Global Connections--Personal Connections: Compass Juniors Transformed by Dominican Republic Experience

We are far from home, more in spirit than in miles. It is hard to overstate how different the living conditions are here from what anyone has at home. It is also hard to overstate how adaptable, and seemingly happy, all the Compass kids are here in Tres Ceibas, this tiny farming village in the hills of the Dominican Republic. I guess the fact that they actually do have electricity, which usually works for part of every other day, maybe exceeds our expectations. Little else here raises life much beyond the poorest of communities anywhere on the planet, with little changed in lifestyle or supplies from life 100 (or 1000 years ago).

The huts of palm leaf walls and roofs now mostly serve as outdoor kitchens, while the houses are made of concrete blocks or thin pieces of handcut wood with plenty of spaces for natural air conditioning that allows us to be surprisingly chilly at night. Dirt floors are as common as cement, and walls are merely dividers of small spaces that do nothing to muffle sound or promote privacy. The rare outhouses are the least whole of structures (maybe too much work for something that will be blown down in the next big storm, or moved in a few months when the whole fills).

And yet, everyone (our kids as well as our host families) seems more than comfortable. We are active (if you count waiting around for the next thing in classic flexible Dominican island time) from dawn to dark, the food is healthy and hearty, and our only means of transport is by foot—up to clear the bean field, to teach English at the school, to “town” for afternoon basketball, down to the river to bathe.

Absent the comforts of home, our kids find wonder in the most simple of things—the soda from the tienda, the ice cream bars from Felipe the traveling ice cream seller, a stale cookie, washing clothes by hand in a bucket, finding someone who speaks some English, recognizing another of our many friends we have met in passing. In our last full day, the kids want to stay longer here, where they feel so comfortable and at home.

The 11^th grade Global Connections Dominican Republic Program was a spectacular success in all aspects. This program has many goals. Among these are:

* Developing cross cultural understanding

* Learning how to be a “traveler, not a tourist”

* Appreciation of life in less developed parts of the world

* Engaging in service

* Extensive practice with Spanish language

Our adventures in the Dominican Republic achieved these and much more. In two weeks of cultural immersion and service, the students of the junior class experienced the wide range of life in this country that was the birthplace of Western culture in this hemisphere. Everyone returned safe, healthy, and with new appreciation for life here and the wonders of lives throughout the world.

The students on this trip deserve immense praise for their tremendous adaptability and positive attitudes. Their openness and outreach invited others to be incredibly open with them, leading to countless new friendships and experiences that most travelers will never have. While a part of this trip is direct service in Dominican communities, the real service for me is the personal connections between individuals from our country and theirs—sharing from the heart in way that makes the world a more peaceful and caring place. The power of these experiences will resonate with these students for years to come, and with those whose lives we touched.

Read personal reflections from students here.