Hey! I am Solveig and today was our first Free Day. We woke up this morning and were able to sleep in and start breakfast late which was wonderful as we all got some greatly appreciated sleep. We then had a couple hours of free time which transitioned straight into our academic seminar where we discussed the issues going on within coffee plantations. Particularly focusing on the unfair payment and unjust treatment of the plantation workers and farm owners. This particular academic seminar was tailored to play into our experience and activities for the next day. After this we went to lunch where we had a delicious meal of rice with chicken and fresh fruit. After lunch we had free time where we were allowed to go out of the hostel area with a Global Glimpse leaders or one of our lovely youth ambassadors. We all began by going to the CTC {tech center} where we were able to spend a bit of time emailing our family and friends. After this we split into groups with our leaders and we went to the various places we wanted to explore. We had a group go to the salon, where they got their hair and nails done. Another group stayed at the CTC, where they explored that facility. Yet another group went to the stores and fruit stands where they stocked up on snacks for their own time at the hostel. We then came back to the hostel where we had a delicious dinner of Dominican tacos. We finished up the day with our nightly meeting, some free time, and then heading off to bed after a long day.

Today was a day I was looking forward to especially. I am a person who loves to explore and create my own experiences apart from the ones planned for me. I also enjoyed the freedom, or loosening of the leash so to speak. I believe that today really gave all of us glimpsers an inside look on the daily lives of shopkeepers. It was amazing to see how a city such as San Victor holds so many connections. Everyone seemed to know each other and they all seemed to work together. For example, in my group personally, our youth ambassador Enrique, who was with us seemed to know someone at every location we visited. Whether it was a fruit stand or a supermarket. I believe that today really helped to give us a view of what the people here do in their free time in order to give us a unique view of the community these people have.

Today’s question of the day was: How does the way youth in San Victor spend their free time compare to that in the U.S.A? At first it seemed as though the youth in San Victor spent their free time exactly the same as in the U.S. However, as the day continued, we all began to realize some differences. Youth in San Victor had to travel much farther for their entertainment, as most was not actually in San Victor. In the U.S. on the other hand, hot spots of entertainment seem to be a simple commodity. It was interesting to see how despite the differences in entertainment in terms of distance they still had fun in their own town in the salons and stores. Also, when talking to our youth ambassadors we learned that youth in San Victor rarely have any free time. Instead, any free time they have is spent helping out in the house, this is rare in the U.S. Overall, the day was fun and definitely a unique and eye-opening experience for us all.