Marine Life and Coastal Restoration-Ian Travis

Let me start by saying that this trip to the Dominican Republic(D.R.) was far and beyond what I was expecting. I started the journey at Miami International Airport, knowing almost nothing, entered a foreign country with little knowledge, and no friends with me. That was changed within hours of arriving in Santo Domingo, with the program leaders leading us through fun, engaging team building activities. We talked in great detail at what we were going to be doing in the D.R., and we talked about the impact we would leave. On this trip, we worked with coral reefs predominantly, in that we did everything in our power to help the corals while we were there. We dove down under the water to see how the coral reefs were doing, and we educated local kids with our little Spanish about how important it is to protect these building blocks of life. We also cleaned beaches, planted mangroves, and ran a summer camp for a day. In addition to this meaningful service work on our trip, we visited many places. Our group visited Santo Domingo's old town, caves with petroglyphs, went looking for turtles at 2 AM, and visited natural pools. We stayed at a variety of locations, all of which enriched the experience. My favorite place was the eco-lodge at Caño Hondo(https://paraisocanohondo.com/en/) in Los Haitses national park. It was a hotel like no other and is built into a mountain with a river running through it. Anyway, to conclude, the program was incredibly enriching; I learned more than anyone could ever learn in a classroom, and I feel that I have had a lasting positive impact on the ecosystem of the Dominican Republic. I would rank this program 10/10, and next year I am embarking on another Rustic trip, this time to Thailand and Laos.