Muestra tu Bondad- Show your goodness

If there is any one thing to be learned so far on this trip, it is that at the root of everything in life people just want to feel loved. In a country where people have little money, sharing your time can be worth a mountain of gold. On our third day of the trip, we were fortunate enough to spend time with getting to know Dominicans across the lifespan, from the elderly at Hospicio to the children at Angeles de Conani.






At Hospicio, we made many new friends, attempted to brush up on our limited Spanish phrases and vocabulary, and some of us even managed to spice things up with a little dancing action. They were extra happy to have us come and visit for they had feared the rain would deter our plans. Apparently in the DR it is very common for people not to go to work or travel places when it is raining. Another interesting fun fact is that the Dominicans hold a strong belief that the water from the first rain in May is very special, it has youthful powers so they will save it to rub on their faces. The residents at Hospicio were very mad at the nuns because they would not let them go out into the rain, many of them kept muttering "those nuns, ohh those nuns".



At Angeles de Conani, we made even more new friends! It was difficult to see so many children challenged with various struggles from physical impairments to developmental delays to lack of a true "home". On the other hand it was beyond easy to fall in love with them all.

The phrase "Muestra tu Bondad" translates in English to "show your goodness". Hopefully this was evident on that day, for the rest of our trip, and throughout our professional and personal lives as well.