Today was the first free day of our trip! It was so nice to relax after a week of extremely impactful activities and events. In spite of the hot weather, many of us went out into the city of Bonao. We played basketball with the locals in a public park and went shopping for souvenirs, candy, and anything else we could splurge on. It was a much needed day, but we’re all excited for the rest of what’s in store for us.

Today was a great day to see how far we’ve come as people. This past week we’ve learned many things. It’s hard not to when you’re surrounded by so many foreign aspects of another countries culture. It’s crazy to see the differences and similarities in values and perspectives. Reflecting on the past week, we’ve all taken away different things, but we’ve also taken away many similar feelings and realizations. We’ve realized that just because you don’t have something doesn’t imply you necessarily want or need it, and that doesn’t mean your life can’t be great. Or, the quantity of what you possess doesn’t always affect your happiness. Those are just a few examples.

It was also a great day to see how far we’ve come as friends. We don’t need some life changing activity to see that we’re all as close as we are. Going out today was a reminder that we’re close because we’ve bonded, even over little things like card games, or talents, or music we sing on the bus. It especially showed, since a majority of the group went out and had fun together, even though we all had the opportunity to stay in the hostel.

A huge part of a free day is to rejuvenate and reflect on how your perspective has changed, and we all did that together 🙂

Shoutout to our wonderful leader Avery! <3

Also,

Hi Family 🙂

IMG_0898IMG_0011 IMG_0020 IMG_0022