Dominican Republic 2009: Day 7

Jargon by Jaysen…

Day seven was definitely a day to remember. It began with yet another early morning on the build site and ended in tears as we said our goodbyes...

Bamban and the Gang... (our lovable but crazy bus driver)

The day’s construction consisted of lots of brick laying and continuous rebar construction.

As the day dragged on, it got harder and harder to continue. Michelle decided to add some fun into the work, by challenging the boys to a competition in making the rebar. The teams each consisted of six people. Both teams hustled hard, and the end was tight, but of course the boys won it. With pride and glory, the boys accepted their prize; the girls having to serve them their drinks at the resort tomorrow. Good work team!

The Rebar Champions!!!

After eating yet another awesome lunch, we laid our last bricks and the construction had finally come to an end, but the hard part was not over yet, soon the goodbyes began. Some of the volunteers brought cake and snacks, and our team handed out candies to the children of the community. We ate the food and hung out with each other as the sun began to set. Many pictures were being taken, and football games broke out. As part of our goodbye ceremony, Michelle set up a fun, yet teary way to end the day. The habitat team, the family, and all of the community members who helped out in the construction gathered together in a big circle. As we stood together, we tossed around a ball of yarn and each of us held a piece. When the yarn was tossed to you, we shared something that we had learned, and said a personal goodbye. It was very emotional, and the girls began to tear up quickly. When everyone was done saying goodbye, our circle was a full web of yarn, symbolizing how we are all connected. We then cut the yarn and each of us made a bracelet to keep it as a memory of the trip.

We all learned a lot over this week, and realized how much we really do take for granted. It was an emotional rollercoaster ride for sure!