I’ve learned so much from the past couple of days. The Dominican culture has transformed my whole mentality of life. From the unfortunate neighborhoods to the reckless driving habits of the locals, I have come to learn just a little bit of the culture. Specifically, the first day really caused a culture shock I was not expecting. We arrived at the Mariposa foundation to find out that our group was going on a neighborhood tour. The first destination we visited was a Cabarete community which included a baseball field, and a clinic. The conditions were poor, houses unfinished, and wild animals roaming around the community. Ironically, even in these condition, everybody seemed to be so happy. Multiple kids were playing baseball, but they all stopped to say hello to our group. Little kids who weren’t even able to talk yet, showed us a smiling expression that would make anybody content. The various adults were waving at us, and there was a big sense of love around the community.

We then visited a school, although the kids didn’t necessarily have the supplies that we think are necessarily needed to succeed, you could see a sense of enjoyment at the school. A large amount of kids in the U.S. see going to school as misery, but we don’t realize what other kids around the world have gone through to get an education. The Mariposa foundation has done an excellent job to help the girls in these communities at least do better than the preceding generation. It has be an honor to help the little girls at the Mariposa foundation. It is a joy to see their faces light up when you teach them a new English word, or play a simple game of Marco Polo. Up to this point I have taken many things like school for granted, but when I arrive back in the U.S. I will understand that I should appreciate the simple things in life, as they are the things that make people in other countries shout for joy.