Itinerary & Selected Final Student Reflections on the Course
“It is hard to put into words, but during all of our experiences on the trip, something clicked in my mind that changed my perspective on the world as a whole and helped me to understand it more fully.”
Jan 2: Arrive Puerto Plata 2 pm, Bus to Santiago, night at Hotel Colonial
Jan 3: Day trip to Batey Libertad, night at Hotel Colonial
“In terms of academics I learned a great wealth of knowledge that I will be digesting for years to come and this fact leads to another important mental rumination. I came to realize how important this type of learning really is. In just I week I feel like I learned more valuable knowledge that I will carry with me through my life, than I have learned in a year at UVM. Our adventures were so hands on and intimate that I did not even have to try to learn something, it was just pouring into my brain and soul.”
Jan 4: Travel to Rio Limpo, night at CREAR
“In addition to my cultural observations, I learned much about tropical and biodynamic agriculture, agroforestry, community gardening politics, and cockfighting. Most importantly, and quite central to this class, were the strategies and considerations involved in farming in the tropics. I gained valuable knowledge from our workshops at CREAR, learning about double digging and the ever-so-precise process of composting that Domingo conveyed to us. When we set off to apply those ideas at the Batey, it became apparent why those two techniques were important enough to focus on during our very limited time at CREAR.”
Jan 5: Rio Limpio, CREAR
“Rio Limpio was an interesting exception to the racial tension that we had been built up to see in ‘The Price of Sugar.’ This isolated mountain community held a great deal of racial diversity. Since it is close to the Haitian border, many immigrants pass through the town after crossing into the Dominican Republic through the mountains. I sensed very little tension between the two races, in fact the amount of cooperation and overall sense of community at Rio Limpio was both surprising and welcoming. Skin color aside, the people had to work together to make life in this agricultural community work. The common bond of survival by living off the land in a sustainable way seemed to be shared amongst everyone.”
Jan 6: Rio Limpio, CREAR
Jan 7: Dajabon Market, night at Hotel Koaba in Cabarete
After leaving CREAR we stopped at the Dajabon market. It is in the Dominican Republic right on the boarder of Haiti, with a river dividing the two countries. There was so much activity and chaos at the Dajabon market that it is obviously important economic revenue for the Dominicans and the Haitians.
Jan 8: Batey Libertad, Homestays
“Something John Hayden said when we went back to the Batey stuck with me. I think it was, ‘Welcome back to reality guys, this is reality, this is how most people in the world live’. And the more I discover that the more it is hard to rationalize spending all of my life growing food for rich people or trying to clean-up Lake Champlain. Not that local food and environmental problems here are not important, but it is amazing that we (as a country) can ignore places like Haiti (for example). I just think I will get a lot more satisfaction out of my career and life if I spend at least some of my time working on projects like the community garden.”
Jan 9: Batey Libertad, Homestays
“Language not existing as a barrier was also clear in connections made with children at the Batey Libertad. We connected through drawing pictures and playing games, and who can forget the good old R&B artist Akon. Everyone was also able to connect through dancing. We had some serious dance parties both at Rio Limpio and at Batey Libertad. My philosophy definitely holds true that music is the universal language.”
Jan 10: Batey Libertad, Homestays
“This trip made me feel grateful for what I do have, but also selfish for ever feeling like I need more. It was refreshing and humbling to be around true happiness that does not revolve around wealth, consumerism, or physical appearance. When you are immersed in a lifestyle and culture for so long you begin to believe life revolves around certain things that you are made to believe are important, then you spend time in a life where none of these things matter, let alone exist, and it really makes you think. I think that is where my personal growth occurred on this trip.”
Jan 11: Damajagua Waterfalls, Café Altagracia, Jarabacoa, night in dorms
“Ecotourism, of the sort we saw at the Damajagua Waterfalls, is a much more sustainable form of economic development. The way that the tourism is run is a completely different system than the tourism as seen in Cabarete. The land itself is conserved, and any development is evaluated in terms of ecological impact. Ecotourism is meant to highlight the idea that nature is beautiful and should be protected. Additionally, it works to show local people that the environment is something that can be appreciated as an economic resource.”
Jan 12 Cabarete, Hotel Koaba
“The hours of informal and formal group discussions provided the forum for more personal growth. I really enjoyed the time we spent at the end of each day to allow for reflection and allowing everyone an opportunity to talk. I learned a lot about other people and myself through what other people said and what I chose to share with the group. I found myself affirming or relating to nearly everything people said. And for the comments that I did not agree with or could not relate to I learned why it was different for me.”
Jan 13 Cabarete to Puerto Plata, Home
“The Dominican Republic…what a country! It’s always sunny, people are happy, and they just get to drink margaritas, swim in the crystal clear, blue oceans, and enjoy the bountiful luxuries that the country has to offer. Few think of the actual people who live there: those with roadside shacks of scavenged sheet metal, little or no work or income, and a constant struggle to maintain caloric intake, let alone obtain proper nutrition. Granted there is gradient in socioeconomic status, the majority live in downright poverty. We saw this along the roadsides in the suburbs of Santiago, in much of Rio Limpio, more so in Batey Libertad, and perfectly exemplified at Batey Dos. Having stayed with a poor family in Costa Rica and being a fairly informed person, I was aware of the fact that Americans live a lavish life in comparison to most of the world, but this trip took that understanding to a-whole-nother level.”
“Saying that this trip changed my world view is a large understatement. I feel I was able to tap into the surface of a new culture, and learn about many positive qualities this community carried, that my own culture lacks. I was not expecting to see how many values this culture holds, that acts as a fault in my own culture I was brought up in.”
“There are moments in life that take your breathe away, then there are moments that you can not stop breathing because you need to take it all in. The trip to the Dominican Republic encompassed both of these moments for me. There were times when I was so surprised by what I saw or experienced that I could not breathe. The poverty people lived in took my breath away. There were also moments that all I wanted to do was breathe deep and fully take in what I was experiencing. When I was living at the Batey, all I wanted to do was be a part of it. Reflecting on the experience, I realize that this trip has been one of the strongest influences on my life.”
“Through our experiences I was able to see that there are so many common themes in life no matter where you are. There is poverty, wealth, racism, education, and politics. However, there are also people that have the same feelings you have thousands of miles away.”
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