Dominican Republic – Spring Break Service Adventure – April 6 – April 13, 2019

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Saturday April 6, 2019

We have arrived in the Dominican Republic! We are excited to start new projects, meet new friends, and take in some sun. Stay tuned for updates!

Sunday April 7, 2019

Hello All,

Today we all went to a locals home to build a bottle house. The bottles help maintain a comfortable temperature for the residents and also are very good for the environment, they are used for a useful purpose and thus taken out of landfill! We layered plastic bottles into the walls then covered them in mesh and cement. Throughout the day we met many locals and all worked together and we were very productive.

This evening we spent about an hour and a half taking and learning about the insecurities that countries like the Dominican Republic face. Some of these include health, food, political and many others. Talking about these issues really made us realize that we take so many things for granted in the United States. We are feeling reflective and very grateful.

See you soon,

Mikayla and Rubby

Monday April 8, 2019

Hello Families,

Today we went back to the bottle houses that we started working on yesterday. We were able to finish the projects that we began working on the day before. Today was filled with smiles and hard work, and we even got to make friends with some of the locals from the community. We focused on nailing in the final chicken wire screens, as well as cementing the bathroom and outdoor walls.

Throughout the day we were brought various fruits from the locals such as bananas and mangoes (which were all super yummy)… After our work day we went back to the lodge and relaxed for about an hour. We were greeted at 7pm with delicious coconuts from Alejandro and Marcos, two guys from the community we helped today.

We are all exhausted from the long day we had, but we realized how fortunate we truly are. For today’s reflection we created teams and had a debate over whether or not the Dominican Republic should be allowed to build a sports arena in a batey. This taught us about the complicated relationship between the DR and Haiti. Overall, today was very productive and we learned a lot about the communities and countries of the island.

Hasta la vista,

Lindsay & Cooper 🙂

Tuesday April 9, 2019

Today we had a really fun and adventurous day! We went to a beautiful beach where we went snorkeling. After, we relaxed on the beach where we ate pizza and drank local drinks. Some examples of drinks would be the pina colada, or the virgin lime margarita. Some students slept on the beach while others took photos, read their books, or talked to locals.

After, we went shopping in the local markets, where we bought local Dominican artwork, t-shirts, and caps. After we went to the market and bought some snacks. Upon returning to the lodge we read our books and hung out by the pool while we learned French from Loubens; a local director who speaks five languages. After learning French, we ate dinner and watched a movie about the unfair drug monopoly that Western companies hold in African and Asian countries. After we began to settle for sleeping and discussed the movie.

Written by Vishnu Raghavan and Alicia Tonachio

Wednesday April 10, 2019

Hi everyone!

Today we prepared for Friday’s medical brigade. We began by taking a small quiz about both Dominican and Haitian health. We were trained and then split up into groups to preform a simulation. Within the simulation we went through the registration process, how to take vitals, interview patients, as well as how prescriptions are distributed. Following the simulation we visited a local health care facility where we met with a doctor and learned more about health care in the Dominican and received a tour of the small facility.

After our visit we were surprised with an ice cream stop on our way back to the lodge, where we were able to experience Dominican ice cream! We concluded the day by watching a video that educated us about Las Hispaniola and its divided Dominican and Haitian communities. Following the video we learned first hand about the hardships Haitians face while living in the Dominican Republic. Loubens, a Haitian GLA staff member, spoke of his experiences while living in both countries. Looking forward we are all very excited for tomorrow at Dudu Lagoon!

Madison and Mary Jane

Wednesday April 11, 2019

Hi all,

Today was a fun and relaxing day at the Dudu Lagoon and a beach. Our day started with a turbulent forty minute bus ride to Dudu Lagoon. There were multiple freshwater lagoons along with rock caves. We had fun jumping from the rocks into the lagoon. After a delicious lunch we headed off on another bus ride to La Playa Preciosa (Precious Beach). At the beach there were several vendors who sold us jewelry and helped us practice our Spanish, French and German. We bought earrings, bracelets, and necklaces made from shark teeth and beautiful metals. Some of us enjoyed the warm and refreshing ocean while others took naps on the beach.

Afterwards, we returned to the lodge where we read our book, played cards, swam in the pool, and spoke with the cooks. Also, we got scrubs for our medical brigade tomorrow. After, we had local soft tacos for dinner. After we discussed the racial tensions between Dominicans and Haitians. Then we watched a Ted Talk about being a global citizen and how we can implement what we learned at home. To complete our day, we listened to music and played cards.

Dominican Republic – Spring Break Service Adventure – April 6 – April 13, 2019 – Combined Track

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