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 island—what the locals refer to as quisqueya, a word derived from the now extinct Taino language—was on full display. We stopped at Cruce de Ocoa for a thrilling Dominican buffet experience and arrived at La Guazara in the late afternoon. After setting up our living space in the local high school, we engaged in a community scavenger hunt, guided by La Guazara youth, which led students to the bienvenida, or welcome party. La Guazara community members and Putney students expressed excitement about this opportunity for cultural exchange, which we started by singing our national anthems. Continuing the bienvenida, Putney and La Guazara students organically shared games and dancing. The cultural exchange has begun!

– Lauren & Jonathan