Sunday, August 9, 2015 Trip to Higüey

Today was the third day of our trip. We had to get up a little earlier today to prepare for our trip to Higüey. We ate breakfast at the hotel buffet then loaded the bus. The first thing we did when we got on the bus was go pick up the Dominican teens at their villages. The teens are super sweet and help us a lot with our Spanish and getting around. We then made the hour trip to the city of Higüey. 

When we got there we first went and toured the open air farmers market. As we walked through the farmers market all the meat and fish was out in the open, cut up, and all the fruit and vegetables were just laying out and there was a large variety of both. The farmers market was one of the busiest places I have ever seen. One thing I noticed was the farmers market had a different odor than anywhere else I’ve been. 

After the farmers market we went to shop on the streets of Higüey.  There are many different stores on the streets and the coolest part is you can barter at all of the stores. Each store has paintings, lots of jewelry, and typical souvenirs you find in tourist places. The stores take Dominican pesos and American money. The shop owners are very nice and will also sometimes give you stuff for free. 

After all of our shopping we were all getting hungry so we went to a casual Dominican restaurant. At the restaurant we ordered platters of food and shared them family style. We had grilled chicken, grilled beef, french fries, fried plantains, rice and beans and tomatoes and lettuce.  The food was really good. While we waited for the amazing food we sat and talked with the Dominican teens and played card games as a group. 

Our next stop was the Basilica of La Altagracia where we looked around and went inside the church. All of the girls had shorts on which are not allowed to be worn inside the church so they gave all the girls long skirts to borrow so we could go in. 

Background on the Roman Catholic Basilica:  Higüey's concrete basilica was built in 1972, and is characterized by its representations of oranges, symbolic of the nearby orange grove where a vision of the Virgin Mary has become legend. There's a shrine depicting an orange tree and stained-glass windows with cutouts shaped like oranges inside the cathedral. The pinched arches of the facade stretch 250 feet (76 meters) high. The basilica is the site of annual pilgrimages on January 21 and August 16.

After our stop at the Basilica we went to what they have as a grocery store - almost like a WalMart. This store has a lot of the same stuff as America however it is all packaged very different. They are very big on conservation so stuff is packaged very lightly. (They also have water in bags. Did you know that was even a thing?) After our awesome day touring and shopping in Higüey we came back to the hotel. We are now relaxing by the pool and getting ready for dinner. The third day of our trip was fun and really opened our eyes to what other places in the world are like. 

Andrew Rhodes, Tiffany Heishman and Isaac Rhodes

Shenandoah County

Saturday, August 8, 2015 Community Service Day

  (keep scrolling down for lots of photos AND a video - hope it works!)

After a long flight the day before we did get to sleep in this morning. It was much needed and everyone was well rested for the long day to come. To start our day off we had an AMAZING breakfast. At this resort they served American, Dominican, and English style breakfast. Foods ranging from mashed plantains, fresh tropical fruit drinks, to a festive omelet station (personally made for you). Our first stop was at the Ecological Foundation to separate our donated school supplies into two different boxes for the schools we would be visiting later in the day. 

Our second stop was to the village of Domingo Maiz to conduct our community service projects. Our projects included painting a 4-H clover on a concrete mural in the middle of the park in their village. 

Our second project was to work with the Dominican teens and local children to pick up trash throughout the streets. Many of the kids living in Domingo Maiz came out and helped us with picking up trash.  There were around 30-40 kids who helped us.  One of our chaperons, Charlie, met two Dominican boys who were also named Charlie and they spent the morning picking up trash together.

Evolution of the Virginia 4-H Clover in Domingo Maiz

After our projects were finished we had lunch in a local Dominican home. We had the “traditional meal” including: white rice, beans, and chicken. During all of this the teens as well as the Dominican teens interacted with the local kids at all times. Either passing the baseball back and forth, playing games with their hands, or having a good laugh “trying” to communicate with each other. 

Being sweaty and already tired we climbed onto the bus and headed to our first school, Colegio Elizabeth, to donate supplies. Once arriving we found out that it had been turned into a daycare and a study hall for older kids. They were very grateful for the donations and will distribute the supplies to the neediest kids in their community.  They also gave us a tour of the facility. When entering one of the rooms we noticed that the toilet had to be filled with water from a bucket. They also housed some of the kids in the village. Outside once again the teens were interacting with the children who followed our bus to Colegio Elizabeth.  We also learned a new hand game from the local children. 

For our last stop we went to a school in Cap Cana. We delivered supplies and toured again their facilities. This school taught 1^st grade through 8^th grade they also teach classes on how to make music without instruments and to use what they have available. We walked through their village to a church which is now used as a community center. By the end of this year they are hoping to add another grade to their school. 

We then headed back to the resort. It was relaxing to spend a little time by the pool and to reflect on what we had experienced and accomplished in one day. Later in the evening we met in the lobby and had a brisk half-mile walk on the beach to our restaurant. During dinner we talked about the day and what we enjoyed most and also what our plans were for the next day. It is 10:29 and we are ready for bed. That usually never happens. We can’t wait to see what else this week holds for us. 

Sarah Peer and Rachael Harriman

     Shenandoah County