Hey Amazons and Spartans,

I hope everyone is doing well and staying out of trouble. I wanted to send you an update from the DR. The bathrooms of Dona Balbina and Senior Heriberto are finished. Both have easier access to a comfortable bathroom, and a toilet with a septic tank. All of your hard work, dedication, and sweat has paid off. Thank you!

Javi, Sarah, Chelsea, Alex, and I miss you all. We miss the ukulele sessions in the back kitchen, sunbathing by the pool, and the funny/sarcastic conversations. I hope all of you are spreading love, positivity, and a little bit of sarcasm. I miss picking fun at you, and you picking fun at me. We had so many laughs together.

You guys were an awesome GHI group. I hope all of you are still growing and learning about yourself and the world around you. I hope you remember the fun times we had together, such as our day at Dudu Lagoon. Do you remember our snorkel day? In the moment, it wasn’t perfect, but looking back on it, I would say it was a memorable bonding moment. I also hope you remember the lessons you’ve learned, the amazing people you’ve met, and that feeling of empowerment that you left with. You have the power to take action and bring about change. Keep asking questions and digging deeper. Reach out if you need anything!

Hope to see you soon,
Leslie

 

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Hey Loves,

I hope everyone is doing well and staying out of trouble. I just wanted to send you an update from the DR. The bottle bathroom for Dona Chita is finished!! She and neighbors have easier access to a comfortable bathroom and a toilet with a septic tank. Remember the blisters and sweat you put into digging that hole for the septic? All of that hard work has paid off. Thank you!

Javi and I miss you all. And yes, Javi still looks like a Pantene shampoo commercial. We still have our Envelope of Love and Kindness. I hope all of you are remembering to spread positivity. Speaking of remembering, do you remember our rules? Rules 56, 57, 58, 59, and 96! I hope none of you have broken rule number 59/96.

You guys were an awesome GHI group. I hope you all are still growing and learning about yourself and the world around you. I hope you still remember the fun times we had together in the DR, such as our day at Dudu Lagoon. But I also hope you remember the lessons you’ve learned, the amazing people you’ve met, and that feeling of empowerment that you left with. You have the power to take action and bring about change. I can’t wait to see the leaders you become. Reach out if you need anything! And remember NO PDA!!! (Sorry, I had to remind you. haha)

Hope to see you soon,
Leslie

 

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*Note – This is a combined letter for the Global Health and Community Impact tracks for Session 2 (3/17 – 3/24)*

Hey Love Bugs,

I hope everyone is doing well and staying out of trouble. I wanted to send you an update from the DR. The bottle bathroom for Dona Chita is finished!! She and neighbors have easier access to a comfortable bathroom and a toilet with a septic tank. Remember all of the cuts you received from the chicken wire? Or trying to mix cement as fast as the local masons (quality over quantity)? All of your hard work and sweat has paid off. Thank you!

Javi, Mel, Patrick, Cameron and I miss you all. Chirag, Cameron and Patrick have yet to find someone else to talk about sports with ALL day. Nayana, no one else has brought a bag FULL of surprise snacks. Rufina, Alex misses her morning runs with you. Annie, I don’t think any one can retain information from my lectures like you. Brittney…Mom loves you!

You guys were an awesome GHI group. I hope you all are still growing and learning about yourself and the world around you. I hope you remember the fun times we had together, such as playing in the park after getting ice-cream, or the intense nightly card games. I also hope you remember the lessons you’ve learned, the amazing people you’ve met, and that feeling of empowerment that you left with. You have the power to take action and bring about change. Keep asking questions and digging deeper. Reach out if you need anything!

P.S. WHAT TIME IS IT?!?!?!?! (HAHA! I couldn’t help it)

Hope to see you soon,
Leslie

 

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Hello students!

It seems like it was just yesterday that we spent our amazing week together in the Dominican Republic for the Spring Break Community Impact adventure! We started things off with a tough two-hour hike up Mount Brison but it was all well worth it once we all reached the top. We were surrounded by the beautiful view and enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by Doña Maxima. We learned to walk in the shoes of the locals which inspired us to view things from a different perspective. This was the beginning of our life-changing experience in the DR!

I was so proud to see the hard work you all put in while helping build a safe home for Heriberto. We set up the wire on the wood framing, filled the walls with recycled plastic bottles, and also mixed cement for the first layer of the walls. We made new friends in the community including sweet little 7 year old Ashley who was always around helping us at the work site. Not only did we work towards making a life-changing impact in Heriberto’s life, but we contributed to making a positive impact to the environment as well through recycling. The community clean-up at the Cabarete Caves was also a huge help for the environment. Your passion and dedication was evident in all of the service activities you participated in. Way to go team!

Now, let’s not forget about our fun days to relax and enjoy the hot sun after a hard day’s work. We swam and sunbathed at some gorgeous beaches in addition to playing some competitive soccer matches on the shore. As a special treat, we enjoyed some delicious tropical drinks in pineapple and coconut cups. We will never forget our adventures off the zip-line at Dudu Lagoon as well as our friendly volleyball match where even a couple of locals joined for the game. To end our week off, we took a boat ride to go snorkeling in Sosua beach and later shopped for souvenirs for our family and friends.

Back at the lodge we got to enjoyed our pool parties and got to show off our awesome dance moves when we learned how to dance salsa, batchata and merengue. Our final goodbye dinner was not complete without celebrating Matt’s birthday and enjoying some delicious Dominican style cake!

The 7e staff misses all of you including Ernie, Oscar and Bert who send some wet kisses for all!

We send a big THANKS to all of you for committing to being agents of change. We hope you got the BEST out of your experience here in DR and hope to see all of you very soon for another great service-learning adventure.

 

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Ahhh Cuba, what fond memories we have of you. I remember when we were in Viñales and decided to take that “hike” – Madison laughing with frustration as she bush wacked shoulder-high grass; Adriana appearing out of some bushes covered in red mud up to her knees; and everyone scaling barbwire fences to avoid falling into deep, muddy puddles – only some of us were successful. Ali, who had borrowed my shoes, was not one of them, and she flooded her bathroom attempting to clean them up!

Soon after, we jumped on horses, and Quillan ‘jumped’ right off again after her horse tripped and fell. But she brushed herself off and powered through!

I remember Rian backflipping into that magical river in Las Terrazas, and Kellen working so hard at Muraleando in the midday heat without any complaints, and Lilly finally showing us her ostrich dance. I loved watching Jake help others with their camera settings – except for Shane, who hopes one day to work in manual mode, with the help of Noah’s undying love and support for him.

I can’t forget the blood – Jonah’s nose and Riley’s toe – though they perservered with being eerily Tom Cruise-like, and eating more than one fish eyeball, respectively. Nor can I forget the bug spray trap that Ike slipped on, and Amelia’s infectious laughter because of it. And Evie’s sass throughout the trip – warning other’s of their conduct violations – was always appreciated. And of course, our photo contest winner Ariana, proving that she can define a trip to Cuba in just one photo.

And I can’t fail to mention, of course, the activities of the final night that were so memorable…our many games of Mafia!

Thank you for all these memories and more, and we hope you return to Cuba to make new ones.

Miss you all!
Jenny and Jess

 

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