Day 6: Musica Maravillosa con las Mariposas

This morning, we headed off for another exciting day with the Mariposa girls. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the hugs and smiling faces of our new friends and quickly assembled in a circle to sing our morning songs. We were excited to get into the classrooms and implement the new lesson plans we devised yesterday. The games were divided into three categories: literacy, English, and math. We learned over the last few days that the girls are very active and competitive, like most young kids. We've took this into account while creating our educational games. As a result, we tried to provide a learning element while also including physical activities and other ways for the girls to have fun. Although some activities were more successful than others, we all enjoyed having a leadership position with the kids.

We then stopped into the English classroom, where the kids took their turn teaching us. They taught us some fun and challenging tongue-twisters that we said together in Spanish. We took turns presenting our tongue-twisters, while engaging in some exciting competition. In return, we taught them a few English tongue-twisters of our own. It was fun to watch each other step outside of our comfort zone and gain confidence in a new language. We also enjoyed playing a game of hangman with the kids that involved words in both English and Spanish.

Not only did we engage with the kids, but we also spent time helping to improve their facility. Today's focus was the back of the building, where we painted a wall, fixed the path, and worked on the garden. Despite the heat and mosquitoes, it was rewarding to see the result of our hard work today.

After the academic class and service project were finished, we engaged in another intense game of softball with the girls. Although each team had a few home runs and spectacular catches, our athletic skills proved to be no match for the fierce Mariposa girls.

Following the game, we concluded the day with an inspiring musical performance by the Mariposa's talented musical group. They played songs reflecting the center's three main values for the month of February: paz (peace), libertad (liberty), and justicia (justice). One song highlighted the importance of environmental preservation, discussing how some large corporations come here for gold and metal supplies, at the expense of the country's water supply. Another told the history of the Mirabal sisters: Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. These sisters stood up for their country during the rule of Trujillo. Although they were eventually assassinated, they had used the word "mariposa" as their code name, which is where the center got its name. All the songs included a drum ensemble as well as guitars and singers.

We had a great time participating in all of today's activities and completing our service project. We look forward to a full day tomorrow including a visit to the local public school, a goodbye party at the center, and a hike.

-Kristina, Faith and Daven