Hey guys! Remember Monday? I can’t. Monday for me started on Sunday. It all started when we left the building at 9:20 am Sunday. On our way to the Dominican Republic, we first headed to LAX to catch a flight to Newark NJ.
To be honest, that flight was one of the hardest plane flights that I have ever been on. We took off at 11:50 pm and landed in the shadows of New York City at 7:30 am on Monday. Guess how long I slept… Nothing. That’s okay though, Cassidy, our staff member, provided me the best stuffed bear to help me sleep on the next flight to Santiago, DR.
After eating breakfast and much needed sleep in the plane, we had landed in the Dominican Republic! When we landed I was confused as to why everyone started clapping. Apparently, that is a Dominican tradition and we shouldn’t steal it. I have never been outside of the United States before, so seeing this new atmosphere and culture was all very new to me.
Once we arrived and grabbed our bags, we all packed into buses and embarked on an hour drive to the Students International site in Jarabacoa. They invited us into cabins and will be feeding us at the base. The SI staff play such an influential role in the community here.
For the next two weeks, I will be playing my favorite sport, Baseball with Dominican kids! I’m ready for them to absolutely school me on the field. Anyways, by the time you’re reading this, I will probably throwing the ball around and serving the community. Thank you all for reading! Bye!!!
-Ethan Carpenter (Current Student)