Snorkeling and our Fiesta at the Giudicelli's

Today was a very eventful day! Our last day in the Dominican Republic ):  But it was very fun we went snorkeling! Snorkeling was an adventure for me.  It was my first time and I swallowed a lot of salt water which wasn't fun. We saw the coral reef which is very beautiful! We also saw the Ecological Center’s coral nursery where they are growing coral to help keep the coral there. Sadly I got sick and couldn't go to the underwater museum which has a number of statues in a circle. I ended up feeling better after we got back to the resort and enjoyed some pool time with my friends. 

That evening we went to the Giudicelli's house and I danced my booty off! We had lots of fun for our last night in the DR. With amazing food, courageous dancing, and talking to friends and family. By the way I didn't know I could dance like that! I definitely got the full Dominican experience. I wish it didn't have to end!

Submitted by Aly Durrette  (Bath County)

Trip to Higuey

Today was a very good, yet sad day. We went to Higuey with some of the Dominican teens and went through the farmers market and several shops. There were highlights throughout the day however, I did have one specific highlight. Today I interacted more with the Dominican teens that did not speak English; it was quite a learning experience for both of us because we had to basically play charades. The really awesome thing was that we both understood each other even though we spoke separate languages! I even practiced and expanded my Spanish vocabulary today. The Dominican teens would laugh at me but were so nice and helpful at the same time! They even asked me to teach them some words in English, which made me feel extremely happy! 

Another highlight of my day was when we were all eating lunch. I sat beside Jerald and while we were waiting on our food he showed me a lot of photos of his family and pets. I could tell how important his family, pets included, was to him; it was so adorable to see photos of his family and to see Jerald’s face light up while he shared those with me. I cannot put into words to describe this past week and my experiences here. This is only my second year coming to Punta Cana and visiting Higuey again still hit me hard, seeing their way of life and purchasing goods from the farmers market. It makes me sad yet motivates me to strive for making an impact in this world and to help others that need it most. 

All in all, it was a great time that I will never forget; helping each other to learn each other’s languages. The sad moment was saying goodbye. We all had such a great time, bonding, laughing, and dancing on the bus. Jerald, one of the Dominican teens that only speaks Spanish, sat with me on the bus and when he was leaving he looked at me and said, “Good bye forever”. When Jerald said that to me, it me hard because I truly have developed a great friendship with all of them. Hopefully it isn't goodbye forever though and I will be able to make the trip again next year.  

Submitted by Allyson Cutlip (Bath County) 

Community Service in Domingo Maiz

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)

Domingo Maiz

Today we visited the village of Domingo Maiz for our service project, which was a community trash and recyclables pick-up day. It was much fun and I hope we made it a much nicer place for those who live there. Afterwards, we went to a household of one of the residents for lunch. The atmosphere was very hospitable and the food was very delicious. Soon we all began to interact with one other. Before too long we all started to have a lot of fun. We played domino's, checkers, and even began the dancing. Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy it. I was very sad we had to leave, but also very excited to bring the supplies we brought to the local schools. It was a very exciting experience that I most definitely don’t want to forget.

P.S. We all need to get water glasses and start an orchestra. Just putting it out there 8:3 

Submitted by Bentleigh Asboth  (Allegheny County)

Second, and Final Day of 4-H Day Camp

Today was the last day of 4-H Day Camp. During the first part of the day we took the campers to the Petting Zoo, toured the Iguana Preserve, and made some crafts. The second part of the day we went swimming at the beach. After the campers went home all the American teens went to the ‘Indigenous Eyes’ (fresh water lagoons near the beach). We jumped into the really deep part and had the shrimp pinch off the dead skin on our toes and hands at the shallow part. The walk back to the road was an adventure all in its own. It was a far walk, but we talked and laughed the whole way.

Submitted by one very tired Niki Funkhouser (Shenandoah County)

Virginia 4-H Counselors with Laura from the DR

2014 4-H Day Campers, Teen and Adult staff

Everyone tie dyed a camp shirt to take home.

Dakota with a pretty tie dye design.

Welinton leads games in the lunch line.

Our yummy Day Camp lunch:  cheesy mashed potatoes, french fries, macaroni salad and fried chicken.

First Day of 4-H Day Camp!

Today was the first day of day camp. Although we were in a panic this morning due to our bus being an hour late, we made it to camp right on time and the kids were there waiting patiently. To kick off day camp we played get-to-know-you games and name games. This helped me very much because some of the Dominican names are hard to pronounce. Then we did the Incredible Journey activity, where the campers pretended to be water molecules traveling through the water cycle and collecting beads along the way.  

Next  we proceeded to decorate our drinking cups so the kids would have something to drink out of for the next two days. After that we separated the 45 campers into four groups: verde, amerillo, rojo, and azul. 

Then some groups tie dyed while the other went on a tour of the honey bees sanctuary and the worm compost area where the worms create fertilizer. The tie dye was a lot of fun for the kids. Although I ended up with dye all over my hands, my shirt turned out great.

After lunch we had more fun with crafts. We made lei necklaces and we did some scratch art. Both activities were a lot of fun to do with the kids. Next we made no bake oatmeal peanut butter balls with them that featured PuntaCana honey, since we had visited the beehives in the morning. They all loved the smell of the peanut butter and passed the bowl around to waft the smell. Everyone seemed to enjoy the snack a lot. Even counselors were fighting over the last bite. At the end of the day everyone was completely worn out; it was a very eventful day.

I think today went very well. The kids listened to all of us and showed great respect. Although many of us had a hard time communicating, the message still got across. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we’re all looking forward to tomorrow. What I enjoyed the most today was working on my Spanish speaking skills. It’s great to learn the language in a hands on way.

Submitted by Dakota Funkhouser, Shenandoah County