It’s 11:36PM. Your bags are fully packed, an array of some of your most favorite t-shirts to remind you of your most memorable experiences at home. The nervous jitters are keeping you up. You’ve never been this far away from your parents. You’ve already checked three times just to make sure your passport is next to your carry-on bag so you don’t forget. You’re pretty much ready to go – and so are your GG Leaders too!

My name is Corey Winchester and I’m one of the GG leaders along with Katie Frett for the Chicago Bonao 1 Delegation! We are so pleased and humbled to be your GG Leaders. Katie and I are both History/Social Science teachers from the Chicagoland area and simply cannot wait to start our adventures. Our passion for international experiences both stem from our commitment to critical self-reflection, education, access, equity, and social justice. Both Katie and I have had international academic experiences stemming from our collegiate years and are excited to share that passion with you.

Throughout the course of our 18 days together, we will hopefully share great laughs, meaningful tears, lasting memories, and deep learning with each other. We have a great team of in-country staff who are eager and ready to work with us to help us learn about Bonao, the Dominican Republic, its history, culture, and progress as it continues to develop and address issues of access, equality, and growth in our globalized world.

During our trip, we are hoping that you follow this blog which our delegation will use to share its experiences and memories while serving as a living time capsule, so to speak, about our time together in Bonao. On behalf of the 20 students representing 8 Chicagoland schools, we hope that you enjoy our blog!

Here we go!

Katie & Corey