Dominican Republic Summer High School Programs with Rustic Pathways

Going to the Dominican Republic is a truly amazing experience. It was by far the best two weeks of my summer and I have met friends that I will have for a lifetime. We took part of many educational activities, but we had so much fun. Service was balanced perfectly with fun activities. We worked hard but we would always look forward to coming back to our base house and swimming in the pool, or playing with the dogs. We visited beautiful beaches and spent a day touring a major city. The trip was the perfect length of time and at the end we all wanted to stay longer. The accommodations were very comfortable. The program leaders were so fun and were one of the best parts of the whole trip. I would completely recommend taking part in this enriching experience.

The program that i did was marine life and costal restoration which was focused on cleaning up the beaches and helping out a local nonprofit. I was really nervous going into the trip but as soon as I met the other people in my group, I was really excited because everyone was so cool. Our trip leaders were really friendly and helped you with any issue you could have had, and they made sure everything was really safe for us. The trip was 16 days long, and even though it wasn’t that much time, my whole group bonded and become so close and we had the best time together. The travel process was really easy because of all the instructions and procedures that the the trip leaders follow, so that wasn’t stressful at all. This trip was the one of the highlights of my summer and I loved it so much that I’m going on another trip with rustic pathways again this summer! I 10/10 recommend doing one of these trips because of how meaningful the work is that you do, and you reflect back on the trip knowing that you made an impact somewhere and tons of fun doing it too!

Instead of sitting around on the couch this summer, I wanted to make a difference. My Rustic Pathways trip changed my life and opened my eyes. I found a love in community service and helping others. I see the Earth, not as a thing, but my home that we need to save. I loved working at the kid's camp and creating bonds with the children. I enjoyed learning about different cultures and the history of the Dominican Republic. I really enjoyed working with FUNDEMAR, and organization dedicated to saving the coral reefs. I learned so much on this trip and I grew passionate about saving the ocean and the coral reefs. I can't thank Rustic Pathways and my Program Leaders enough for giving me the experience I got. I want other people to have the same opportunity I had.

This past summer I went to the Dominican Republic with Rustic Pathways. It was not only life-changing but probably the most fun I have ever had. I learned so much and found a love of the ocean. Every hour of community service we did I felt so useful. I felt like I was finally doing something important and something that will help many people. I am so happy I got to go on this trip and I recommend this trip to everyone. I loved learning about the Dominican Republics' history and culture because that's something I haven't learned in school yet. A highlight of the trip was running a kids camp and meeting the children. It's crazy how I created special bonds with so many kids and we didn't even speak the same language. It showed me I can be friends with anyone and everyone. I'm so glad I signed up for this trip and found Rustic Pathways. It is an amazing program that I will never forget.

Rustic Pathways in the Dominican Republic was the single greatest experience of my life. I worked on a project where the entire group consisted of girls in a community that was very oriented on men doing the labor work. At the end of our trip and the last day of service, we sat with the community to talk about our time there. The men helping us on our project talked about how impressed they were with our work and how as the only group of all girls, we got the most work done of any other group. Every part of Rustic Pathways embodies unity and trust. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my summer than working with Rustic Pathways. No community or program will ever compare to the experiences and memories that come from going on one of their programs.

Let me start by saying that this trip to the Dominican Republic(D.R.) was far and beyond what I was expecting. I started the journey at Miami International Airport, knowing almost nothing, entered a foreign country with little knowledge, and no friends with me. That was changed within hours of arriving in Santo Domingo, with the program leaders leading us through fun, engaging team building activities. We talked in great detail at what we were going to be doing in the D.R., and we talked about the impact we would leave. On this trip, we worked with coral reefs predominantly, in that we did everything in our power to help the corals while we were there. We dove down under the water to see how the coral reefs were doing, and we educated local kids with our little Spanish about how important it is to protect these building blocks of life. We also cleaned beaches, planted mangroves, and ran a summer camp for a day. In addition to this meaningful service work on our trip, we visited many places. Our group visited Santo Domingo's old town, caves with petroglyphs, went looking for turtles at 2 AM, and visited natural pools. We stayed at a variety of locations, all of which enriched the experience. My favorite place was the eco-lodge at Caño Hondo(https://paraisocanohondo.com/en/) in Los Haitses national park. It was a hotel like no other and is built into a mountain with a river running through it. Anyway, to conclude, the program was incredibly enriching; I learned more than anyone could ever learn in a classroom, and I feel that I have had a lasting positive impact on the ecosystem of the Dominican Republic. I would rank this program 10/10, and next year I am embarking on another Rustic trip, this time to Thailand and Laos.

In the summer of 2019, I attended the Marine Life and Coastal Restoration program in the Dominican Republic. This trip impacted my life in so many ways and because of that, I learned so much more about myself. Not only did a learn in two weeks what many would learn in a classroom throughout the year, but I made some of the most real and genuine connections with other student attending this trip. When working on specific projects, we would split up into different groups each time, giving us the opportunity to get to know everyone attending the trip, including our leaders. I went on this trip alone and it was the best decision I made. It gave me the opportunity to form real connections with others and learn about other kids experiences from around the country. These connections along with learning about the very real effects of climate change on our earth and taking steps ourselves to help this issue, has made me much more of a well-rounded person. I am always open to meeting new people now and finding little things to help better our environment. By meeting new people, I can also teach them what I've learned and inspire them to take little steps like I am to improve and help save our environment.

In just a span of two weeks, I was able to create lasting friendships, make a direct impact on the environment and alter the way I view the world. The Marine Life and Coastal Restoration allowed me to really appreciate the environment and see what impact humans can have on the planet. In general, I learned about conservation in a way that I never imagined possible. For the first week, we snorkeled either picking up trash or identifying parrot fish and collecting data for FunDeMar, a local organization. I learned so much including that parrot fish and coral reefs are crucial components of the ecosystem. Even more, not only was I directly helping the ecosystem, but I was also creating lasting bonds with those around me. I never knew it was possible to connect with so many people in such a short amount of time. Rustic Pathways allowed me to open my eyes and view the world in a completely new and exciting way.