School, worksite, Cabarete, and games night/bonfire – this is what my day consisted of. The only thing is it was much more extensive than just a basic, scheduled day. This morning at the school we did a lot of colouring, playing tag, and playing with the parachute. The kids are just filled with energy; it is a workout trying to keep up with them. 

 

 

Today I brought the framed picture of Francisco and I which I took last year. I brought it to his house, and gave it to him in front of his mother. Francisco was very shy when I gave the picture to him, but his very quiet “Gracias” meant a lot to me! He took a few minutes to decide that he wanted to put it on the living room shelf which can be seen as soon as you walk into the house. His mother thanked me also as she continued to recognize and say with a smile, “amigo!”

 

 

Appreciation continues to shine in the community of Arroyo Seco; I love it. We have been making very good progress on the house since we have been working on it. Today we finished the smooth coat; this is not the easiest task. The day was hot, and the smooth coat occasionally—frequently for me— fell off of the wall and managed to get everywhere on our clothes and bodies. At the end of the day it was totally worth it; we are that much closer to finishing the house and we got a real good dirty picture!

 

 

I was able to have a short conversation with the mother, Gladis, of the family which we are building for. She is extremely shy, but did answer some of my questions. She said that she is very happy that we are here to build her a new home. Being here, we are giving her one of her dreams—a home which creates dry and secure safety for her family so, they can go to school and continue a healthy life. I am honored to be building for this family; they are a lot of fun.

 

 

We left the worksite a little early today in order to be ready for our team dinner at Cabarete. We went to a restaurant on the beach, had dinner, debriefed, and took some awesome pictures for memories. I love the tight bond that our team has formed. It is making it much easier for everyone to grow as individuals because they do not need to worry about fitting in. On top of all of this, we also had a games/bonfire night here at Sousa by the Sea. The games went perfectly, but the bonfire not so much. Not everyone had made it to the bonfire before it began to rain really hard. The majority of the people got extremely wet and just jumped into the pull. Even though the bonfire did not work out, the mini, unexpected pool party allowed some people to mingle and interact. I love how most of the volunteers here are awesome sports; it makes the trip that much more fun. The trip is going amazing; I am excited for it to continue!

 

– Reggie, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Intern, Dominican Republic 2012