Today we lived like the locals and visited families in Bejuco Aplastado, a nearby rural community. We learned that we should be appreciative about what we have at home and it made us think about how much our lives are different. What surprised us the most today was the homes that these families lived in. It could be 5 siblings crammed into one room. The two of us are most proud of how we interacted with the children. It shows the big hearts we have for each family – it was very hot today but we all managed to play out on the field to spend time with those kids.

The most inspiring person Noemi met was Amanda. She lives a life of poverty but still manages to be appreciative about what she has. Being Lider Del Dia was an amazing day because it was getting us out of our comfort zone, which was something we needed. For me, I have always been a shy person and I get nervous when speaking to people in front of the room so it’s just nice to not be as scared or as nervous as before.

The most inspiring person Corina met today was Wendy, she really appreciated what Global Glimpse does and has to offer. When I entered her house with my Global Glimpse partner she was very welcoming and started to direct us on what to do. We tried very hard to ask her questions in Spanish but luckily we had our interpreter to help us (one of the student ambassadors). We asked her what the happiest moment of her life was and I was surprised by her answer. She said that even though she goes through many hard times, she is still happy every day because of all the support she gets from her community and family members. All these locals have very little material possessions, but every single day they are filled with so much love and compassion.

We learned today that we are blessed for what we have in our lives.

From when we started this trip, a few of us have had our cameras out the whole day, but today we were living without luxuries. At times we all wanted to take pictures, but at the end of the day, we all started to appreciate the interactions between the locals and to take in what the Dominican Republic has to offer us.

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