PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by Kyle & the Dominican Republic Team
Wow, it’s been so long since we were all together in the Dominican heat. We are sure missing all the fresh mangos we ate together a little extra right now, but I don’t think anyone is missing the mosquitos. It almost feels like just yesterday we were mixing concrete with the locals and playing with the kids at the medical brigades. You’re all probably back sitting in classrooms either in high school or college (Joel) but we wanted you to know that we are all still thinking about you and the hard work and fun memories you created in the Dominican Republic.
You should all be proud of the houses you helped build! You personally helped make sure two more families will have a safe place to live. And as a team, the medicine you provided to so many communities improving people’s quality of life! You met so many individuals at the medical brigades, learned about health conditions and meds, and even practiced some Spanish as well! You also learned about the importance of infrastructure in public health, and saw how privileged we are with our standards for healthcare, housing, etc. Furthermore, as volunteers you helped show these communities that others care about them and made them feel seen.
Another thing we can’t forget is how much fun we all had together. You guys did an amazing job coming together as a group and ultimately made the vibe of this trip fun and inclusive. The staff throughout the home base commented on what a lovely group you were! From the bus ride concerts to late night card games, you guys sure knew how to have fun together. We can’t forget about our trip to Damajagua where we all jumped from the waterfalls, some of us conquering fears or our night out dancing with the locals, which turned out to be our last night all together.
Even with the many last-minute departures due to weather, you all kept positive and focused on all of the great parts of the camp you did get to experience. You made this group one we will never forget. So, thank you for being you!!
With the sudden departures we weren’t able to set a group OMG (One Meaningful Goal) but we hope everyone will take some time to reflect on our own personal goals we made and goals of how we can make an impact on our own communities. Take some time to write out the steps to achieve that goal and don’t forget to make them S.M.A.R.T.!
During our two weeks together got a taste of a new culture, made new friends, saw how others live, tried new foods, endured the heat and bugs, and lastly, YOU ALL learned so much about yourselves and how you can best be leaders in your own communities and promote public health.
We wish all the best for you as you continue your journeys as young adults. We hope that you will carry with you in life some of the things you learned, and perspectives gained during this program. We can’t wait to see how you will continue to learn and grow and eventually one day even “Be the change!” in your own communities.
Sincerely,
Grace Christopher, Mentor
Kyle Thomas, International Director
Wilson Fortuna, Local Director
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
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Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20 & 21
Our long awaited arrival day has come! GLA staff welcomed our first 11 students to the D.R. arriving at Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo airports. The first evening, students settled in at the very tropical Home Base and checked out the beach just minutes away. We enjoyed a home-cooked local dinner and played some ice-breaker games to get to know each other and start making new friends. Some flight changes and travel hiccups caused delays for our last three students, but by Friday morning, we had our complete group of 14 united!
Friday was our first full day on this new adventure. We started our morning with a delightful breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, eggs, and mangú (a traditional Dominican dish made of mashed plantains) . After breakfast we competed during our scavenger hunt around home-base, working together with our new peers in teams. Then we had our orientation where we reviewed some basic rules and went over the code of conduct. We then strolled over to our work-site for our first day of service. We are helping construct a house which will benefit local community members. We mixed concrete and spread it on the walls, with the help of some new local friends.
We enjoyed our pool time after taking swim tests following our return from service. We relaxed with many pool games before some free time until meeting up for dinner. During “chow circle” we reflected on our day and highlighted some students. Dinner tonight was pasta, chicken, and fruit. After dinner activities consisted of expanding our knowledge during our Dominican healthcare talk, and then breaking into mentor groups where we practiced making SMART goals. Each individual made their own goals and wrote a letter to themselves for the end of the trip with accomplishments/goals they hope to have achieved. After our first full day, we were ready for bed.
-Kyle, International Director / Ayla & Carolyn
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22 & 23
On Saturday we returned to worksite to continue construction on the house. We ended up finishing 90% of the walls and made a lot of progress. We had lunch at the worksite, after eating we danced bachata with the locals and had a LOT of fun! After lunch we went back to work for a couple more hours, then walked back to home base stopping for ice cream on the way. It was very refreshing after a long day in the heat.
We relaxed for a while, then went to the beach, where we played beach volleyball and enjoyed the beautiful landscape. The group came back to our rooms and got ready for “chow circle”, where we reviewed the highlights of our day and gave shoutouts to the people that stood out during our service today. After eating fish, potatoes, salad, and fruit for dinner, we had medical brigade training in preparation tomorrow with Dr Caho. We learned about how to take vitals, the different kinds of medications for diseases, infections, and sicknesses. Today was filled with lots of productive service, interaction with locals, and fun in the sun!
On Sunday we drove to local church in La Hermita to volunteer and help families at a medical brigade. We had five different stations which consisted of registration, vitals, clinical history, doctor station, and the pharmacy. The students rotated through stations experiencing each station with an open mind and an open heart. We stepped out of our comfort zone by practicing some Spanish and interacting with the patients! Through our experience we learned not only a lot of medical diagnoses but we also interacted with the locals.
We learned through this experience that people in the Dominican Republic have very limited recourses compared to the people living in the US. This medical brigade helped put things into perspective including going to the doctor’s office, being prescribe medication and more. On the way back we stopped at a supermarket, to try some local snacks. Later that night we split up into two mentor groups to discuss our experiences from today and identify and discuss some of our principle values.
– Kendall & Lara / Stella & Reilly
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24 & 25
Monday was a very relaxing/chill day. We started off with delicious pancakes and hot chocolate. Then we took a bus ride for a morning at Laguna Dudu. At the lagoon we enjoyed the cool water and faced our fears jumping off a small cliff into the blue water. After that we went to beautiful beach, Playa Grande where were ate lunch on the beach.
Once we got back to the Home Base we had free time, chilled and took showers. Before dinner we shared the highlights of the day. Then we ate a fulfilling dinner with quesadillas. After that we had a talk about malnutrition with Dr. Caho. Finally we went to bed after a long day.
-Mia & Jahanna
On Tuesday we traveled to a female founded chocolate factory called Chocojoba. We taste-tested multiple products made out of the locally grown cocoa pods. Then we received a tour of the machinery used in the process of making chocolate. Ending with the opportunity to purchase all the products.
After returning to Home Base for lunch and a quick break, we headed back out to construct bee boxes at the home of a local Dominican. He provided the boxes and training to members of the community in need as a source of profit for them. In the process of creating the bee boxes, we sawed wood, nailed together the pieces, and painted them a bright yellow. We enjoyed some fresh starfruit and honeycomb after a long day’s work.
With a bus ride filled with music and group games, we arrived back at Home Base to enjoy some free time consisting of pool games and cards. To finish off our day we had a delicious dinner then watch a Ted Talk about stereotypes and had thoughtful conversations with our mentor groups. Overall it was an absolutely FANTASTIC and successful day.
-Reilley & Sophie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26 & 27
On Wednesday students took a road trip to visit many must-see attractions in Puerto Plata. They began the day with an hour-long bus ride filled with games and music and arrived at the fortress. At San Felipe fort they had the opportunity to take pictures of the fort with the ocean, monkeys, and parrots and did a guided audio tour where they learned the history of the fortress. Then, the students traveled to Amber museum where they had a brief tour and learned the rich history of Dominican amber, saw many different variations, and had the opportunity to purchase some souvenirs. To beat the heat students cooled off with piña coladas (non-alcoholic 😉) and empañadas at a local shop.
After stopping at two historical sights students spent time walking around and exploring Puerto Playa. They saw an all pink street and another fun street filled with rainbow umbrellas. They stopped for lunch at a local restaurant, where students chose their food from a buffet of various Dominican foods. Finally, students spent down time at Sosua Beach where they swam in the ocean, laid in the sun, and got their hair braided. To end the night,students had chow circle, dinner and group leadership activity. Tonight they focused on self-care and how to find and implement self-care practices into daily routines and then watched a video on the history of Haiti and Dominican Republic to prepare for tomorrow’s medical brigade.
– Jada & Supriya
On Thursday woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Had a lovely breakfast before heading off to our second medical brigade. The two hour car ride there had many sleepy eyes. Arrived to our location and had a productive day taking vitals and checking in patients for the doctor to see. We had two doctors today that loved to teach us about their inspiring work. Then we had tacos for lunch at a nearby home. Then finished up the day by visiting a local Haitian refugee community. The kids were so happy to see us and laugh with us.
Started the trek home with some hype music. Stopped and a large “American style” supermarket for some snacks to remind us of home and cool us down. Once we arrived at Home Base we had a yummy dinner. After some stories and laughs, our amazing local director Wilson taught us some local dances including Bachata to end the night. And that’s a wrap of another beautiful day in the Dominican Republic.
– Elliotte and Joel
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28 & 29
On Friday morning a group of us got up at around 5:30am to venture to the beach and experience an otherworldly phenomenon: a Dominican sunrise! As we strolled along the sandy shores, the waves washed over our feet, and the sun peaked behind the monumental clouds. When we returned to our beloved homebase, we ate our delectable morning meal. Then, our group returned to the “bottle houses” and continued our taxing physical labor working construction on the home (doing touch-ups from previous groups). After a long hard day under the same sun we had watched rise that morning, we refreshed our palate with delightful ice cream.
Once arriving at our homebase, we rejuvenated with afternoon naps, card games, and cleansing showers. After dinner we had an informative healthcare systems talk with the one and only Wilson Fortune (Dominican local director). We then continued onward to our Mentor Groups to reflect on some of the life-changing experiences of the past few days. We are having an absolute blast and learning colossal amounts of knowledge about healthcare.
-Carolyn & Kendal
We started off our day Saturday with a nice warm breakfast. A few early-risers went for a run with Kyle on the beach before breakfast. That morning we took a long bus ride to Damajagua waterfalls. We hiked up the mountain and began our journey passing through a series of waterfalls, caverns, natural water slides and even braved a few jumps. Then after a buffet-style lunch we headed back to home base. We enjoyed some music on the bus and each others’ company, until most fell asleep.
We enjoyed some free time playing cards, had dinner and then Wilson gave us talk about human security in the DR. Then we all gathered to watch a movie on the small projector. We finished off the night getting tucked into our cozy beds covered with nets.
-Mia & Elliotte
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30 & JULY 1
On Sunday after breakfast we headed to our third and final medical brigade in nearby Gaspar Hernández. The site was a local church in a neighborhood with a very large Haitian population. It was small and LOTS of patients waiting to be helped. Today was perhaps the most challenging of the brigades due to the small space, heat, and many patients spoke only Creole and very little Spanish! Our local director Wilson was really put to work helping translate between Creole, Spanish, and English.
After returning to home base, free time, and dinner the group got dressed up for a “night out with the locals”. We walked down the road to the house of Diosi, our lead chef at Home Base. We brought cartons of ice cream, soda, and lots of smiles. We danced to bachata, merengue, and raggaeton along with our new Dominican friends, young and old and had a blast! The Dominicans really know how to have fun!
Monday was a combination of mixed emotions and sudden farewells for some students. We woke up confronting the prospect of Hurricane Beryl making its way through the Caribbean south of the DR. While we had been monitoring the storm closely and were confident of our preparedness and the safety here on the north of the island, many parents understandably made the tough decision to fly their students out as soon as possible. Our group of 13 was down to 11, then 10, then seven with three more leaving early tomorrow. Despite the sudden and unexpected end of the program for many, the group kept their spirits high and were smiling and laughing until their departures!
That evening, our remaining group completed a few leadership exercises before dinner. Then we headed to the beach for an appreciation circle, bonfire, and soccer with some local friends. We were missing our departed friends but really soaking up all of the final experiences we could!
-Kyle, International Director
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2 & 3
We started the day on Tuesday at the crack of dawn with a “silent sunrise” at the beach. We took some time to be mindful, listening to the waves and reflecting on the past two weeks. After breakfast we said farewell to three more friends, Kendall, Sophie, and Reilley. We were down to four remaining students.
With the storm situation looking safe (for our location in the Caribbean at least), we headed for one final adventure – kayaking! The ride there/back was half of the fun! We piled into the back of an open air jeep, where it started to rain on us. But we were dressed for the water so we laughed and had a blast “off-roading” all the way to the launch site. Along with our tour guides, we set off down the river, stopping along the way for snacks. Once we finished, we trekked and sloshed through the muddy paths to finish with a nice home cooked meal and delicious coffee. It was certainly an adventure with lots of laughs. That evening we packed, relaxed, and watched a movie on the projector.
On Wednesday we slept-in for a later breakfast and enjoyed our last moments at Home Base. We made final preparations for departure, packing and cleaning. Then the time had come to say our farewells! Our initial group of fourteen had little by little dropped down to only 4 leaving at their originally scheduled departures.
Despite the unpredicted circumstances in our final days, I think I can speak for everyone in saying it was an amazing two weeks! The group dynamic was fantastic, lively, and inclusive. Students stepped out of their comfort zones, practiced their Spanish, learned about medicine and healthcare, and saw how different lives can be for people here in the Dominican Republic. Not to mention really making a difference for people in need through our service work and medical brigades!! Many great friends and memories were made by all.
Best of luck to everyone and we look forward to seeing how you will “Be the change.” as you all continue on your journeys and become leaders in your own communities! ❤️
-Kyle, International Director
