Global Business and Working Like a Local

Hola, somos Tanvi y Miriam!!! We were today’s LDDs and we led our group through exploring local agriculture and business in Constanza. We had oatmeal, bananas, and raisins to help for our digestive system. Afterward, we headed to a greenhouse that produced tomatoes, peppers, and cauliflower for export to the US. We learned that Constanza grows about 90% of the produce for the Dominican Republic. We worked with the peppers, discarding the overly ripe or damaged ones and picking weeds from the soil. After that, we headed back to the hotel and had lunch which was chicken, rice, and salad. Next, we drove to a facility called “World Agro Marketing,” where the workers processed and packaged cucumbers to be shipped to the US. The worker showed us around and how things work, and she also made us pick the cucumbers that were bad and the ones that were good. We saw that a lot of the cucumbers were not up to standard, including ones that were too curved or ones that had small blemishes on them, and we learned how much waste is created in the pursuit of “perfect” produce. We headed back to the hotel, and we found that Adeleny’s luggage finally came in! To add to the excitement, we got our money that Sam exchanged for Dominican pesos, and then we were surprised with a trip to a local bakery (to everyone’s delight). The bakery was very cheerful and cute and offered a variety of drinks, snacks, and desserts. Many of us were able to practice our Spanish while ordering, and we all enjoyed purchasing and eating our sweet treats. We then had free time in which everyone was enjoying their time interacting and playing games. After free time we had our dinner, which was seasoned potatoes, sauteed vegetables, and cheese. After dinner came a spontaneous dance party that had everyone moving, even the staff of Hotel Dilenia. We all agreed that it was one of the highlights of our day, and made our bond even stronger. During our activities today, we were able to get a first-hand view of where our produce comes from, which isn’t something we would consider on a daily basis. We learned how to be more responsible and sustainable as consumers, and see how hard others from different places work to maintain their people. Our day was sprinkled with lots of learning, laughter, and fun, and we hope to continue that for the rest of our trip!! For tomorrow, we leave you in the hands of our next LDDs, Jennifer and Chloe!

Love,

Tanvi R. and Miriam G.

De Miriam G, I am eating well and enjoying my time with others, no me extrañen mucho que me estoy divertiendo, ya casi llego a casa con ustedes y los quiero!!

From Tanvi: To everyone at home (especially Sherlock), I’m having fun and learning a lot! Don’t miss me too much because I’ll be back before you know it ?