IMG_7458Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. I learned this while watching the new Karate Kid movie, and it is something that has stuck with me ever since. We have been working very hard everyday with waking up early, getting on the bus, and meeting new people. That routine has its ups and downs; that’s why having a free day is amazing. Not only do we get to sleep in one hour later, but we have time to ourselves. During this time, our delegation has the opportunity to walk around in groups and explore Bonao. We can call our parents, something my parents have been waiting for, buy souvenirs for all of our friends back in the States, and just get to spend time with our group.

Today I was leader of the day! It was super fun and I got to bring some of my Greek culture in our count-offs by counting to three in Greek and having everyone yell OPA! I also enjoyed this because I felt that it was a good way to connect to the group. At 6:45 am people from different committees of the Community Action Project (CAP) came together to have a meeting with Esteban to talk about the playground we are all building. The meeting went great, and everyone was very mature. We set up a time with him to meet up again at 2:00 pm to purchase materials for the playground. Then I woke up everyone for breakfast and we had amazing pancakes with some eggs. After breakfast, I got to go out with Taylor, Brandon, Desiree, and Emiliano. We first went to the internet cafe and everyone got to talk to their families and friends. As I said, I finally got to talk to my mom, which was great in hearing her voice! Next, we went to the SuperMarket and got to buy some snacks, which are surprisingly better here. Then after lunch and yelling OPA some more, I stayed in to relax and make sure I don’t work too hard. I also waited with the group to go purchase the materials, but Esteban was unable to support us in buying the materials today because of personal conflict. It was sad that he wasn’t able to show up, but we made up that time by singing and enjoying the time with each other. Also we played card games, like Spades, BS, and showing off card tricks we know. Before dinner, we taught our English classes, and for me it can be hard and fun at the same time. I say this because I teach 10 to 12 year old students, and they are all amazing. But remembering that these kids should have this ability to speak English inspires me to push forward and make sure they become smarter. It is interesting to see that while this was a free day, we still all had our responsibilities for the day. Lastly, we had the nightly meeting and I got to finally pass the torch to Abi and Ariela, which was hard to do, because I liked being the leader so much. We are almost to the end and we all are pushing forward! Thank you for reading and we can’t wait to see you all!