Many of us come from the city life, but today, we all got a taste of local Dominican life. Our experience started with an interesting challenge, we were to continue our day without electricity, running water, and other necessities. Instead, we had candles and matches, bucket showers and flushes, and typical meals that are common for most locals in Constanza. Today, we had a cup of hot chocolate and bread rolls for breakfast, which is a common meal for many locals in the morning. The Glimpsers enjoyed this meal and we spent our late morning and early afternoon in a lovely and welcoming community nearby. The people of the community, and mainly the children, were very accepting and many bonded very closely to the Glimpsers. There were some students in particular that formed extraordinary and special bonds with the children. We had a hard time letting them go at the end of our visit.

For lunch, we had a delicious soup called  Sancocho, which is an authentic Dominican soup, consisting of chicken, rice, and vegetables. Some of the Glimpsers helped in preparing the meal while others helped with projects in the community. The whole experience was very eye-opening and emotional. We got to learn and empathize about the hardships that these people had to endure to survive. It made us more determined to not take things for granted, such as education, health, basic necessities, and other things that we tell ourselves that we cannot live without. After this community visit, we got a chance to reflect on what we learned and to realize how fortunate we are. This experience was loaded with lessons to be learned, and the day was very tiring. We got a much needed break, and then we were ready for the evening activities.

Dinner was light, as compared to other days, to allow us to get a final taste of a local meal. Then, we followed our nightly routine and prepared for the next day. We, as a group, are very thankful for this experience and we hope that more of these valuable lessons will continue to guide us as we continue on our journey.