¡Hola! Today we were Liders Del Dia for Immigration Day! We interacted with multiple friendly faces to get an overview of who is coming to live in the DR and why.

To start off our day we knocked on everyones door with a wakeup call at 7am. At 8am, we were greeted with a great breakfast of Papaya, Pineapple, Scrambled Eggs, Mashed Plantain, and Strawberry Juice. By 9:30, we were full, dressed, energized, and ready to meet our first guest!

Our first guest was an 18 year old woman named Michele who is a Venezuelan immigrant who immigrated to the Dominican Republic due to the bad governance and food shortage in her home country. She told her story of her move here; originally meant to be a 15 day trip. During the 15 days the conditions in Venezuela got worse, so she decided to stay in the DR and the rest of her family later joined. After her presentation, she made bracelets with us. These bracelets represent a cause made for a friend with a disease to raise money for surgery. She gave them to us like a souvenir.

After Michele, we had lunch. For lunch we got soup with chicken, potatoes, plantains, and rice. Then we got back to experiencing the DR.

After lunch, we got on the bus to a Haitian Immigrant Community in Constanza known as Colonia Kennedy. Here, we were greeted by smiling faces, tiny houses, bare feet, kids playing, and pollitos (baby chickens). We divided into 6 groups and each group met one family in their home. These homes were the size of our bathrooms (12-14sq. ft.). One twin bed for up to 4 people, but still the people had smiles on their faces as we walked in. We heard the stories of their moves to the DR from Haiti and the hardships that followed. We then began to get to know them and connect on a deeper level. Regardless of how little they had, everyone enjoyed the time spent together. It was a bittersweet experience for all of us.

Once we returned to the hotel, we had some free time to venture outside of the accommodations. We spent this time getting milkshakes, snacks, and little Dominican items. After curfew, we had a fried chicken dinner with a side of fried plantains and salad. We proceeded into self reflection then onto our regular nightly meeting. After all we experienced today, we shared our thoughts, tears, and a moment of silence for all the brave people we have met.

Now we are going to bed to prepare for the long day ahead of us.

BIG LOVE to all of you,

From the best twins,

Zoë and Brent.