Today we hopped on the bus and traveled 30 mins to Coconut Hound Haven. When we arrived at Coconut Hound Haven, we met Daniela, one of the directors. As we walked through the gate our ears flooded with dog barks. It wasn’t until this point that we learned who was a true dog lover and who did not like dogs. The dog lover in me instantly wanted to adopt all of the dogs and take them home. We gathered around Daniela to receive our tasks for the day. Five of us were assigned to bathe dogs, two of us would be planting trees, and the rest would be walking dogs. I volunteered to plant and got straight to work. We entered the backyard area where larger and more active dogs were kept. As soon as I entered the planting area, 5 dogs jumped on me, others tried biting my hands, while shy dogs ran away and hid. Not only was I able to plant trees that will eventually provide shade for the dogs, but I also established a strong and affectionate connection between the dogs. After planting 2 trees, I cleaned one of the dog cages which is where the dogs sleep at night. When we arrived back at the house, we announced the raffle winners through Instagram live which was a fun experience.
Victoria Bofill Cohort 2023
0 Comments
Today is July 20, 2023. Now today wasn’t exactly my favorite day but I still got a chance to give service in some way. I have always had the worst experiences with dogs from being bitten to being chased by four dogs all at once. I even grasped onto Victoria when one of the dogs jumped the gate to fight another dog. It was hilarious, but still very frightening. I did end up meeting the first and probably last dog that I will ever like and that was Duque. I guess he could sense my fear and sat in front of me to protect me from the other dogs. Even though I was still terrified, I appreciated Duque’s protectiveness. Maybe this will be the catalyst that changes the way I see dogs. Who knows? I didn’t get to be of much service because of my fear, but I did give Duque some water and considering my history with dogs, that’s was lot!
Ameerah Thomas Cohort 2023 Today was a very productive day volunteering at Soy Niña, Soy Importante. Seeing everyone just so happy to be present in the moment with great laughs and smiles makes me even happier to be here.. Having the opportunity to experience 2 workshops with them was amazing. Seeing how excited they were to launch their bottle rocket and getting to know them by the affirmations they chose for themselves was truly heartwarming. After the two workshops, they offered us an opportunity to stay and have lunch with them. I loved eating with the girls because we could freely interact without an agenda or workshop. Their staff was so kind and insisted that we ate before we left, but before we could leave, we participated in the Soy Nina, Soy Importante tradition of singing, dancing, and doing the limbo. Overall, it was a great time being with them.
After community service, we went home to refresh, then went to a dance class to learn a traditional Dominican Dance, La Bachata. At the beginning of the class, I was enthusiastic and eager to learn, but by then end of the session, I was over it. The moves were getting more complicated and my legs weren’t doing their job, LOL. But other than that, it was a fun experience and of course the other Global Love Leaders made it even more fun. They cracked jokes to make me and others laugh, which I’d say I’m really grateful to have shared a laugh with them. We then went home to refresh and enjoy dinner together. We had salmon, steak, and potatoes, which was delicious. Being at the dinner table brings so much joy to me because we are all together at the same time, enjoying what others have to share about their day both good and bad. It’s a real sisterhood and I love it. Doing community service, and sharing moments of joy, laughter and challenges was the highlight of this day. After dinner, we meditated and journaled about gratitude. I honestly enjoyed journaling about gratitude. I was so grateful for everything, I began to cry. I felt so emotional and overjoyed with gratitude. What a blessing! After journaling, we headed to bed to rest. That was our day of sisterhood and service. Amy Rodriguez Cohort 2023 I've always had the opportunity to work with children. Children are incredibly happy and full of energy. As I've met more children, I've been inspired to teach and learn more about them. Today, I got the chance to visit a summer camp in Miches called "Soy Niña, Soy Important," which means I am a girl and I am important. I started crying because of how I felt when these girls screamed those words. I frequently hear the statements ``you matter" or "everyone matters," yet I have never in my life heard it with such power. It was extremely lovely to see little girls between the ages of 8 and 10 understand the value of being girls and being able to recognize it. It brought me so much joy to talk to them. The girls were all interested in me and wanted to know what languages I spoke, my hair, my friends, and what I enjoy doing in my spare time.. The science project was a blast, LITERALLY for the girls in my group, but they enjoyed getting to know me and the other Global Love Leaders even more. It was really uplifting to observe them behave so enthusiastically around other girls. I had a great time today and will always treasure the time I spent with them. I will undoubtedly return to Miches to work with the girls. I am very grateful to have been someone who ultimately gave them a great day!
Carmen Berrio Cohort 2023 Today is July 18, 2023. We began our day with a hearty breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs because we knew we were going to need a lot of strength to make it through the eventful day. We left the villa to enter an amazing experience at the Scape Park Adventure Park. Once we entered the Park, we went to the Hoyo Azul, which is known for having a cave with nice views. In Hoyo Azul we had the opportunity to jump in the 49ft deep water cave which I overcame a fear of deep water dives. I’m glad the love leaders encouraged me to jump because I was extremely hesitant. They chanted my name from the water below and shouted “you can do it Debbie!”. With all of their encouragement, I leapt forward and plunged into the beautiful blue water cave. The water below was so COLD, but I swam to my sisters and rejoiced because I was so proud of myself.
After our group dip in the Hoyo Azul, we took a 1.5 mile hike to the zipline area. While ziplining, we had the chance to see the whole park! I took in all the captivating views and took full advantage of the opportunity to connect with nature. When we arrived at the ziplining platform, I decided to be the first person to zipline to encourage other Love Leaders, in case some of them were afraid. I loved ziplining because it was an adventurous way to see the entire park from above. At times, you could see all the way to the ocean. After ziplining, we traveled to the other side of the park where we visited another cave to take a dip. To enter the Cave Swim we encountered a path called the Cultural Route where it was my first time observing big rocks (used as chairs) gathered in a spread out circle. The Cultural Route had several old living spaces and community areas used by the natives of the country. We could imagine what it would be like to be a villager of the country prior to colonization. When we entered the Cave, I noticed it was not that deep, but boy was it freezing cold. It must have been like 60 degrees in that water. We splashed around the cave for a while until we couldn’t take the temperature any longer. Last up on the adventure tour was Saltos Azules. Saltos Azules included an obstacle called the Trapezio Mabey. Many of the Global Love Leaders including myself, were a bit nervous, better yet terrified about doing it. I observed the other Love Leaders doing it and figured if they could do it, so could I. Lucky for me, I ended up being the last person to jump before the park closed. So I held on to the handles and went for it. Once the whistle blows, you’re supposed to let go of the handles and fall into the Saltos Azules. The jump was invigorating and I am so glad that I was able to overcome my fear with my sisters. Splash, splash to a wonderful day full of adventure! Debbie Campos Cohort 2023 Today I woke up to an amazing breakfast, it was delicious. After breakfast we went to a place called Scape Park where they had different activities like zip lining, water zip lining, hiking and much more. I loved hiking… you could see everything from up top and it was outstanding and beautiful. My favorite activity was the Trapezio Mabey. It was so much fun because I was able to let go of certain fears and enjoy the excitement nature brings to me. I also enjoyed the Hoyo Azul; it was so beautiful and breathtaking, the scenery was EVERYTHING! The beautiful blue water, the cool 49ft deep bottom, and the challenge to take a jump. I was scared to jump in at first because it was so deep but I eventually built up the courage to jump and I’m glad I did because it was awesome! The temperature of the water felt amazing; especially during the hot Dominican summer day. You could tell that it was fresh water because of the water temperature, the clarity of the water, smell and taste. Overall, my time at the Scape Park was absolutely beautiful and fun. I don’t regret any moment of the day.
Keoni Taylor Cohort 2023 Today, July 17, 2023 was our first day of our cultural immersion in the Dominican Republic. We met up at one location at the airport and took lots of pictures and several hugs from our parents. Getting on the plane was nerve wracking but take-off was even worse (maybe I’m just a bit dramatic but it was only my second time being on a plane). We arrived at the beautiful villa and got settled in. We then rode golf carts to a restaurant on the beach. Though it rained, it was still a very beautiful sight to see. Going back to the villa was full of jokes and laughter because of how slow the golf carts were going and because we also got lost. To end our night off we participated in an Identity Activity and had the chef cook us some amazing Dominican chicken, rice, beans and vegetables. And when I tell you it was amazing please believe me. Overall the first day went really well and I can’t wait to experience more!
Kierra Peterson Cohort 2023 Today was our first day traveling from Miami to the Dominican Republic. We arrived and settled into the house. Although I was excited about our week stay, most of us were hungry from traveling all day. We took a quick break to put up our belongings, then headed to a restaurant on the beach. Traveling to the beach restaurant was funny and adventurous because we got lost a couple times trying to get back to our villa. We made it home safely and did a sisterhood activity about identity and it was powerful. So many of the girls were vulnerable and honest about their lives and opinions. It was a great way to get to know the girls on a deeper level with that activity. I am so glad we began our trip with the Identity Activity and look forward to getting to know more of them and the Dominican Republic. We finally went to sleep and got ready for the next day.
Lunamia Medina Cohort 2023 |