Hello everyone! This is Jessica, a student from Summit Tahoma in San Jose.Today was our very first free day!!! YAY!!! Although it was extremely hot out, we all managed to push through and complete our plans for today. First, we started our day off with breakfast at our typical spot, Sheila’s!! Sheila and her team had a very delicious yuca and salchicha dish prepared for us.
After breakfast, we split off into two separate groups. One group joined Katherine at the internet cafe to catch up on the latest news and gossip, the other followed Richey to a phone booth to check up on friends and family members. I was in the group that went to the phone booth and I must say that it was one of my favorite moments of the trip so far. Being able to see everyone talk to their families and tell them everything they’ve seen and learned so far, made me so happy. Don’t get me wrong, there were many tears shed during the calls. And I mean MANY, but in the end we all walked out of their with a smile on our faces. After about two hours, we once again headed to Sheila’s for lunch.
The second half of the day, we split into about 4 separate groups and explored the city some more. Some went back to the internet cafe and phone booths, while others went to the cathedral, shopping, and milkshakes. Once our 4 hours was up, we had our final meal of the day at Sheila’s and it was AMAZING. They served chicken tacos with tamarindo juice. Dinner was so good, Sheila and her staff had to make more. When everyone finished, we left the restaurant a little early to start the Nightly Meeting a little sooner. At the Nightly Meeting, we discussed the Quote of the Day, and our likes and dislikes about the day. I also passed the torch to the two new Leaders Del Dia. Then the power went out as we worked on tomorrow’s lesson plans, but we kept working, using flashlights and candles!
So stay tuned to see what they have in store for you tomorrow!
Jessica, just read the amazing day you all had, sounds like fun. I’m so happy you all are bonding with eachother. I can’t imagine being so far away from my family at such a young age. You all are so brave and doing such a great job.? keep up the good work. I’m very proud of you Jess for making such a big decision to go and explore. Life has so many more opportunities for you. It was very nice to hear your voice today. Love you lots.xoxoxox and miss you lots.xoxoxox Love you Mom.?
HI ZARA! GREAT TO SEE YOU SMILING IN THE PHOTO. MISS YOU MORE EVERY DAY! ARE YOU GETTING MY EMAILS? HAVE A GREAT TIME!
Hi jess love you miss you its me Jacob wondering what you ate at Sheila’s. Hope your having fun. See you soon.Love you.
I’m glad your having a great time and enjoying other cultures. Try to learn a little of that home cooking so you can bring it on home.
Remember the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Keep on having a great time ,we miss you,love you ,see you soon
Hey Marisa, I hope you took advantage of some needed RR. So did you get soaked? More importantly did you win the card game? I hope you had a more successful English class, just have fun with the kids. It was really nice speaking to you this morning. Next time I will answer the call from Florida, cuz it’s you! Love you mija.
Amanda, I loved hearing all of the excitement in your voice today. It made me so happy to know that you are having the time of your life! Be safe and keep having fun! Love you so much!!
-mom
Sounds very good! We are impressed that all of you worked continuously even after lights was out. Seung-Se, we were very happy to hear you over the phone and thank you for calling us. We are continuously praying for your successful service experiences, and in fact we are so proud of you making difference in people’s life there.
Ari,
It was great hearing from you today. I thought about you all day and also kicked myself for not conferencing mommy on the call as she was on the way to work.
Hope you enjoyed your free day and you’re doing well. Miss you a lot and look forward to tomorrow’s report.
Luv you,
Baba
HELLO EVERYONE I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOU FIRST FREE DAY!!!!!ITS SO NICE TO SSE YOU GUYS HAVING FUN,THANKS FERNANDO FOR THE TEXT BY FACEBOOK THAT REALLY MADE ME FEEL BETTER KNOWING THAT YOU ARE OK:)TODOS TE EXTRANAMOS MUCHO PERO ESTAMOS CONTENTOS DE QUE ESTAS DIVIRTIENDO MUCHO<KEEP IT UP AND KEEP US POST,WE LOVE YOU..
HI FERNANDO THIS IS ALONDRA I MISS YOU SO MUCH AND I HOPE I CAN SEE YOU SOON I SEE YOUR ROOM LONELY I MISS MY MOTIVATION COACH TO DO EXERSIZE AND I CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO TELL ME ALL ABOUT DOMINICAN REPUBLIC I LOVE YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO MUCH.
That sounds like so much fun! Hope you guys get another free day again 🙂
Hey Jess miss you dude! Glad your enjoying your time on helping others it will all come back to you someday,kiss the sand for me lol Cant wait till you come back so I can give you a big bear hug < 3 anyways Jess enjoy your trip love you lots!!
Sounds like a great couple of days you all have had: Living like a local, tutoring, exploring, wow, you are all amazing!
All the meals you guys have been describing sound delicious… I am jealous, yum plantains 🙂
Ari, I hope to see you in one of the pictures soon, I miss your pretty face!
Love you, Mami <3
Amanda,
Can’t wait to hear about your experiences on this trip. Internet surfing, card playing and eating sounds just like home. Enjoy your trip and change the world!
Hi Jessica, hope all is well.? it’s about 6 in the DR. You all are probably eating dinner and relaxing.just wanted to say I Love You.? and Miss You Lots.xoxoxox kitty. Are you reading all your blogs? Good night sleep tight dont let the bed bugs bite. See you in the morning light. If God’s Willing. Much Love.? going your way.
Amanda!
That smile on your face says it all! What an exciting experience. One you will remember for a lifetime! Soak it in, be safe and keep having fun. Can’t wait to hear all about it! Love you, Tia Anna
Mandy Lu (Amanda)!! Love reading about your experience. We have been thinking about you daily and can’t wait to hear more once you are back. We are so proud of you. You will have to write your own blog about your experiences and tell your stories. Enjoy and be careful! We love you!
Hi Mandy Lu!!! Hope you are having fun!!! I can’t wait till I get the chance to do what you are doing. Love Ya!!! 🙂
Amanda, mija it sounds like you are having so much fun! enjoy the rest of your stay, we cannot wait to hear all about it! I hope you are learning as much about the culture as you can. I would love to hear some authentic Dominican songs when you come home. We love you very much mija! I will check the blog daily to see what you are up to and all of the pictures. Abrazos y besos mija
~ con amor
Tia Nini, primos Aaron y Zacky
Hi Marisa, it was great talking to you on your day off! I was an emotional wreck at work & all day. I loved hearing about your first week in the DR, your room mate & your experience. Sorry aboutall the heat & humidity.
Can’t wait to see & hug you!
Love Mami
Robert
Mom has been writing you almost everyday, not sure where it got posted, but I might have been posting on the wrong blog. Well I guess I will repost them all here once again. I just wanted to make sure you know I check the blog daily and look forward to reading what you had done each day. Seems so exciting and the descriptions of each endeavor makes me feel like I am there with you.
Anyway, hoping you are drinking the powder with your water to stay hydrated. getting as much rest as you can and OH…enjoying the time wiht NOOOOOO electronics..
Love you Mom
Hey Jessica, I hope all is well. I haven’t seen you in anymore pictures. I hope you are still having a great time. We really Miss You back home. Can’t wait for this week to fly by, so that you will be back home. Love you lots.xoxoxox Jessica.
Love Mom
Hola Marisa!
I’m now catching up on your latest adventures! Was the rain cold or warm? Hope your playing cards didn’t get ruined by the rain lol! What did you guys bet? Your second servings of Sheila’s chicken tacos?
I hope you are asking Sheila for her recipes especially the yuca! Yummy!
By the way Your hair looks good fiu fiu=that’s a whistle sound lol!
You look happy Mija and it makes us feel at ease that you are enjoying your trip To the fullest:)
Have a great day and keep drinking agua.
Love you,
Tia Tania y familia
Hola Mamas!(Marisa),
Nina and Arturo send their love and abrazos…
As you near the end of this great experience, reflect on the following: What have you gained and what do you leave behind?
I am sure you have made some friends, people that have touched your heart and hearts that you have touched..
Cuidate mucho and we’ll see you soon…
Con Amor, NIno Chente