Jordan Hakeem-Ali, 2019 Glimpser
From Williamsburg Prep, New York City
Traveled to San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic
My story is hard to tell but that’s good thing.
2-hour plane ride and 4-hour bus ride leading me to the experience of a lifetime.
History is everywhere you just have to look. Global Glimpse hands you a map and a book.
What you’re searching is embedded in culture and tradition, and in the moment you’ll have no choice but to stop and listen.
The adults take to where you need to go but I explored and learned on my own.
The journal holds the secrets from the trip and encourages me to look deeper than the surface.
Nightly debriefing turned to nightly bonding.
Bonding turned to a family forever tied together by an experience that no one else understands.
I learned that I’m a leader with a duty to tell the truths and seek answers.
A leader whose job is to protect her peers and help them grow.
A leader who knows that she’s not alone and the experience isn’t just her own.
I haven’t told you what the experience was because it’s hard to explain, it felt surreal.
From the local youth to the community members, they let us into their world and told us about their lives and what was available to them.
New found appreciation for my life back home, new appreciation for different mindsets and walks of life.
I guess that’s my experience learning and serving,
a new me formed from that trip. I came back more observant and wiser.
Global Glimpse gave me a key to a door shaking and scared. I opened it and I’m glad I did, from that moment I knew my life would be different.