Day 16: Santo Domingo to Consuelo -- 9/30/15

Having a great day! Just finished up another day of Spanish classes and we are now headed to Consuelo, which is about an hour and a half east of Santo Domingo. We're going to be working in the communities of the sugar cane farmers -- called bateyes. We'll be without internet for 10 days! So I will give a week update when I can with many pictures! 

See you guys in 10 days! 

Spanish class is always fun! 

Day 15: Santo Domingo -- 9/29/15

Had a great day with Spanish class from 9-3 with a break for lunch, and then headed to the Peace Corps building for a little tour and information session to teach us a little bit more about the projects they do. 

Here are some pictures: 

Here's our classroom from the outside and inside! Our teacher Dilcia was so much fun: we talked the entire day about Dominican culture, the upcoming elections and the electoral process, and about the different types of music and dance in the DR! We also played a couple of games that allowed us to practice describing things and better our vocabulary! Great class! 

Here are some pictures from the Peace Corps office in Santo Domingo. We were able to talk to some volunteers about the different types of projects they are doing (education, sexual health and education, healthy living, business initiatives, etc). It was also really interesting to talk to some of the leaders of the office and see what the process is like to apply and what volunteers can do. 

Also after dinner Tonight we are going to have a discussion about different cultures and how a culture can shape your values and mindset as an individual. I believe this will include our role as travelers and how we interact with new cultures and traditions to allow for an exchange of ideas. Can't wait! 

Day 14: Santo Domingo -- 9/28/15

We headed to see a private and public hospital in Santo Domingo to see the differences in the two. We then headed to an NGO about an hour away to look at the services they provide for local sugar cane farmers and their families. We ended the night by all of us making a family dinner of pasta, salad, a lot of veggies, and brownies! 

Here are some pictures:

Here's the private hospital we visited today. They have tons of speciality branches that cover all types of health care services. This is ( I believe) the cardiovascular center that they just built in the past year. 

Here is the BRA medical center that we visited. BRA provides consults, emergency services, donations, clean water filtration packets, and medication for many of the families who live in some of the poorest parts of the DR. 

Here is the poster that explains the water filtration systems and how they work. There is a lot of question about the efficiency of these systems, but nevertheless the packets allow families to get clean water for their kids.

And here are some pictures of all of us making dinner tonight! Pasta with a great meat sauce, and a ton of veggies and salad!! And we finished in time at 1015...! Not to late right? 

Day 13: Santo Domingo, DR -- 9/27/15

Spanish classes were cancelled today, so we learned and talked a little about public health and what that means in terms of the projects we will be doing, and then in the afternoon we headed to the beach! I tiring (relaxing) day in the sun for all of us! 

Here are a couple pictures: 

Kate, our new program manager for all of the public health related service projects, gave a presentation about the basics need-to-knows about global public health. All in the comfort of our bed and breakfast! 

A little beach time and lot more spikeball time at one of the beaches just outside Santo Domingo, what a day!

P.S. I'll post as often as I can from now on. Just a warning once we head out of Santo Domingo into the boteyes where the sugar cane farmers are, it will be a little less day by day. Thank you all again for tuning in and hope you enjoy! 

Day 12: Manabao to Santo Domingo, DR -- 9/26/15

Had a great morning finishing up our homestay and then headed to Santo Domingo! We had a great dinner -- Tom and I had some mufungo, which is smashed plantains with some pork rines, it was delicious! And then we got to see some night life of Santo Domingo!

Here are some pictures from the day! 

Here's the hotel we're staying at for the next 3 days! All four of us guys are sharing a small room with two bunk beds. We're going to get pretty close the next couple of days.

Saw a parade on one of the Main Streets with dozens of horses and Latin American music blasting!

Got to listen to some jazz after dinner on one of the stairwells! The guitarist was shredding pretty hard!

We also got to see one of our program manager's ( Kate) friend Adnor play for a half hour! Ah he was so great!

It's been a busy night, and we start more classes tomorrow morning! 

Also wifi from now on may not be as available as it has been so far. I will do my best to keep up, but my post might become a weekly thing instead of a daily one! I guess we will see how it turns out -- anyway thank you all for tuning into my journey so far and hope you keep following! 

Until next time! 

Day 11: Manabao, DR -- 9/25/15

I'm Today was our first homestay! The four guys (including me) on my trip were able to stay in the same house with a family of four boys. We had way to much fun introducing them to spikeball, eating home cooked rice, beans, cooked bananas, lamb, and much more. We all got to ride one of their five horses too! Just around town a bit. We then went to hang out at another house where we danced a bit to baichate and had some coffee. Then we had dinner back at our house. After dinner the three boys we were hanging out with taught some card games, some were easy but one in particular I still don't know the rules of exactly. And of course all of these activities had to happen in Spanish!

Here are some pictures from the day! 

Here is the front of the house that we are staying in. Everything is gated just in case . 

Here is a picture of their open air living room area where most everybody hangs out. The motor bike is one of the sons of the family we were staying with. He uses it to drive to work in Jarabacoa as a police officer for the national police. His name is Hanzel, and he's quite good at spikeball! 

And here's Hanzel taking his chance at beating Matt and Tom in their own game! 

And of course here's Matt and me on a horse! We were just hanging around, and one of the boys runs away and comes back with this horse and tells me to get on... So I got on! All four of us took our turn riding around town a bit! 

Now we're back at the ranch before we head to Santo Domingo! Here are some of my friends eating some homemade macadamia nut ice cream! So good!

Day 10: El Rancho Baiguate en Jarabacoa, DR -- 9/24/15

Another great day at the ranch! We started off the day with another session of the camp we ran yesterday, although today the boys were a bit more difficult. Everything worked out and everybody got along at the end though! After that some of the Rustic Pathways country directors (who are here for their annual summit meeting to plan out the next year) took our gap group on in a ropes course challenge! We ended up winning and as a reward got homemade macadamia nut ice cream! We also attempted hiking up to a waterfall, but because of a thunder storm, we had to turn back. To end the night we had a lesson on Dominican Republic history by our program manager Jackson, and we did some Latin American dancing too! 

Here are some pictures from today: 

Here's Esther, Erin, and Ellen smiling with one of the younger campers! 

Tom, Christine, and Vanessa all hanging out with their favorite campers after some good games of duck duck goose and soccer! 

Here is the boys group that Matt and I were in charge of, and then the entire camp and staff for today! 

A bridge we all had to cross on our attempted hike to the waterfall today. It was much more wobbly than we thought it would be!

And here's Jackson (with the help from our leader Shannon) explaining the different dialects and nuances that occur in Spanish in different parts of the Domjnican Republic! 

Day 9: Doulos Discovery School and el Rancho Baiguate, Jarabacoa, DR -- 9/23/15

Today was busy again but we had so much fun! A couple of us went to give a presentation about the Incan Empire at the Doulos Discovery School in Jarabacoa, and then we ran a day camp for another group of kids at el Rancho Baiguate!! It was great to finally test my Spanish with kids who have way to much energy and love to yell...! Haha well anyway here are some pictures from the day: 

My good friend Tom giving his part of the talk to the class of 20 or so students, and of course all in Spanish! 

Here's a picture of all of us and the class after our presentation! Our Spanish teacher for the week, Catalina, is in the green shirt on the left. She did a great job preparing us for this! 

One of my friends Erin having a great time with her group during camp! 

These are my good friends (from the left Gabriel, Sebastian, and Matt) taking a break after some intense paper airplane competitions.

Here's a picture of my friend Vanessa having some fun with one of the girls in her group during the arts and craft section! 

And of course, can't have a good day without some pictures with intense poses. This is Tom and I hanging with one of my group members Son son after a fast game of soccer. We're coming out with a new album this spring called "Bienvenidos a la Republica Dominicana" so look out! (Just kidding 😜)

Those are just some of so many pictures and memories from a great day working with the kids! I already feel my Spanish improving when talking with them and can't wait to put on another camp tomorrow for the others! 

Well until tomorrow! 

Day 8: Jarabacoa y Manabao -- 9/22/15

Started off the day with a good pancake and pineapple breakfast and then headed to Spanish class to give presentations to the other class about Incas. Then in the afternoon we finished up what we could of the trenches, laid down the piping, and buried them! 

Here are some pictures:

Here's what the aqueduct looks like after we fill it in! Just a pile of some dirt!

Here's Louis (one of our group leaders) having a little fun on the worksite after finishing one section! 

Here's a plant that was on the worksite called Dormilona (Sleeping mamosa) that curls up to the touch. 

Anyway it was a great day! Have a busy one tomorrow with a day camp and classes for kids in Jarabacoa. 

Day 7: Back to Jarabacoa, DR -- 9/21/15

Today we headed back to El Rancho Baiguate for Spanish classes and then played some intense spikeball sets! Tomorrow my Spanish class is going to give a presentation on Incan society in Spanish to the other class, so I have to practice my speech! Anyway not too much happened today so here are some cool pictures from the work site! Until tomorrow! 

Day 6: Vamos a la Playa en Sosua, DR -- 9/20/15

We headed to the beach today in Sosua and had a great but tiring day in the sun! We took some amazing pictures of a beautiful sunset and had a great night of good company! 

Here are some pictures I took! 

Got some good pictures of some beautiful flowers and a breathtaking sunset over the mountains of the Dominican Republic and the Gazebo! 

Some of the guys taking a chance to smile for the camera! (Left to right, Me, Matt, and Tom)

Took my friend Tom's Bavarian duck to pose for a picturesque view! 

What a relaxing day! 

Day 5: Manabao y el río Yaque del Norte -- 9/19/15

Today was great! Made a big dent into digging the trenches for the aqueducts in Manabao, and then headed to el río Yaque deal Norte en Jarabacoa for a rafting trip -- busy but fun day!

Here are some pictures: 

A squash plantation just outside Marabao. The farmers grow the squash on top of netting so that when the squash is done growing, they fall to the ground. 

The trench that we have been building; it stretches more than 250 feet. Piping will be installed Tuesday to provide water to the village. 

A little puppy wanted to say hi and good luck before we headed off to raft down the Yaque del Norte River! 

Had a great time rafting/swimming down el río Yaque deal Norte and seeing the great view of the mountains.