everyone back at the hostel devoured it, putting a smile on everyone’s face. After our time was up we said our thanks and made plans with the ambassadors for our next free day.

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This was then followed by an academic seminar where everyone put on their thinking caps and began to discuss politics. We discussed about the great deals of corruption and what we thought was right and wrong. Everyone seemed intrigued by this topic by the amount of volunteers who wanted to answer questions. We then headed back to Sheila’s for the last meal of the day, everyone enjoyed a hotdog and a tasty punch. As we packed up and left I noticed how everyone was exhausted which meant a lot of exercise was done, which is always a great thing. We came back and had our nightly meeting where I passed on the torch to Caroline. Overall today was a wonderful time filled with lots of laughs and smiles. I learned so much about myself and was given strong feedback on how I could improve in certain areas which is always great thing. Hopefully next free day I get to spend time with others who did not go out due to unexpected circumstances. #Noah