Hello friends and family! Jazlyne and Jellien writing here! As Leader of the Day, we had so much fun leading and educating everyone about the Dominican Republic’s theme of Immigration.
Today we started the day off bright and early with a meal prep breakfast where we journeyed to San Pedro de Macorís to further educate ourselves about the Haitian immigrant experience in the Dominican Republic. We visited a non-profit organization named ASCALA where we got to hear the personal experiences of immigrants traveling due to conflict within government systems. The institutional oppression that targets Haitians causes a cycle of financial and psychological distress making it difficult for them to escape the mistreatment. The vulnerable experiences that were shared brought up lots of emotions and taught us the importance of listening to experiences. What surprised us collectively as a group was the little wages that Haitians received for their hard work. Being the Líder Del Día was a very educational experience and gave us the opportunity to interact with the community on our way to visit the sugar cane fields. After a day of engaging conversations and community experiences, we ended the night with tacos and pool time.
Yen: Hi Mama and Papa I miss you so much, I’m having a fun time over here and I can’t wait to share it with you, I love you!
Jazlyne: Hey y’all I know you guys are missing me so much and I can’t wait to share all my stories with you. see you soon… or not!
So awesome! Enjoy every moment!
Those smiles are priceless !
Love you Mathilde!
Looks like a well balanced amazing experience! Can’t wait to hear more about it! Have fun and work hard Mathilde!
-Kyle
Ma guy Mr Xman , shining like always. I love you Lil man , reach the moon !
Te extraño mucho mijo!! Diviértete y explora.
Tacos and swimming? Sounds like it was planned just for you! Your favorite food and you’re a fish, always in the water.
I love how you are seeing and experiencing how others live and work.
Grandma and Grandpa are now asking how long before you come home. To say you are missed is an understatement. Daddy and I have been taking turns sitting in the recliner. That’s our silent way of us letting each other know we miss you without saying it outloud hahaha.
We love you, miss you and can’t wait for you to come home. Dang, my allergies are acting up again…..
Love you!
Hope you are doing okay, I definitely do miss you. House is very boring without you!!
Very impressive!! Great Job Jellien and Team!!Having your niece around the right people can propel their lives for a better future,We are so grateful with you Jellien. We miss you Naneng ,jheann can’t wait to see you soon.
That looks like a fun day and nice in the pool afterwards! I love you mathilde i hope you’re having fun!
Thank you Jazlyne and Jellien for the recap! My heart goes out to the Haitian immigrants for the ongoing challenges they face. What a valuable experience to hear their stories firsthand! Sending blessing and love to all of you heading into the second week in the Dominican Republic!
Megan~Bean is doing well. I’ve given him melon and carrots and even changed out his sandbath 🙂 Love and miss you!
It’s hard hearing about the difficulties many countries go through and even harder seeing them first hand. It’s experiences like these that can spark a flame that turns into a passion to help.
Thinking about you always. Love you tons!
Miss you Esteban can’t wait to see you bro
Jellien (mom)
Everyone had a good experience,good job!keep it up Jellien.
Thanks for amazing pictures
Bravo à tout le groupe ( de la France) pour ce que vous faites et on embrasse Mathilde. Profitez bien de tous ces moments!
This is so touching. I’m glad you are learning about immigrant experience as this is what my family and I went thru to get here. We miss you so much Winnie! Everyone says hi and happy that you get to experience this. Love you so much 🥰
Bravo à Mathilde et à tous, c’est génial tout ce que vous faites !! Bises 😘
This must of been a very touching and heart-felt day. I’m happy to see you are learning first-hand about immigration. I am so grateful you are experiencing so much in the few days you have been away. We miss you lots!! Did you get any soccer in with the kids? lol
I love seeing you having fun, my heart is filled with joy!!!
This memories will stick in your life forever, te amamos mi niña hermosa !!!
I’m taking care of Zafira, please don’t worry about anything, ever day I can’t wait to be 8:00 pm to come and check out the blog, I feel maripositas every time!!!
🧔🏻👩🏻👧🏻🐈⬛
Hey JA2A,
It is so fueling to hear your reflections + learnings coming out of an important day on the trip. Thank you for meeting the local communities with open ears and open hearts.
Keep up that same level of engagement and critical thinking – that’s what this is all about! And tacos and swimming – way to go on balancing your learnings with a bit of fun along the way, too. 🙂
Sending you my best from the Bay!
Warmly,
Thea
Great pictures and interesting blog… Looks like everyone is having fun and learning the different cultures. Enjoy these moments and make memories.
Hi Kim I hope youre enjoying the experience I’m sure you’re having fun and that’s what matters I’ll be waiting when you come back I hope the days pass by quick I’ll be working Friday-Sunday so hopefully that helps🗣️.
I love you and I miss you.
This is awesome! I’m so glad you’re learning and experiencing all of this. We miss you a lot Xadani but we’re also very happy to know you’re enjoying every second of this trip.
Super Mathilde
Bravo
Très fier de toi
Bravo pour cette belle expérience ! Nous avons hâte d’avoir tes réactions
Cela semble exceptionnel !
Bonne continuation. Je t’embrasse fort