During Poverty Day there was too much to say but also too much to believe. Our experience for Poverty Day was like no other day; the trip was worth the ride, in its very detail. We had a very big day and a very tough schedule, starting off with the wake up call at seven in the morning and breakfast that started at eight in the morning. We had our seminar on poverty and background history on poverty throughout the whole world. Today we were expecting something very unusual, in which emotion and reality will mix and leave us with experiences that can help us during the course of our lives. We headed to “Los Embasadores” where local kids were waiting for us to play with them. The kids were very friendly and eager to play with us and everyone knew what to do. In general, everyone had a wonderful day and many of us took this time to help reflect on, “What do Dominican kids in Constanza on a daily basis?” Later on we arrived at the hotel for a special lunch, and at two we were heading to the dump.
During our ride to the dump, we reflected on the question of the day and how could it help us relate when we get to the dump. When we arrive at the dump, many of us could not believe how miserable and unfriendly can the dump be. Knowing that our keywords of the day were to be respectful and polite at all times, we could not stand the despite and cruelty that mankind can have to their own fellow man. We were also divided into four groups; my group consisted of Diego, Ebony, and Rohel. Our group was very interested in how this community arrived at the actual dump and how long have they been at the dump. Monongo, unlike other members of the community, was the first one to live and work at the dump. The most interesting part of his story was telling us how many years have he had been here. It was to hard to believe that he lived at the dump for nearly thirty years. It also broke my heart to see when a bunch of kids gathered around a truck and they all started to pick up chicken pieces in floor.
Being El Lider Del Dia showed me that there is more than a plate of food to give thanks for, but also to reflect on the people that we been with through our pilgrimage journey of Constanza. Being a teenage in these times is very hard, especially to believe that poverty is a huge problem in different places of the world. We should not forget that we should always be thankful for the life we have and education we receive.