4.8.2017

First Day!

Today we rose early before the sun with flits of nervous energy settling in our stomachs. Anticipation and excitement begin growing slowly as we make our way through security, sleepwalking in a state of perpetual drowsiness. We board our plane and an unexpected feeling of awakening sets in as we realize how surreal the moment has just become. After hours filled with packing peanuts and clear plastic soda cups, the wheels of our plane landed.

Upon leaving the airport, there’s an overwhelming sensation of stifling heat. We squint to find our way over to a sea of blue shirts and duffel bags. We toss our bags into a small trailer and pile into the bus attached to it. The windows are down and the breeze is warm as the small modest bus winds through the dirt roads of local villages.

Home Base is rustic and beautiful with a Caribbean charm that easily makes us feel at home. Meanwhile a few of us had encountered a few issues caused by a flat tire on a busy city street. Despite the sleep deprivation, the pressure to make friends, and unexpected car trouble a feeling of community and friendship resonates throughout the camp.

 

4.9.2017

Today we had an early morning with breakfast at 7 and boarded the buses to ride inland to the mountain community of Brison.

The buses dropped us off at the bottom of the mountain and we proceeded to take a 3 mile hike up the mountain. We stopped along the way, interacting with the welcoming Dominicans and learning about their culture as they allowed us to take a step into their homes and experience their way of life.

Although our shirts were dripping and our breathing was heavy through the tough, steep hike, when we got to the top we felt very accomplished and got to experience an absolutely incredible view of the Dominican mountains. A woman at the top of the mountain cooked us a delicious lunch and taught us about her life.  A heavy rain shower caused us a bit of a delay, which cooled us off.

After coming back to the lodge and eating another great meal, we had a leadership lecture and learned about how to create and communicate a vision.

-Michaela, Emma, Megan, Sam, Sofia and Jacob

 

4.10.2017

We started the day off with breakfast at 8am and went on our adventure at 8:30am.

We went to a community not too far from the lodge to work on a bottle house. The house was on a really steep hill. So to begin, we all spread out on the hill and created an assembly line to bring up the sand and concrete. All of this was passed on to the group that was physically working on the house.  The walls are filled with bottles and it was our job to compact the walls with concrete for insulation.

At noon, the woman who owned the property kindly fed us lunch and we played games with her children and grandchildren. Then we resumed work afterwards.

When we returned to the lodge we went swimming at the beach and learned to make tostones. For our leadership lesson we talked about the meaning of Human Security.

-Briah

 

4.11.2017

We started the day off with a refreshing breakfast, which included fried cheese. Then we started our journey to Dudú Lagoon, a national park. There, we spread across the park which consisted of a zip line, a cenote, and a cave. The zip line went over a deep pool of water where we plummeted into the cool, refreshing water. After a big splash, we ventured to the cenote where we swam in crystal clear water under stalactites. The cave also had stalactites as well as stalagmites. It was a cool area to explore, recreating a sense of mystery and awe. Meanwhile others relaxed under the warm sun and played volleyball and soccer.

After our adventures at the lagoon, we took a short bus ride to Playa Precioso. Any droopy eyes immediately popped up as the beach fell into view. The water was an array of blues and greens, framed by silky sand and palm trees. While some hurled themselves into the waves, others enjoyed fresh nonalcoholic piña coladas or picked out some jewelry and wooden figures to bring home.

We all left feeling satisfied and excited for another delicious dinner together. Riding back, we bonded as we sang and danced. Overall, the day was yet again full of new experiences and memories to be kept forever.

-Megan T. and Sophie S.

4.12.2017

We started off this Wednesday with a delicious breakfast as always, thanks to our amazing kitchen staff!

I woke up to the sounds of Ben’s glorious guitar playing, and some of us sat with him as he serenaded us before we headed to the community of Severe. There, we worked on a local school where groups were designated different positions, consisting of cement mixers, sifters, bucket haulers, and more. Once it became hotter, and as we grew tired, some of the schoolchildren kindly helped us with our jobs. As cement was splattered across the walls of the school, and all over us, I can surely say that this was the messiest workday of the program.

 

After lunch and some more work in the afternoon, we started to head back to the compound, but first, we headed to a little market just about 20 minutes away from the school. Street vendors were selling paintings, bracelets, necklaces shirts, etc. And from this excursion, many of us were able to practice haggling with the vendors. On the way back to the compound, we stopped for ice cream at Bon, which was the perfect way to beat the warm weather.

With not much time left, we headed to the compound for a fantastic dinner. Then, after that, before our mentor groups, Cameron walked us through the True Colors test, which we used to discover more about our personalities, and more about our strengths and weaknesses as leaders.

 

4.13.2017

This morning we awoke to rays of bright sunshine and the smell of pancakes and fresh mango. Around 8:30 we left the lodge and headed to Sosua, where we were greeted by some locals and gathered gear for our snorkeling adventure.

After many coats of sunscreen, we put on our life jackets and hopped on a small motor boat. After a short and thrilling ride through the crashing blue waves, we got onto a larger motor boat, big enough to fit all 36 of us.

Once everyone was on board we headed out to sea. The waves grew wilder and rocked the boat up, down and back and forth.  Many of us snorkeled, swam and jammed out on the deck of the boat and in the water.

The water was so clear that you could see schools of fish and even the coral reef below. After a few hours off the coast, we returned to the shore where we spent the rest of the day on the beach, in the market, getting our hair braided and enjoying the local culture.

-Carmen, Casey and Nora

4.1.2017

Arrival Day!

We arrived into the Dominican Republic, and we all met up at the airport.

We loaded a large bus to Indalo Lodge, where we then walked to the beach. Afterwards, we came back to eat dinner and got an introduction to leadership and our activities for the rest of the week before jumping into the pool.

Can’t wait for tomorrow!!

-Meghan & Ashley

 

4.2.2017

Today, we woke up at 6:30am and ate breakfast. After that, we departed for our adventure to Mount Brison for a day of hiking. At the top of the 3 mile hike, we ate lunch with Donna Maxima.

Then, we headed back down the mountain, and half way down, we stopped to contribute to a reforestation project with locals from the community. This consisted of planting pepper and cucumber seeds.

Afterwards, we headed home and relaxed in the pool and ate dinner. Later, we had a presentation about the seven types of human security and how they affect the communities in the Dominican Republic.

Before turning in for the evening, we split up into mentor groups and reflected on how this trip will challenge and affect us.

-Your GLA students, Taylor and Andrea

 

4.3.2017

Today, we woke up to buckets of rain pouring down; however, we didn’t let it slow us down or affect our mood!

We randomly divided into teams of three to start the project, which allowed students to socialize with other students that they might now have talked to without the random selection. Our project was to build a house out of recycled bottles; we divided the tasks between the teams: mixing and applying cement, carrying buckets of sand up a steep, muddy hill, and stacking bottles enclosed in chicken wire.

The work was strenuous, but incredibly rewarding, and we we very productive in our work. It was also a little fun to compete with the other teams in how effective our methods were.

Overall, it was an incredible day of rewarding hard work and team bonding.

 

4.4.2017

Zip Zip Hooray!

It’s our fourth day in the Dominican Republic, and we went to Dudu to zipline and explore caves and lagoons.

When we arrived we zipined 30 feet into the lagoon and free fell into the water. Everyone had a really fun time.

We played volleyball and explored wet water caves. We then went to Playa Preciosa and explored the beautiful beach while drinking pineapples and bartering for goods. Our long bus ride home was full of singing old songs.

– Erika & Ashley

 

4.5.2017

Today, we visited a batey community, which is a small and isolated Haitian community in the Dominican Republic, and helped renovate a preschool.

Whether it was sifting sand, mixing cement, scraping paint off the walls, or playing soccer with the kids, we all did our best to make a positive impact upon the community.

We got to stop for ice cream on our way home, which was a nice escape from the heat. We ate chicken strips and french fries for dinner along with fried plantains! A nice reminder of home after eating lots of rice and beans. Some went body surfing in the waves, while others relaxed by the pool.

Overall, we all had a fabulous day!

-Whitney Russell, Natalie Tanzy and Anastasia Arganbright

 

4.6.2017

Today was our second day at the Bottle House. We did similar work to the first day, including carrying sand up a hill, mixing cement, and placing the bottles in the walls. This process of using bottles allows for a more sustainable building structure than the use of more traditional construction materials.

After our work, we returned to the lodge for a cultural activity. We had locals come to the lodge and teach us several dances, including Merengue and Bachata.

We finished of a great day with some delicious tacos for dinner and then a leadership talk with Cam.

 

 

3.25.2017

Today was quite an adventure!

My sister and I came a day early. We took a walk to the local laguna while we waited. At lunchtime two more students showed up and we headed out into the community for lunch. Afterwards we went back to home base where we chilled by the pool.

At about 5pm the rest of the group showed up. Until dinner it was a meet and greet around the pool. Dinner was really good, we had some delicious chicken, rice, beans, watermelon, pineapple, potato, and an interesting tamarind juice. Afterwards we had orientation and made some group goals.

Overall today was awesome and the Dominican is so BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

MK&STANFORD
THE BALLARDS

 

3.26.2017

Today, the GLA Spring Breakers put in progress towards a bottle house. This is a house built using bottles as insulation in the walls. We were told by Ben that this is an effective insulation for up to ten to twelve degrees.

The team was surprised to see that some of the future inhabitants, a little girl as well as three young boys, hopped into the scene and hammered alongside the students.

Also, a very refreshing lunch was served. It featured pork, rice, and fresh fruit. The meal was crafted by Doña Rosa, as well as a few other residents.

Through this experience, the students got a first-hand look on the culture and life in the Dominican Republic. They live off of a lot of fresh grown food, as well as chickens grown on the property itself. The father of the family moving in, Mandarin, is even a crab catcher as a living.

Lastly, the team learned about the 7 elements of Human Security. This was taught by Ben, Josephine, and other directors. Food, Personal, Economic, Political, Health, Environmental, and Community were the seven elements.

A very fulfilling start to this journey was had today!

-Abid Anwar + Burke Cochran

 

3.27.2017

Today stared off with a good breakfast then we headed back to the bottle house work site. We worked much better and faster compared to yesterday because we were more experienced. We partly finished one room and bottled half of the house.

After our work some of us went to the, and some stayed at home base and swam in the pool and listened to music. Afterwards we learned how to make bracelets out of plastic bags and played cards.

Our dinner of chicken and fries were very delicious. Our lecture of the day dealt with effective development. We learned about sustainability and adapting to needs of different communities. We ended the night with our mentor meeting.

We are very excited to experience something new at Dudu Lake tomorrow.

-Aylin Duvan, Ania Real, Morgan Hamernik and Kyle Harris

 

3.28.2017

Today we woke up at 7;30 to eat breakfast where we ate cereal, fruit, and pineapple smoothies.

We got in two separate vans to make our way to Dudu. The drive took about an hour and a half. When we finally made it there we saw the zip line into a lagoon. We all had to wear life jackets while going down the zip line. There was also a natural pool inside of a cave that we were able to swim in. In addition to this, we played volleyball, got snacks, and chilled in the hammocks.

We ate a lunch buffet made for us by the people of Dudu. After lunch, we hung out around the lagoon until it was time to leave.

We stopped by a nice beach on the way home from Dudu called Preciosa. This beach was very beautiful and we even had the opportunity to buy some souvenirs. We took the bus back and had taco night for dinner!

We had a leadership seminar after dinner,where we talked mainly about what makes a good leader. In mentor groups we discussed humility, especially while traveling.

-Kara, Mackenzie, Maia and Caylie

 

3.29.2017

Today was a day full of adventure!

We took a nice two hour drive to a Mt. Brison. From there we ventured through the mountains and took a three mile walk. Along the way we stopped at the local houses. When we visited those houses we learned about the people’s lifestyles and how they traveled up and down mountain every day to get around.

When we reached the top of the mountain we learned that some of the people only traveled a couple of times a week, and we learned more about the close-knit community.

After a quick lunch break, we headed down and planted some fruits and vegetables. Overall it was an exciting (if tiring) experience!

 

3.30.2017

On our last day of service, we visited the batey of Severe, a small Haitian community near the old sugar cane fields.

On the job site, we worked to improve the conditions of the local school, which included mixing and pouring new concrete sidewalks as well as preparing the walls of the school for resurfacing. We were also able to interact with the local children, many of whom were unable to attend school due to the poor conditions of the building.

After our service for the day was finished, we traveled to the batey of Caraballo to visit the local marketplace.

It is slowly setting in that we have just one full day left with each other. It seems as though we just met yesterday.

-Natalie Harmon, Susan Cook, Natalie Shirer and Emily Mei

 

3.31.2017

Yesterday, we started very early to witness the beautiful Dominican sunrise. We had a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, oh my! Next we gathered all our snorkel gear and headed out to Sosua for a lovely boat ride and snorkeling adventure. While there were some sunburns, there was a lot of fun. We learned that SPF 15 is definitely not strong enough for the Dominican sun.

Then we relaxed at the beach and did some shopping for our families. We also got some fancy hairdos. Our great bus driver, Freddie, brought us home. At home, we chilled by the pool until dinner, and the ate delicious fried chicken and french fries. After that, we learned how to continue on with 7 elements and expand our opportunities to do service in the future. We had a surprise birthday party for Kara, and had a delicious cake with coconut icing. Kathryn and Ben serenaded us around a bonfire in the night.

Today, a few of us went on a great walk on the beach, and then we wrapped up all our good byes. A few of us cried. Our experience truly transformed us and allowed us to meet people from different cultures and walks of life.