Greetings to all, my name is Gloria Beltran from Andrew P. Hill High School in San Jose, CA. Today, I was El Lider del día in our first Free Day taking on new responsibilities. I had to write the blog and lead the day communicating with my fellow Glimpsers. Although it took a lot of effort to make sure the day ran smoothly, I enjoyed taking the initiative throughout the day to allow the day progress as planned.

We started our sunny day at 7:00 AM. We took part in seminars, attended a country club; Club Falcondo, communicate with friends and family through emails and phone calls, learned to use a Dominican washing machine, and had a whole lot of fun! The highlight of today was attending a country club called Club Falcondo where we were given the opportunity to relax, swim, play tennis, play basketball, and communicate with love ones back home. Additionally, we were given the opportunity to not only have fun but also address a Global Glimpse topic, global business. The Glimpsers were exposed to a different aspect of the Dominican Republic since they first hand witnessed an example of privilege in the Dominican Republic attending Club Falcondo. With regards to the background of Club Falcondo, we learned the country club was exclusively for employees and relatives of employers of Falconbridge bring together the concept of global business and privilege.

Today we covered two Global Glimpse topics throughout our participation in seminars; global business and immigration. The seminar on global business helped prepare the Glimpsers to learn about Falconbridge building a foundation prior to attending Club Falcondo and observing the the influence of Falconbridge in the Dominican Republic. The seminar on immigration helped examine the connection between immigration and cultural identity. The immigration seminar informed the Glimpsers on immigration a topic looked over in depth tomorrow.

A new experience undertaken by Glimpsers with success was learning to use a Dominican washing machine. Although the washing machine was different than the washing machines known back home in the United States, we learned to use a new approach to washing clothing facing several obstacles. Some obstacles we faced include; the lack of electricity putting the washing process to a stop and learning a new way to wash clothing.

 

Hasta luego from Bonao!