We’re free!!!

Hi parents and guardians! This is Faith and Kaitlyn, coming at you live on June 30th! Here is a brief overview of our day in the city of Jarabacoa: Our group had a free day today, meaning a lot of us got to enjoy and explore the city ourselves! Our morning started off with some of us heading to Mass or Misa bright and temprano at 8 am! They were so dedicated to attending and spent part of sleep-in time in the church, which was a new experience for some due to the new language! The rest of us enjoyed a late wake-up and breakfast at 9:30. We had an amazing breakfast from our favorite chef Ursula which included eggs, toast, coffee, fruit, oatmeal, and fruit juices as well as the special edition of chocolate milk!

From there, we were able to call some of you and hear your voices, and share our current experiences.  After that emotional time, we were able to enjoy some alone and/or quiet time which we spent reading, playing dominoes, swinging, make friendship bracelets, etc. A delicious lunch followed with rice mixed with pork chops, mixed veggies, pineapple, and watermelon for fruit, and lastly, fruit punch juice.

We hurried to the bus soon after to explore the beautiful city of Jarabacoa. In the busy streets we saw ATV riders, local venders and even cotton candy! Splitting off into groups of 5, we explored popular locations like La Melaza, which is Jarabacoa’s version of Jamba Juice but so so much better!! We were able to explore many more fresh fruit places, tasty restaurants, and more delicious ice cream! We reconvened for the short ride back to our base house and devoured a light dinner of plantains, salami, and more fruit!

Since we are away from home it’s important to check in on the mental and emotional state of the group, so we did take a mid-trip evaluation where we were able to express our thoughts and feelings through a survey which didn’t take too long! We were able to jump right into our nightly meeting where we passed on the torch to Bernijah and Melvin who both performed intricate routines from their cheer and step teams with a special guest of Timericka! So, you’ll soon hear from them! As we close off the blog tonight, we want to share some fun facts we’ve learned today about the city!

During our time in the city, we learned a lot of new things that are also different from the US. One of the most shocking was that most business add gratuity or propina into the check, regardless of what you order, compared to the US where we have the option to tip for the service. Another shocking thing is that here a lot of stores, shops, and other businesses close on Sunday as a type of rest day.  Those that aren’t closed for the day close early around 2 pm!

We know that our day today was a little unstructured, but we were glad that each of us made the most of one of our slower days! We hope you enjoy our POV of the day and the pictures that follow!