Today was our last day in the Dominican Republic. We have
been working hard all week and today we finally got a full day of free time to relax and
enjoy the beauty of the island.
We started the morning off with snorkeling along the coral
reef. When we arrived we were all fitted for masks, life vests, and flippers!
We were able to see a variety of different fish and some people even spotted barracuda.
The dive team also took us to an underwater statue museum where they let people
take turns diving to the bottom to touch the figures.
By the end of the trip, about half of our teens and some of
the adults were sea sick so we headed in to shore for stable ground.
After snorkeling, we had the day free to lay by the pool or
enjoy the sandy beach. Most of our group ended up in the pool where we decided
to attempt to stack a tower of 4 people on each other’s shoulders. We also got
to take a lot of underwater pictures. It was a great last day full of team
bonding.
We ended our evening by attending dinner at the Guidicelli’s
home. They served us pork and moro (rice dish), along with mashed yucca and an avocado salad - a delicious, authentic Dominican meal. They also taught us many Dominican
dances, including merengue, the National Dance. We were also able to teach them a few moves of our own! The dancing was
interrupted by the singing of Happy Birthday for Niki’s 17th
birthday. She said she was very excited and happy to be spending her birthday
in the Dominican Republic.
It was very difficult
for some of us to say goodbye to our Dominican friends. One thing we all
learned this week is that friends become family very quickly in the Dominican
Republic.
We are all headed back to the states with a new family that
lives miles away. Many of us exchanged information in the hopes of staying
connected throughout the year. Many of the teens have decided the trip went so
well, they are returning next year to pick up where they left off! Our 4-H
group left the Guidicelli’s saying, “This is goodnight and not goodbye.”
Dakota Funkhouser, from Shenandoah County
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