After some breakfast at our hotel, we hopped on a bus and made our way across the southern coast to el Penon.  When we arrived, we were greeted by our groups’ cooks with a delicious meal typical to the Dominican Republic including rice, beans, vegetables and beef.  After refilling our tanks, we set about preparing our living situations. We are staying in the local high school and occupying the second floor which consists of three classrooms, a balcony, and 2 bathrooms.  Two of the classrooms are being used for living (one for girls and Kate and the other for Jason and the boys) while the third one is open for social gatherings. Each student has a desk where they can put their luggage and hang their towels.  They also have a space for their mosquito nets and beds.

Once the rooms were ready, we met as a group to talk about the night.  Kate had organized a welcome party with the community and students brainstormed ideas about how to say hello and introduce themselves.  Each student prepared an introduction in Spanish and then broke up into two groups: one to organize chairs, tables, cake, and drinks and the other to figure out a couple of songs to perform.  The choreographers chose “Cotton eyed Joe” and “The Cup Song”. After some practicing, we opened the gates to the school and community members flooded in. The community sat down and listened while Kate and Jason made a brief speech introducing themselves and the projects we would be doing.  They emphasized how thankful and happy they were to be so welcomed by the community and that we looked forward to working together. Then, each student introduced themselves in Spanish and performed the songs. The community loved the performance and it was followed up by cake and drinks for everyone.  

-2018 Middle School Dominican Republic (Kate & Jason)