Muchas Gracias! Adios!!!
This summer internship was above and beyond what I expected it to be and continually brought me new surprises each week. I learned from the continuous, happy attitude of the Dominicans that the little things do not matter, but just live life and be content with what you do have. This summer tested me in numerous ways I did not expect to be tested in: my faith, my strength, and my comfort level. However, as my favorite bible verse says, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. This verse greatly helped me through each of my trials, but through them all I was able to grow in my faith and spread it to others, even with a language barrier. Through the diversity of this internship I was able to learn, teach, and serve in many different ways that I never would have otherwise, and I tremendously thank Project Las Americas and Dolous Discovery School for giving me this incredible opportunity.
Muchas Gracias! Adios!!!
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The Dominican Republic has numerous unique dishes that I have only had while I am here. These foods below are the most popular here that are not common in the states. If you are traveling to the DR be ready to eat LOTS of everything here and if you just want to learn about the type of food there is quite a variety! I never thought to take pictures of the food I was eating so most of these pictures are from another website, but they look exactly like what I ate while I was here! Mangu: One of their favorite breakfasts! Mashed green boiled bananas mixed with milk and butter and always topped with sautéed red onions. It is okay the first couple times but after that... Hot dog buns and hot chocolate: You would never think it would go together especially in the heat here, but it does! Sometime the hot dog bun is made with butter and some kind of meat, but you can always expect the hot chocolate to accompany it! Moro: A better version of the usual rice and beans. Rice and beans cooked together with usually some very appetizing spices and vegetables added in! Juice: They have THE BEST juice you have ever and will ever have! It is always fresh from the fruits and is expected to be served with almost every meal! It is impossible to get enough! Corn: They love it and luckily so do it! But they have it on everything you would not expect to have corn on: hot dogs, pizza, spaghetti, and of course mixed with rice and beans. This is one vegetable I never missed while I was here! Rice, beans, and chicken: Rice, beans, and chicken..Rice, beans, and chicken. Enough said. It is an everyday staple served right at 12:00pm and usually a naptime follows. I am all for the nap, but the rice, beans, and chicken...and everyday.... Concon: The rice that is almost burnt stuck to the huge bowl that it was cooked in. AKA the best part of the rice. I do not know what it is about it but all the flavor is in this part and the crunchiness just adds to it! The cooks always save it for them, but I was lucky enough to get a piece one day! Yuka: A heavier version of our potato and served with ANYTHING! I've had it for breakfast with fruit, for lunch with chicken, and for dinner with spaghetti. It is a harder consistency that potatoes but still has a decent flavor anytime of day! Sanchoco: A delicious stew made with whatever meats, vegetables, and starches are handy! It usually cooks together most of the day and makes a hearty dinner that will fill you right up! Tostones: Fried plantains. It accompanies every meal like fries in the United States. And they are delicious! I could not get enough while I was here! I just kept telling myself the healthy plantains make up for the fried part...! Eat up!! Thanks to http://www.google.com.do/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCMQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Firisestrada%2Fwhat-to-eat-drink-in-the-dominican-republic-ewjg&ei=o0TeU7OkD8WeyATlkoDoBQ&usg=AFQjCNEo6ywo5VhGnmETfO63AcHMRZzY_w&bvm=bv.72197243,d.aWw for most of the pictures that look exactly like the plates I had!
Life: Live it. Love it. Appreciate it. Make the most of it. The culture here is all about living to the fullest, but they do not think of it that way..it is natural for them. They do not value material things, or worry if their electricity or water is going to work today. They simply appreciate when it works and when it does not, they find other ways to make it work. One person told me the Dominican Republic is the 'happiest, saddest place'. Such a oxymoron, but so true. Most people may have very little, but they do not let this stop this from enjoying each and every day, every single minute. Laughter: It goes along with their lifestyle. They are always happy and do not worry about the little things that some people (me especially) always seem to worry about. The little things do not matter, what happens, happens. And whatever happens there is always friends, family, and neighbors to help each other out in every situation. They protrude such a happy, carefree sense of life that they make you want to live one too! Showers: All day, every day, two or three times a day. You know I am not talking about America here, but this is the lifestyle of the Dominicans. Most of the times there is no hot water and so imagine taking a cold shower three times a day?! To them it is completely normal and to me I was like more than one shower in two days say whaaat?! I was guilt tripped into taking more showers than I ever have in my life. They take one in the morning, afternoon, and night when I still have not had my first, and I start to think I must smell or that they think I must be a really gross American. So I showered. A lot. It got up to two times a day. I could not believe myself. But with the hot weather and continuous sweat I have to admit I get why they shower so much, and I even got to where I did not mind it (so much)! And if my blog has entertained you enough to convince you to visit the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic, I have listed a few things that are unique to the DR that I have gotten to experience along the way! Presidente: The infamous Dominican beer. It is everywhere here and usually the only beer that places sell. Along the beach walk there is buildings with Presidente umbrellas, banners, and more! I think is tasted wonderful, but of course the sight I had while drinking one might of helped it a little bit too! Motos: They drive motorcycles EVERYWHERE! The motos line the street, beg you to take a ride, and zoom in and out of the cars with no thought to the rules. I was lucky enough to ride one, but only when one of my Dominican friends knew the driver and knew that he was not one of the crazy ones! Thankfully I made it safe on the few trips I went on, and the nice breezy rides truly made me feel I was in the Caribbean! Attire: Long pants, skirts, tank tops, and short sleeve shirts. That sums it all up. If you want to fit in the Dominican style do not bring any shorts and bring lots of pants and knee length skirts. I, however, could not bear to wear this style in the heat and stuck with my shorts and tank tops and still sweating like no other. I still have not figured out how they do it! Also, they always look nice whether they are playing games or taking a walk. They love to look nice, smell nice..their culture is just overall much more formal and conservative than the American culture. I added my bug spray perfume to my shorts look and competed the American tourist look pretty much every day! Workouts: There is not a better place to workout! What more could you imagine than a beautiful run by the ocean every morning or a swim in the ocean watching the sunrise?! It is a great motivator and an easy place to make excuses for a break because you want to 'look at the view'! :) Happy attitudes: It will be impossible to have a bad day while you are here. The people always have the best attitudes and there is never a dull moment when you are with them! Be prepared for lots of smiles, laughs, and great times!
Just imagine...110 teenage girls from seven of the poorest parts of the city of Puerto Plata. 110 teenage girls was all I had to read to wonder what I had gotten myself into this week! However, soon I realized I had gotten myself into one of the best things on my trip. The last part of my internship was spent arranging camp activities and hosting a camp in a nearby city. It was not the typical American, week long, high price camp. This camp was put on by Project Las Americas and was free to each girl that attended. Although it was only two nights and three days, it had the same, if not more, of an impact in camps I have seen that last a week because it touched each girl in a unique way. There were morning songs, cabin times, and inspirational speakers, afternoon games and manicures, and nightly songs and more inspirational worship. The theme of this week was ‘I want to be free’. There was a song that went along with the theme that started with ‘I want to be free’ and eventually said ‘I can be free’. Free from the harsh feelings, words, and thoughts that come with the changing of the body in puberty. Many girls are thinking ‘I’m ugly’, ‘I’m fat’, and ‘I’m not good for anything’. The inspirational speakers taught using bible verses that God made them just the way they are for a reason and for a specific purpose. Instead of comparing themselves to other girls they need to put their faith in God to give them the strength to believe in themselves and believe the best of themselves. All of the girls at the camp were from extremely poor homes, where the only thing to do is get married extremely young and start having children, continuing the poor cycle. Through songs, speakers, and team building games, this camp provided hope that there is something more for them in life and it starts by changing their attitude and having complete faith in God. The last day was full of tears, hugs, and eventually smiles as girls were able to release the struggles of life they had been dealing with and finally give themselves to Christ and believe in the faith he offers. Like the camp in the first part of my internship this camp was in Spanish but it did not matter. I was still able to comfort the girls with a hug, see their struggles in their faces, and the passion of change in their singing. Today was my last full day here, and I cannot believe it! I did not know how fast a summer could pass! Thankfully I have gotten to spend a wonderful last couple days here in the Dominican Republic doing all sorts of fun things! At 7AM this morning and 6AM Tuesday my boss took me to the swim club that he is a part of! I like to swim but swimming in the ocean made exercise seem like only a good time. Rather than boring laps back and forth in a pool we were swimming in a huge circle in the ocean around boats with views of coral underneath. If that is not enough the morning we went early we got to see the sunrise as we were swimming! I do not know how much more fun exercise could get! We continued our adventure as we visited Fort San Felipe in Puerto Plata today. The website describes its history the best.."Fort San Felipe was built in 1564 by order of Philip II of Spain and is Puerto Plata's oldest surviving building. It was a formidable construction, designed to strike fear into any would-be-invader's heart. Its 2m- (7ft) thick walls, squat doorways and moat filled with sharp coral and swords served to keep people out and, when the fort later became a prison, worked just as effectively at keeping people in - including one of its most notable captives - Juan Pablo Duarte, who served time here in 1844.The tower contains a small museum of wartime artifacts such as guns, artillery shells, and cannonballs. Fort San Felipe's main attraction, however, is its sweeping views across the Atlantic." It was awesome to be able to stand next to the cannons and look at the wonderful views while getting a little bit of history at the same time! Fun Fact: In the 16th century the Spanish Armada was gearing up to attack England. Because of the strength of their ships and numbers of their men, they were not afraid to let it be known to England what they were eventually going to do. In order to delay their fight Queen Elizabeth sent Sir Francis Drake to burn the barrels that contained food, water, and supplies that were necessary to the armada. This succeeded in delaying the ships for a while, but eventually Spanish began their journey to begin the fight. However, the new barrels that were made from Oak to hold the food and water had not cured and the wood was still green and raw. This uncured wood rotted the food inside the barrels and turned the water sour, ruining most of their supplies. This combined with the devastating storms that hit the ships greatly hurt the Armada, yet they traveled on. In the meantime England had built small blazing vessels which would go out when the tide was in their favor, attack the grand Armada's ships, and then retreat to their hiding spots using their size to their advantage. Well as you may know England eventually won, and the world took a much different turn than it would if Spain had won and taken over everything! We then visited the sweet Dominican family I had stayed with the second week I was in the country. I had not seen them anymore since I had been here, and it was great to say my goodbyes and of course promise that I would be returning to visit eventually! Oh, and I got to drink coconut water out of an actual coconut! That's when you truly know you are in the tropics! Yesterday, I spent a wonderful day around Puerto Plata with my friend Paula. We took a bus to the city park where got shaved ice, but here they actually shave the ice in front of you and the juice they put on it is real juice with actual fruit chunks...delicious!! We went to a couple shops and then I got to meet her wonderful family! We rode back to the house on a moto which is one of my favorite things here! She usually travels with this guy (because they take motos EVERYWHERE!) so we knew he was extremely safe and had a nice, breezy trip back to the house! That night I experienced the high life as I went to an art exhibit with my boss and his wife. It was a neat experience to be in the atmosphere of an art exhibit with wine in hand and made me feel like I was on one of those high class TV shows! Afterwards we went to an Italian restaurant with cooks that are actually from Italy, and I had probably one of the best meals I have ever had. It was pasta with a light sauce mixed with a number of shrimp and calamari and topped with a good chunk of crab still in the shell. As you can see it was not one of those meals that shortened you on the seafood and I devoured it all! I have had a wonderful last two days here which make it even harder to leave, but tomorrow is the day! Luckily on my first dive a couple weeks ago I was the only diver on the boat. There was a photographer on the boat who was able to get some great shots, and I finally got the pictures today! I know you're not supposed to hold the marine animals, but the guide practically threw it in my hands and it's hard to explain no to that underwater. But I got some good pictures and will just have to be careful of that on all my future dives! I can't believe seven weeks and my summer have flown by so fast! It seems like yesterday we arrived piling way too many suitcases and way too many people in the car and arriving (somehow safely with their crazy driving!) to the house we stayed in! A week from today I will be boarding the plane back home even though it doesn't seem like it should be happening so soon! I might actually miss the hot weather that is somehow always full of happy attitudes, the mornings where I am supposed to be picked up at 10A.M. but do not get picked up until after 2, if at all, (every day here), and the always guessing if my meal will be delivered at 6P.M., 9P.M., or if at all! The rice and beans though? Eh, don't push it. They never grew on me while I was here, and thankfully, I have a nice enough boss to realize that. She finally has given me meat with vegetables every day and rice is kept only to a minimum! She is playing it well though. Lunch is usually around 12 here but the other day it was 1:30 and my food still had not arrived. Finally, after some phone calls my food arrived and to my surprise (even though it shouldn't of been) it was rice, beans, and chicken. I think she knew by then I would be so hungry that it would actually taste wonderful so she won that one! The sad part is I ate almost all that rice that day. Today was better spent eating ice cream, laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying my last Sunday here. Tomorrow we are preparing for the camp that we are hosting Tuesday-Thursday that 86 teenage girls from the poorest places in Puerto Plata will be attending on self image, respect, and motivation! I'm sure there will be much to learn from this last week here!
Pico Duarte. The highest mountain peak in the Caribbean and we were going to climb it. What were we thinking?! Well, every day was quite the adventure to say the least! Day 1: If you had asked me anytime after halfway through the hike today if I would do this again like the guide did I would of said most likely not. His answer was "we're too young to say we'll never do things again." Yeah, yeah, yeah. We woke up just before 5 A.M. to put our hiking clothes on, make a pb&j for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch, and zip our backpacks for the final time. Of course right when we packed everything on the bus, the driver realized the tire was bad and we needed a new bus. Surprisingly the new bus came fast (the only thing that has ever happened fast in the DR) and we repacked ourselves and our gear on the bus and drove to the mountain bottom. When a group travels up Pico Duarte they always have guides and donkeys who also help carry the food for the journey. Somehow Rebecca and I ended up in the slow group and although the stops were nice, it was taking forever! Eventually some people got on the donkeys for the rest of the way and although really behind, Rebecca and I trudged on. It was uphill, uphill, and more uphill. For 95% of the about 12 miles we hiked that day. We treaded through rain, deep puddles, and extremely rocky paths that were now slippery with our backpacks that were probably 30-40 pounds but felt like a million. For some reason during the rainy hours "My Favorite Things" from Sound of Music popped in my head and kept me going. Finally, after starting the hike at 8:00 A.M. and it now being 5:30 P.M. (and remind you that 10 hours was all uphill) we saw the camp from a distance, but when we heard no voices coming from there we were worried. We saw a fire when we arrived and immediately sat there and then hobbled to the sleeping room only to find every single person passed out on the floor, not a movement in sight. This sight made coming in so late worth it and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of spaghetti that night and fell asleep looking forward to our day of rest tomorrow...or so we thought. Day 2: We woke up around 8, the sun doesn't let you sleep long here! I was preparing myself for a delicious breakfast and a restful day when the guide announce we were hiking to the top of Pico Duarte today instead of tomorrow because of the weather that was expected. WHAT? Rebecca and I looked at each other and groaned. We barely made it yesterday, we did not know how we would make it today! Well we did have a delicious breakfast of eggs and sausage and then we put our wet boots on and began the hike up. Rebecca and I took our comfortable middle spot but soon enough somehow we ended up with the slow group which today only consisted of a small boy named Oscar who was trying the hiking trip but struggling. (The others were on donkeys) We were put in charge of him and although Rebecca and I would have loved to stop every three step like he was we knew we would never make it to the top if we did. It took every ounce of patience and encouragement we had to push Oscar to the top, but, finally, and only with one fall from him, WE MADE IT! We were finally on top of Pico Duarte, the tallest mountain peak in the Caribbean!! Although it was cloudy the view was still great and Rebecca and I felt extremely accomplished. The only girls to carry their whole backpack and make it all the way to the top without donkeys it our group. Wahoo! We even got to bathe later on when we returned to camp! However, the water the coldest water I had ever felt in my entire life! After we were in there for only a few seconds our feet were numb so it was definitely a quick bathe, but much needed by this point! And if you had asked me today if I would to this hike again? Well probably...the view was pretty incredible..and the pain of yesterday was starting to fade! Message of the Week: David and Goliath The message for the week of climbing focused on the story of David and Goliath because like David we were facing a huge challenge. David was small and skinny and the Giant was big and tall, yet David was still able to defeat the Giant with one slingshot. It was a great passage to be able to share with the students that even though we are facing a challenging week with the mountain to climb, sleeping conditions, and anything personally, all things are possible with the belief in God as shown with David defeating Goliath. All of the kids made it through the week and I believe having this challenge made them grow mentally because they did not want to give up and had to have strength through each hill we came to. At least this is what I always thought of whenever I did not think I would be able to make it up the next hill! Day 3: We woke up at 6:30 not ready for the 12 mile hike ahead of us. Our 'muscles' were hurting; however, the banana bread, apples, and hot chocolate for breakfast did help ease the pain! Once Rebecca and I found out Oscar was riding the donkey the whole way today we knew we would have to step up our game. Surprisingly we did not do too bad even with all the hills in the beginning. We had heard that the end of the day would be mostly downhill so I think that kept us moving. We made it to one of the resting sports with the group which had beautiful scenery and enjoyed the break while we could! Day 3 (continued): The next portion was up and down the mountain ridges to our destination with the very last part being completely downhill. Although the downhill was a nice change after an hour of it my knees did not appreciate it! Soon we arrived at our camp for the night where we would spend the rest of today and all of tomorrow resting here (for real this time!). I have to thank my mom for getting me the hiking boots for this trip. They were amazing and without them I am sure I would of hurt an ankle on the rocks or had raw toes with all of the downhill. Thankfully I came out with only one blister which was much less than anyone else! Love you mom! Oh and if you had asked me today if I would do the hike again? Well of course, we get a whole day of rest tomorrow with waterfalls! Day 4: Rest day! We got to sleep in this morning although sleeping in to Dominicans is around 7AM especially camping when bedtime is earlier because of the dark! However, we were awakened with the screams from one of the kids as the other kids were taunting him with a cow skull they found. Luckily the day was not ruined as we spent the morning and afternoon jumping off the waterfall rocks, sunbathing, and even a bath! I even found a nice nook for hammocking in the afternoon when it was not so hot! Mini History Excerpt: Sadly, there was a fire across most of the hillside of Pico Duarte a few years ago so most of the trees were not what we expected. While walking up the trails we saw frail, burnt trees and it was such a pitiful sight. Unfortunately, they still do not know what caused they fire, but Pico Duarte still boasts many beautiful sights! Day 5: The Final Day! After our nice, restful day, we woke up early to begin the long trek back to the buses. You would think that after hiking up to the tallest peak the whole way would be downhill today. But Day 3 we had hiked all the way down the mountain, past where we started, to a low valley in the mountainside. So, yes, this mean a day of mostly uphill, but we were ready! Rebecca and I kept a pretty good speed on the last day, maybe because we were ready for a shower or maybe because the day of rest really helped. Around two in afternoon we had FINALLY arrived at the place we had started five days ago!! We plopped down on the ground, did not move until the buses came, and when we got back devoured all the burritos, cookies, and Gatorade there was! Oh and if you had asked me if I would hike Pico Duarte again today? Of course, day one was waay forgotten and the scenery, fellowship, and workout was awesome!!
We spent week 2 on the 300 acre organic coffee plantation, Spirit Mountain, nestled in the mountains of Jarabacoa. If that did not sound pretty enough let me just assure you it was gorgeous there! We slept under pavilions, and I hung my hammock up and had a wonderful, restful week sleeping in it. We rode up in a truck with seats that gave us a panoramic view so besides the many bumps here and there it was a great trip up the mountain! The days were set up quite the same as the first week with testimonies and devotions in the morning followed by an afternoon of adventure and games! This week was focused on the parables of the bible. These were great because each of the campers can relate to them in one way or another and it provides a visual for them of certain aspects of the bible. I put a couple of my favorite ones below because they are always good to be reminded of no matter how many times you have or have not heard them. Mark 4:1-20 The Parable of the Sower 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” This was a good reminder that you can listen all you want, sing all you want, but that does not mean anything. It's what you go and do with it that really matters in your life and how you grow and spread that knowledge to others. Luke 13:6-9 The Parable of the Fig Tree 6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” This parable is showing that you can not expect to grow have all the answers right away. Just like it takes a while for you to grow when you are younger it takes time for you to grow in your faith. You have to 'fertilize' it and tend it which slowly builds your knowledge and faith in Him. And do not give up. No matter how long it takes there will always be people there rooting for you to bear your fruit and see the amazing things that can be done when this happens! We had a couple more parables but these were some that hit home and that are good to be reminded of. After devotions in the morning in was time to begin our adventure activity for the day. The week was also full of cooking and baking! Rebecca (the other American girl leader) and I spent more time in the kitchen than I ever had but we learned many new, delicious recipes from Krista (the owner of Spirit Mountain). We made Moro, a Latin American dish of rice and beans, grilled vegetables, cookies, Italian flatbread, egg dishes, and much more! We also made Naan, a flattened bread, from scratch which I could go for a while without seeing! From the bread dough we made about 80 small circles and then had to grill each one of them. At dinner everyone said they were delicious so I guess they were worth it but by that time I did not want to taste one! Our first adventure activity was rappelling! I had never been before so it was an exhilarating experience dangling off the cliff all the way down! The worst part was at the beginning having to step over the cliff but after that you just sit back like in a chair, relax (if you can call it that), and climb your feet down! Our next activity was hiking to a beautiful waterfall! This is the hike that got me truly worried for the third week which was all hiking because I was out of breath in no time. However, we finally made it to the waterfall and spent a beautiful afternoon there splashing in the water, eating lunch on the bank, and getting lots of sun! One of my favorite days was coffee picking! The whole coffee picking process was not my favorite..I never realized how much work it is to pick all the beans needed for coffee. The coffee plants are spread out on the plantation and during harvesting each worker is given a sack and told to spread out and go in a specific direction. The worker then carries a sack and works all day picking only the brightest red cherries off the plant for harvesting in the direction he is assigned. The plants can be a mere couple feet tall to 10-12 feet tall so the workers are constantly moving. Once their sack is full or the day is over they bring their cherries to the boss, and he checks to be sure all the cherries that were picked are red. If a green cherry is found the boss takes out that cherry as well as a red one. Because the worker is paid based on the weight of the sack, it is motivation to pick only the ripe berries. Call it laziness but after an hour of picking cherries I was plum tired of it and ready for the next thing..it makes me appreciate every cup of coffee I drink now! Although the coffee process was extremely interesting my favorite part of the day was getting slightly misplaced..not lost...but just not sure where I was. I walked with a girl who had asthma back to the top of the hill while everyone was picking coffee still, and she ended up going back to camp, but of course I wanted to continue! I walked back down through all the coffee plants thinking I was going exactly the way I came up..but apparently not! All of a sudden a creek was on the right side of me that I had not seen the whole morning. As I tried to meander through the thick bushes I eventually tripped and fell in the creek. Of course I was wearing a white shirt that day so it was covered it mud and my legs in battle scar scratches! However, once I turned around I saw the prettiest sky I have ever seen. The sky was so blue and clouds so plump and white it was perfect! It took me a lot of trying and guessing to find the path to eventually make it back to camp, but exploring the plantation and seeing the gorgeous scenery made every 'almost lost' moment worth it. I finally did make it back to camp and the best part was it was right in time for lunch! Our last day at Spirit Mountain we did a scavenger hunt all across the land! We split into groups and had to take pictures of various things such as ripe coffee, the bee containers, a high-five with a coffee worker, a bird, the red bridge, on a horse, and many many more! The team I was on just barely finished first and made it up to the mountain slightly before the next group! With the beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, enlightening worship, and wonderful fellowship how could we not of had a great week 2 at Spirit Mountain! I was blessed to get the opportunity to spend the week there and nervous for the start of week 3!
Pico Escondido is a Young Life camp where we stayed in cabin bunk beds and had acres of area for fun! The days were structured the same with morning testimonies, afternoon adventures, and evening worship. Each was a mix of American and Dominicans teenagers and watching them grow together was wonderful. This was the wonderful view I had from our cabin porch that I just had to look at every day there..oh darn! The mornings were spent giving testimonies and showing the Dominican kids that no matter what has happened to you or what you have been through it is always possible to seek help in God. Each student there was at a different relationship level with God so we tried to help them see Him from all angles. It was a neat way to reach the students because it gave them hope where it might not have been there before. The early afternoons were spent doing some kind of adventure activity! The first one I got to do was rock climbing! I got the easy climb down but the harder ones were more of a challenge! My wonderful cabin leader, Rosemary, and I were lucky enough to have Angela in our cabin. She loved food more than I do and always was making us laugh at one of her many silly things. However, unfortunately the rock climbing wall was not her favorite activity! My favorite activity, however, was hiking to the waterfall and getting to jump off the rocks! The water was freezing at first but once you jumped in we got used to it instantly and it was a blast! Not only did we rock climb and hike waterfalls in the afternoons, but we also had a challenge course where we had to trust others as we fell off a wall and hoped they would catch us and work together as a team for various activities. After the morning activities we had lunch and what would you know but each day we had rice, beans, and chicken! Yum! By the end of the week I was really missing my vegetable and grandma's garden! After lunch it was sports galore! We played soccer volleyball, basketball, Ping-Pong, attempted games of baseball, and also had some girly bracelet making in there. It was wonderful to be able to bond with the campers through sports during this time as well as sneak in time for the occasional much needed nap! The evenings were full of music and worship followed by cabin time and an evening event! Some songs were in English and some were in Spanish even though most of the Americans knew no Spanish. Or only 'un pocquito' as they would say because they knew hola and adios and thought that was enough! However, even though the music was in a different language it did not matter because the feeling of the music was still just as powerful. It brought to light we were all there together, of different nationalities, yet still worshipping the same God in the same way. After worship we had cabin time where each leader would meet with their cabin and stimulate the camers' minds about the message for the night. Rosemary and I were in a cabin with four girls and although she spoke little English and I spoke little Spanish it was amazing how we were still able to connect with each other and even more so to the four girls in our cabin. After we would question them they would question us which not only caught me off guard but let me to difficult explanations and sharing. I expected to help the girls grow in their faith, but little did I know they would help me realize even more. Once cabin time was over there was an evening event! We had a pool party, dance party, country fair, and games to bond more (and tire them out before bed!). No matter what time we went to bed two of the girls in my cabin would wake up at 6:00 and expect everyone else to wake up too so sleeping was a luxury. Week 1 at Camp Discovery was full of learning, adventure, and growth and I would not of had it any other way. It was a wonderful way to relate to the campers through activities they already like doing. I was ready for a long rest at the end of this week and extremely curious to begin the second week of adventure! |
Hola!I lucked into this amazing internship in Domincan Republic this summer and couldn't be happier! I will be spending five weeks working with Project Las Americas providing household water filtration, treatment, and education to the citizens as well as helping in children camps for locals. I get to spend an additional three weeks at Camp Discovery, an adventure summer camp, where I will help teenagers grow in their faith while enjoying the outdoors through hiking, moutain biking, rock cllimbing, and more! Archives
August 2014
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