Today was our second “Free Day”. We were able to sleep in and I noticed everyone was a little more energetic because of that. After that we were able to eat an American breakfast with a hint of Dominican food; we had cereal with milk, yogurt and fruits, and arroz con leche. After relaxing in the hostel for a couple of hours, we were able to explore the city with the youth ambassadors. I was excited that we were given the opportunity to explore the city and get a greater sense of the culture that lies within this city. In Dominican culture it is popular that most shops are closed early on Sundays so we were not able to shop and roam around a lot. It was inconvenient at first, however, we still had a ton of fun as we were surrounded by joy and laughter. We went to the ice cream shop, bakery, and supermarkets, but the best part of the day was when we arrived at the stadium. We played volleyball with the ambassadors and it was wonderful being able to connect with them. After a couple hours of playing volleyball, we were all hungry and that’s when we decided to go to the churro stand. We all had churros with various fillings and they made our day. We were filled with happiness when we felt the first Dominican rains on our skin. We walked back to the hostel in the rain and had another American dinner: hotdogs and french fries. We ended the day with a nightly meeting and appreciated the ambassadors. Overall, being a leader on a day like this has taught me the importance of leadership and connecting with my peers.

P.S. Shoutout to Deric and Muskan for helping me today.