Leaving the DR

 
We have come to the end of the trip. Most of us left at 4:45 AM. My host mother stayed in the living with us so she could be there when we depart. Leaving there was bittersweet and I will miss the family a little bit.

Coming back to America felt good though.  I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my mom and dad about everything and show them the pictures.

It was nice being back but feels kind of weird for some reason.  It was a long trip back to Kentucky but I made it at 7:00 PM.  I was so exhausted when I got home. Being there was a great experience that I was glad to be a part of.  I liked getting to know and bond with everyone. Two weeks may not sound like a long time but it felt like two months. We have experience so much together in the last two weeks. Getting adjusted to another culture is something I had to get use to but it was a learning experience.  I have learned so much and now view the world in a different perspective. I also learned to be respectful of other cultures that are different from mine.

Being in the Dominican Republic has made me want to become more proficient in Spanish. I definitely wouldn’t mind going back. This was my first studying abroad experience but I hope it won’t be my last.

The last excursion

On Wednesday we went to 27 Charcos. I had no idea what this was and had no idea what to expect. It was 27 waterfalls and we had to jump from all of them. We pulled up to the place, walked up and was told to put on a helmet and a life jacket.  We were told to wear our bathing suits and shoes we wouldn’t mind getting wet so I knew that we were going to be getting in water. When I heard we had to jump from waterfalls I had a different picture in a mind.

We hiked for what felt like an hour till we got to the top of the hill or mountain. It was extremely hot and I worked up a sweat. When we got to the top we jumped from our first waterfall. It was not high at all which a relief it was. I then realized that jumping from the waterfall was the only way down so I had no choice really. I was a little scared to jump but when I did it wasn’t too bad. It was fun actually. Later on during the excursion we were taken to the 25 feet waterfall. When I saw this I was like OH NO aint no way I’m jumping from that. But now I wish I would have done it. I am not scared of heights I was just afraid of getting hurt. I think it would have been fun after getting it over with but it was too late when I thought about doing it. I had already gone down the other side. Even though walking through the water was painful on my feet because of all the rocks I had a lot of fun! I didn’t even mind getting my hair wet.  I enjoyed playing in the water. This would have to be the best excursion we have gone on. This is definitely something I would do again. When we got back from the excursion a few of us went to get our nails done. It shocked me to see that it only cost 50 pesos for this which is equal to $1.16 in US money. This makes me never wanting to leave. LOL.

 The last thing we did as a group was go to the farm. I wasn’t too crazy about it but it wasn’t bad. I learned about the cacao and what it is used for and got a chance to try it. It had a sweet taste but not something that I would want to eat again. The last day was Friday. We had our farewell dinner which was the last time we would all bond together as a group in Santiago. I couldn’t believe it was the last day. Leaving was bittersweet. I am going to miss my host family and the memories I made with everyone in the Dominican Republic.