Click here to jump down to the new posts!
Wednesday July 18, 2018
The 40 of us started off the day heading to Mt. Brisón at 7:30. We arrived an hour and 45 minutes later at the mountain and began the trek to the top. Along the way we stopped at a kind woman Juanita’s home where we were able to buy homemade pan dulce and handmade bracelets. The hike wasn’t easy to say the least. The majority of us were drenched in sweat, but even more than it was tiring, it was eye-opening. To see how the local people went about their lives was an incredible experience. When we finally reached the top of Brisón, we had a traditional Dominican lunch that consisted of eggplant, beans, rice, sweet plantains, pork, fruit and vegetables. It made the physically challenging hike well worth it. We were then well equipped for the hike back down.
After a bus ride back to the home base, many of us decided to venture to the local beach for a walk. We ended the day with dinner, a lecture about insecurity and security in our towns vs. in The Dominican Republic, and some bonding.
Take a look at our pictures taken by yours truly 🙂 <3
Thursday July 19, 2018
This morning we woke up ready to work! We drove to Caño Dulce, the neighborhood in which the house we are building is located. For 6 hours today (with a lunch break), the 40 students mixed concrete and spread it on the inner and outer walls of the house. As we worked, we also got to meet and play with the local kids. As rising global leaders, we learned a lot about Dominican culture and are looking forward to the remaining 7 days of the trip!
Friday July 20, 2018
This morning, we visited Las Cuevas National Park, which is a protected forest with caves. When we arrived, we planted around 60 baby trees. Then, we were given a tour of the types of plant species that grow in this forest, which includes avocado trees, orange trees, pineapple plants, papaya trees, and passion fruit trees. Afterwards, we were treated to a dip in the waters of a beautiful cave! Many of us took turns jumping in. Then, we made our journey to Playa Alicia, and we picked up pizza on the way. We spent a few hours there, enjoying the clear waters and nice weather before heading back to home base.
Sunday July 22, 2018
We concluded our work at the neighborhood of Caño Dulce, but we started the morning with an amazing pancake breakfast. Upon arriving at the worksite, we made lots of rough cement and helped the local masons pour cement for the floor. They completed the floor using a beautiful yellow dye with swooping red streaks. After a hard day’s work, we stopped for delicious Dominican ice cream. Then we enjoyed a pool party back at the eco-lodge. Rebecca, one of the lodge employees, came by to braid our hair if we wanted. We completed our final day of work at Caño Dulce with pure satisfaction.
Check out our photos!
Today we went to a lagoon called dudu and it had a zip line that was very high and very fun. There was also a cool cave we got to swim in. In addition to the lagoon, there was a volleyball court where we enjoyed a game together. Later on we went to a beach called “playa preciosa” and it was really beautiful and we all got piña coladas – virgin of course!