After seeing how a small group of Dominicans lives through host family stays, we were humbled by the daily challenges they face. Even the most affluent families must deal with power outages, limited running water, or poor access to resources. It's a daily reality in the DR, so it was shocking to see a place where such resources were in abundance and used in excess. The resort felt like tourism bubble, where you were issued a bracelet at check-in that gave you unlimited access to endless food, activities, and all of life's pleasures. To see a place like this in such close geographic proximity to where we had just been was a transition that was difficult to swallow.
During our final dinner and our closing group discussion, we tried to make sense of the four different contexts we were exposed to in just seven days: the colonial city of Santo Domingo, the small town of Cambita Garabitos, the nearby city of San Cristobal, and the resort town of Juan Dolio. Each of these locations presented a different side of the DR. None of these places alone encompasses the Dominican experience, and even all four combined are just a slice of life in this diverse Caribbean nation. We realized that we had seen places that were only a 2-hour drive from the capital, a small fraction of the myriad towns, natural wonders, and models of daily life that exist here.
When we arrived, our group was interested in finding the "real" Dominican Republic. After our week-long study tour, we came to t
As we return to our classrooms and schools, we are each inspired to bring back stories, pictures, and information to our students in order to complicate their thinking about a country they may barely know. Through our eyes, our friends and families back home can begin to understand this unique country and all of the gifts it has to offer. We had a wonderful experience in the Dominican Republic and hope to return in the future, in order to continue to develop the relationships we initiated during our short time here. Thank you for taking the time to read our stories and learn about our adventure as it unfolded. We hope that this blog, in some small way, inspires you to travel and learn more about the world. We're already eager to plan our next trip!
Muchisimas gracias,
Julia de la Torre (on behalf of Primary Source and our adventurous crew (Jim, Flavien, Gretchen, Diane, Cori, Jill, Bwanda, Anne, Laura, Georgia, and Aleida)
Photos: 1) view of the beach at Juan Dolio, 2) flamingos on the grounds of the resort, 3) Bwanda O. and Jasmine, one of our hosts, 4) the group on our last day