Today was our service day to give back to the local
villages. Like last year, our service project was to clean up the streets of
Domingo Maiz, but this year there was a twist. Instead of picking up all the
trash and throwing it away in the same bag, we split up into two different
groups: one to pick up recyclables and one to pick up the trash. I was part of
the recycling team; our group was split up evenly to cover more ground more
quickly. I was put with four of the Domingo Maiz children, which added a challenge,
due to language barrier, yet it was great to bond further with the kids. We
started collecting materials to recycle, but the kids were having a difficult
time deciphering which was trash and which materials we could recycle. Cindy,
the Peace Corp Volunteer leading the service project, decided it would be
better for me to help hold the bag and check all of the materials that the kids
wanted to salvage. This change also opened up a teaching opportunity, for
example, they were trying to recycle everything that was plastic. I showed them
that if they checked under the bottle, container, jug, etc. that there would be
a recycling symbol with a number in it, we needed one’s, two’s, and three's. 
We collected materials for a good while and then Cindy showed
us her ongoing project involving the water treatment plant. It was very
interesting to see how they are trying to do it here in the Dominican Republic
versus back home in the states.
After seeing the treatment plant we walked back
to Cindy’s house where we had lunch, which was prepared by her host mother. It
was the traditional Dominican rice and beans and chicken; it was delicious!
After lunch we got to relax and take in our surroundings. Some of the kids
played dominoes, while others played checkers, there was also a lot of dancing
from the kids! Also, Cindy was nice enough to talk with some of us more about
the Peace Corp and how she got started and what she is doing now.
We then head to Colegio Elizabeth in Veron, a small school
that we visit and take school supplies to every year. The kids and teacher were all waiting patiently for us to get there, but there was a change in the school this year. Elizabeth, the teacher, has changed the school into a day care program for babies and small children. Not only does she care for them and feed them, but she also teaches them things so they will be ready to enter school. Next year, we will be collecting items for babies and young children to take to her. We gave her a big box of school supplies and then handed out candy. This year, instead of candy I handed out
little plastic frisbees kindly donated to us by Tammy A., my manager, at the
Covington McDonald’s. I cannot thank her enough for the generous donation. The
kids all loved the frisbees and played with them the whole time we were there.
It was so nice to see the teacher again, she is always so polite and thankful.
We then went on to a new school in Cap Cana this year to deliver more
supplies and gifts. This school was very nice compared to other schools. We met
the lady behind the renovation of the school and her husband and she told us the story of how she has worked with the school and what they are doing with it now. We got to look in the
class rooms and then when we walked into another room we were greeted with a
surprise enough to give us goose bumps and almost bring a tear to our eye, six
computers, two printers, and a flat screen television! It is very, very
uncommon to see anything like that in a village school. She said they were
donated by Orange, a local telephone company. 
Once we finished playing with the kids we headed back to the
resort to swim for a while and then we ate dinner at Playa Blanca, a restaurant
on the resort, it was so good! The delegates are in bed now and I am doing so
very soon to get some rest for a very busy day tomorrow in Higuey.
Submitted by Chase Smith Bath County)
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