No electricty, no running wáter, but a day full day of happiness and fun. The Glimpsers had the challenge of living like a local, with only $2.00 for all our meals throughout the day. We started off our day with a simple breakfast of just bread and hot chocolate. We then began our journey to Bujeco Aplastado. A beautiful and quaint town in the mountains of Bonao, with even more beautiful members of the community. We met many incredible people that were extremely welcoming of the Glimpsers into theirs homes. Groups of three to five glimpsers walked along unpaved roads into the homes of the members of the community. After a formal introduction we were able to learn about the hardships and desires each family has faced and hopes for the future. The families welcomed us with open arms into their homes and provided insights on their lives. After the Glimpsers helped out with some common chores such as sweeping and mopping, we gathered together alongside the community members to have a simple but delicious lunch. Many Glimpsers engaged in fun activities with the locals. There were many games of UNO, baseball, and dominoes. Every good thing comes to an end so goodbyes eventually came. We walked in as strangers and left as members of the family.

After an eye-opening morning, we made our ways back to the accommodations for two hours of “Explore Time.” We were given the opportunity to go out and about in the city, however to stay in the spirit of living like a local we were not allowed to spend money today. Many of the Glimpsers decided to stay in the accommodations and celebrate the values of family we learned earlier in the day. There were many games of jump rope, card games, and some dancing of merengue and bachata. Alongside the Glimpsers were the Global Glimpse ambassadors and the children of the orphanage. Our time together allowed us to appreciate each other cultures.

Our biggest takeaway from the day was that happiness is found through meaningful bonds and helping other people. Although many people in the communities we visited lacked many sanitary services andlived in poverty, they beamed with happiness and gratitude of the community. We realized that Americans often work with the motive of achieving happiness through materialism and consumerism and this often doesn’t work. It turns out that people living with barely anything, with hearts full as if they had truely everything.

Lunch with the community of Bojuco Aplastado

Walking in the community.