Day 3
After arriving here at the SI base at 5:00 am and exploring our cabins, we got used to the customs of not using the faucet water to brush our teeth and not flushing paper down the toilet. Just as the others on the base were waking up, we were falling asleep. At 8:42 am, Cheyanne woke up and read the pamphlet book about DR history, but soon fell back asleep. The ladies woke up between 11am and noon. After getting dressed, they went and woke up Mark and Spencer at 1pm. While the guys were getting ready, the ladies visited the chapel and practiced a few worship songs.
About 45 minutes later, the team met up in the cafeteria, explored the base store, and had a very late lunch consisting of ham sandwiches, chips, peanut butter, and guava and pineapple jelly. Harpreet was halfway done making her sandwich when she noticed a strange green tint to the gluten free bread we had packed. Upon investigation, she found that one of the two loaves we had packed had been decimated by mold and the Miami heat. Meanwhile, Mark downed three cups of coffee.
After we finished eating, another team arrived and we had basic and kitchen orientation. Around 4 o’clock, we had camp orientation and met the rest of the SI staff, Mark and Alyssa had a team leaders meeting, Spencer explored, Harpreet took a nap, and Cheyanne, Sofiya, and Jordynn laid on their beds and rested. Around 5:30, we started to hear thunder. And as we walked to the cafeteria for dinner around 6pm, the thunderstorm became more prominent.
At dinner, we had La Bandera, a popular dish here that consists of rice, chicken, beans, and salad. After dinner, we headed to the porch outside the ladies cabin, where Jordynn and Sofiya danced in the rain and thunderstorm and Mark danced to DR rap music.
Around 7pm, we went into the chapel to learn more about the country and the main dances: the Merengue and Bachata. As we started to get a better grasp of these two dances, there were two competitions: one for the Merengue in which Spencer and Cheyanne competed and got 2nd place, and one for the Bachata where Alyssa and Jordynn competed and won first place.
-Caribbean team
P.S.: we are taking orders for the supposed TSA-approved machetes that SI is selling in their base store.