Dominican Republic – Spring Break Service Adventure – March 23 – March 30, 2019

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Sunday March 24, 2019

Hey parents!

Our first full day in the Dominican Republic! Many of our team members arrived lat last night, so we started the day with some ice breakers and a solid orientation to get ourselves up to speed on the busy week ahead.

Today everyone in the global health initiative program headed to a local community to help build a bathroom for a father named Gabriel and his family. We helped paint the side of the bathroom which the previous group started, make cement manually to finish the walls and the floor, and we dug a hole for the septic tank. When we came back to the lodge, we went swimming and walked on the beach.

After dinner we watched a presentation on human security and how it affects the Dominican Republic. We then reflected on what it means to have community, economic, environmental, personal, political, food and health security in our own home countries.

it was an amazing first full day! great food and great company so far. We miss you though!

Leaders of the day,

Ella and Brianna

Monday March 25, 2019

Hey parents!!

We started our day off with fresh fruit, bread, eggs, and hot chocolate. Afterwards, we learned about the communities access to health care and the malnutrition in children. We stated in the Ecolodge until 10:30 practicing for our vitamin distribution and medical brigade on Wednesday. Later on, we went to a local hospital to speak with Doctor Peña.

We talked about local health care and what it is like to be a doctor in the Dominican Republic. At noon we had lunch which consisted of fruit, plantains, chicken, eggplant, and rice. Next, our group went to the local school to interview and distribute vitamins to the kids. It was amazing!

Tuesday March 26, 2019

After two days of hard work, we all took a break to visit the Dudu Lagoon and la Playa Preciosa! We started off the day with a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, fried eggs, bread, cereal, and granola. Then we all headed out to Dudu Lagoon! When we got there we spent some time jumping into the water, swimming, and taking advantage of the gorgeous background. We had lunch at the Lagoon before going to la Playa Preciosa.

While we were at la Playa Preciosa we did some shopping for souvenirs, including jewelry, wooden sculptures, and treats. In a lot of the jewelry was a stone called larimar. Larimar is the national stone of the Dominican Repiblic and is only found in this country. The man who discovered larimar decided to name it after his daughter, so ‘Lari’ comes from her name. ‘Mar’ is the word for sea in Spanish. It was named after the sea for the fading shades of blue, light to dark like the ocean. Along with shopping, we played in the water, sunbathed, and drank some excellent virgin pina coladas that were served in pineapples!

We returned to homebase for a little free time before a wonderful dinner of fruit, chicken, sweet potatoes, french fries, and broccoli. For our end of the day activity we played out a debate about whther or not to build a recreational center on the Haitian side of a small town with both Haitian and Dominican people. The debate was partiularly interesting because we were forced to consider more sides of the issue. Overall we had a fantastic day and we are all excited for the medical brigade tomorrow!

Best wishes,

Olivia

Wednesday March 27, 2019

Hey guys!!

Today we headed out to La Union, a Haitian community for a medical brigade. weeaxh had stations either registering, taking vitals, doing clinical interviews or shadowing the dr. Our team member Lilliana was distributing reusable green feminine products as part of her senior project, or was a hit. at 12:00 we had our special nacho lunch with cheese, beans, and chicken! After lunch we had a few more patients and as we were waiting for the doctor to meet with them we got to play with their children. When we were finished we went to the Sosua super market and after that we headed back to the lodge, then we had free time and headed to the pool! After free time we had dinner, then we learned about the history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It’s been a very eye opening day.

-Vanessa, Evelyn

Thursday March 28, 2019

Hello folks! For our last service day we helped complete a bathroom in the Cano Dulce community. Our tasks mainly consisted of mixing and carrying buckets of cement to form the walls of the septic tank. For lunch, we enjoyed some rice, beans, pork, potatoes, and fruit. After completing three loads of cements, we headed back to the lodge. Back home we spent more time bonding and playing games while it rained, our lovely cooks made us hot cinnamon coco. We ended the day with a discussion about our trip’s impact, final takeaways and how to be a global citizen and stay globally engaged. We are excited for our last day on the beach tomorrow!

Love Lilliana

Friday March 29, 2018

Hello friends and families,

Today we headed to Sosua for snorkeling on a very wavy sea! It was an amazing adventure. For lunch we switched it up a bit and got pizza ordered to the beach. After lunch we went shopping and bought souvenirs and then relaxed under the sun until it was time to leave. On the way back to the lode we stopped off at a supermarket to get ice cream and snacks for our last night! After dinner we learned how to dance bachata and then started packing for our trip home.

This entire trip was incredible and life changing, we got to meet some of the nicest caring people ever. We would like to thank our amazing leaders Hilary and Loubens for giving us the best experience possible.

Adios DR!

Venessa and Nathalie

Dominican Republic – Spring Break Service Adventure – March 23 – March 30, 2019 – Global Health Track

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