On Tuesday afternoon, we concluded our community service project in La Guazara by completing the cement floor of our seventeenth house! In addition to the cement floor project, students also painted the community basketball court and interior of the community center. Way to go, team,…

Hello all, This weekend we traveled to Bahia de las Aguilas, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We camped on the beach. It was a tad uncomfortable, but very fun. We have grown very close to the locals and each other. Aside…

The following post features student writing. Today, we had an energizing and healthy breakfast of eggs, oatmeal, and—our trip specialty—peanut butter or Nutella on bread with Cornflakes on top. Following breakfast, we headed to the worksites. We split into three groups: one group made stencils…

Our host village, La Guazara, is presenting us with many opportunities to learn local customs.  Students are navigating language barriers with grace, practicing nonverbal communication, including sign language with deaf children in the community, picking up a few Haitian Creole phrases, and speaking Spanish without…

The following post features student writing. Charlie and Ben here to talk to you about—The Grind. That’s right. You heard it here first. Our motto here: “When is the grind over? When it ends. When does it end? Never.” The grind is a constant. It…

After yesterday’s long haul, the students had a chance to sleep in before we headed to our community service village, La Guazara, which is named after the guazara tree found at the village’s central park. In a stunning four-hour ride, the ecological diversity of the…

In what was a whirlwind day, 16 amazing students from every slice of the United States descended upon New York City’s JFK airport to embark on a two-week cultural immersion journey to the Dominican Republic. Smiles and laughs were bountiful as students gave one last…

We’ve received word from the leaders that the group has arrived in the Dominican Republic.