Life Changing Experience with ISV !

Last summer I spent 5 weeks in the Dominican Republic with ISV and it was by far the best 5 weeks of my life! I wish I could find the words to express the ways in which this trip has changed me but I guess that’s up to you to experience for yourself. I tell everyone that I think this trip was the best way to travel the island in 5 weeks. You get to experience almost every side of life. The first week you stay with a wonderful host family which allows you to get a glimpse into the everyday life of what I would consider your average middle-class family in the Dominican Republic. Then the next two weeks doing volunteer work you get a glimpse of the more poverty stricken areas and the places and ways these people live which makes you truly appreciate the things we take for granted on a day-to-day basis. Some of the volunteer work we did included interacting with the children in the community, creating cement floors in houses that previously had dirt floors, building several latrines and a community center. The volunteer work itself was so rewarding! The work was definitely physical; I was sore after the first day of shoveling but I also found my passion for cement mixing. Then during the adventure tour you push yourself past your comfort zone during various activities surrounded by beautiful scenery. You also travel basically around the entire island moving from hotel to hotel every 2-3 days. I was expecting to stay in cheap motels, but we stayed in BEAUTIFUL hotels that far exceeded my expectations. From the hotels you take day trips to other areas with beautiful scenery. Some of the activities we did during these two weeks included white-water rafting, surfing, cliff jumping, snorkeling, wind-surfing and swimming in beautiful clear water. Through this trip I have made friends that will last a life time and I am so grateful to have gone on this wonderful trip with ISV.