Working norms vary from country to counrty. Today, we, the glimpsers, were able to experience first hand the labor of those working the coffee plantations in the Dominican Republic. The day began at 6:00am in the morning, just as the sun began to rise. As we rode to FECADESJ, the coffee plantation, our peers struggled to keep their eyes open while breakfast was being served on the moving bus. As we arrived at the lush, green scenery,we grew excited for what was to come at the plantation. We separated into 5 different groups, each taking upon a significant role in the early stages of the coffee producing process including: loosening up dirt in order to stimulate plant growth, extracting weeds from plants, filling bags with fresh dirt, transporting these same bags to the field, and finally aligning the bags in neat rows in order to proceed to the next step which is planting the coffee beans. Not only did students take the time to complete the job, however, they also built strong bonds with the local workers located at the different stations. This allowed us to realize how fortunate we are to receive such good working conditions back home. The heavy work load drained all the energy in the once excited glimpsers, leaving the bus subdued on the way back to the hostel.
Although the physically challenging work was over, the mentally draining activities were next. Right after our lunch, we had around an hour to plan a presentation that would determine the fate of our Community Action Project (CAP). With little to no energy left, an impromptu CAP panel was held, including members of the Suarez community. As a result, we were able to come up with a solid plan for making our CAP dream into a reality in 5 committees: Project management, seating (for the baseball fans and players), shade (for the seating),painting the backstop and child management/ community engagement. But of course, the positive results of the panel were due to the great teamwork we had with the Suarez committee.
As the toughest parts of our day were over, us glimpsers had the rest of the day to ourselves.
Although the work load was great, the smiles were greater. Ending the day on a positive note, today’s experience led to the understanding of someone else’s reality and made us realize the hardships of life outside the walls of our home.
Coming home soon! :))
Sincerely your Líderes del Día,
Kailee and Lucy
Yay! Pictures? It’s so nice to see you guys in action!
Twins it sounds like working like a local totally gave you a true eye opener on manual labor.
We all miss you guys.
Mama
really proud of you Chloe! miss you so much my lil derpette! -roon
So proud to see you guys changing the world! Miss you Navpreet and Vincent! 🙂
Serena! Enjoy your trip and have fun. We miss you and can’t wait for you to come home. I love you! – Mom
Hey sis! I’m done celebrating your absence, and ready for you to come home! Don’t die along the way back home. Ok? – JK ~ I hope you’re having fun. 😉 – Chelsea
I admire all the hard work and effort that gets put into your everyday activities! Go Lucy!!
Hi Kailee & Glimpsers,
Glad to see you in pictures again. Nice article that you and Lucy published. You guys have really moved way faster than I had expected (especially since the last post…like yesterday…on your CAP project). Love your devotion and determination. Can’t believe you already presented to the community and panel. Great job!! Pat yourselves on the back. And that the CAP will be impacting 5 communities is just truly amazing. Awesome teamwork glimpsers, especially with your presentation and after working at the coffee plantation so early in the morning. Yawn. 😮 You guys are invincible. Hey, Dad wants to know if you learned any trade secrets about coffee beans (like which type is stronger in flavor/aroma) and how to make a better tasting cup of coffee. hehe. Miss you much. Looking forward to reading the next post about your adventures, discoveries and experiences by this fantastic group.
Miss, miss, miss u,
Mom, Dad & Didi & ur frenz and & extended family
I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves over there!!!! Happy to see the impact you’re making :))) We miss you Nav and Vinny!! Come back soon haha
Love reading the posts!!
Kailee, who knew that writing for the newsletter would help prepare you to be a blogger! Love the info and pictures from the day!! 🙂
Looking forward reading about what adventures are going to come next!!
Keep doing the great work!!
Twinners if possible bring me back coffee beans! ?
We miss you Chloe D !! Great job, can’t wait to see you back.
We miss you Chloe D. Can’t wait to hear your adventure. We love you and miss you. See you soon!
Love,
Mom
Hi Kailee~
Nice post!! The heavy work load will make you even more buff :PP
I can’t wait to see you again! Enjoy the rest of your trip!!
-A Unicorn ?
PS I have so much to tell you about the badminton tournament!! The announcer butchered my doubles partner’s name so much ??
Anyways annyeong! 🙂 <3