Posts

Visiting an environmental school to learn about reforestation

Image
Today was the day we really got to work. After a lovely breakfast we traveled to an environmental school, the name of which I'm going to have to look up.  There it is. Instituto del Ambiente intro And there it is again.  The school is in two sites, and we spent quite a bit of our day in their multi-use structure. It's an open-air shelter, though it's more than a shelter really. It's clearly the center of the school, where we had some team building activities, a presentation about the school's mission, and at the end of the day, students taught us how to dance. More on that later. Study in 1968, the school is for 18 to 27-year-olds, and students in the program live there for 3 years, if they're in the full program. They then maybe hired by the government, the forestry department to help with reforestation in the Dominican Republic. Sadly, Haiti, the DR's neighboring country, is quickly on the road to deforesting the landscape. The scho...
Post a Comment
Read more

Landed in the Dominican Republic and traveling to Jarabacoa

Image
Yesterday we landed in Santiago. We were treated to views you normally don't get at O'Hare or Midway . We then got on a bus for about an hour and headed into the mountains to a town called Jarabacoa.  The views were pretty amazing, although it was a little bit difficult to look out the window with the sun blasting in on my side of the bus . We are staying at the hotel Gran Jimenoa. Absolutely amazing river views. We also got a tour of the town. They are keenly aware of their place in preserving the ecology in the Dominican Republic. That being said, there are motorcycles absolutely everywhere. Our tour guide Gabriel insists on helping us all across the street because of the motorcycle traffic. Tomorrow, we head to an environmental school. Where we will be welcomed and will be working on ecology related projects with the students. Can't wait!
Post a Comment
Read more

And we are off!

Image
We left the hotel in Rosemont at 3:30 am, and got to O'Hare. 6:00 am liftoff! And now we are getting into Newark. Our itinerary looks amazing! Visiting an environmental school to learn about deforestation efforts... Service project at the Marissa Center for Girls in Cabarete. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Preparing for the trip: 10/7/22

Image
The Illinois Association of School Administrators sponsors a global service trip for Superintendents and School Board Members to the Dominican Republic.  Hal, Jay, and I leave for the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, October 11. Right now, we just getting ready for the trip, packing very lightly. We'll have a carry on duffel bag and small backpack with only the necessities.  At this time, we know very little about the projects we'll be working on. We know it will benefit local communities in the DR, but the specifics of our work won't be determined until we arrive. What we do will be in response to based on the immediate need  in these communities.  That's it for now. Can't wait! Hope to post daily, but we will see the connectivity situation on the ground when we arrive!   
Post a Comment
Read more