Summer High School Programs in Dominican Republic with Rustic Pathways

I had been impressed with the experience from our initial decision to send our daughter. She was signing up with a friend who had previously been on a Rustic pathways trip. Me, being the nervous mother, packed many items to insure that they would be comfortable. Aleve, pepto bismal, tums, etc. However, four days in to the trip my daughter started to have an allergic reaction on her face that she occasionally gets during seasonal allergies. I didn't think to pack that medicine. I was able to text my daughter the name of the prescription and they had it for her within an hour. It would have taken me longer to get that prescription here. I was very impressed.

My daughter went on the Marine Life and Coastal Restoration trip in the Dominican Republic with Rustic Pathways this summer. She loves travel and service trips and the entire 'rustic' experience. Unfortunately she broke her thumb the week before and went on the trip with a waterproof cast, some pain and not a little anxiety. Although she was thrilled to still be allowed to do the trip, in the end she was not able to participate in the water activities, and was not really able to relax and enjoy herself, so she came home a week early.
I am writing because I wanted to remark on the DR staff members. I cannot thank Alexa, Nicole, Ben and Harry enough for everything they did. Alexa and Nicola took great care of Annie during the trip with her broken thumb and cast, and pain and anxiety. They are caring, warm, patient and insightful, and were wonderful to her and with her. Ben took her to the clinic to have her cast removed, after many conversations with us both, and then helped book her on a flight home. Harry drove her to the airport and made sure she got safely through security. I know they were both busy with other trips and students, but they still went out of their way to help us both. I was especially appreciative of their help and availability all the rest of that day when Annie's flight was delayed, and then delayed again, beyond the time of her Miami connecting flight, and I could not get in touch with her to talk to her about it. Harry and Ben both remained calm and assured me that they would get in touch with her and that all would be well, which it was.
So I highly recommend the Rustic Pathways trips because the staff are amazing, and they continued to be wonderful and helpful and calm even when things were not going as planned.
Sincerely,
Jane

Even though I was the only freshmen with people that I didn't know, I still felt welcome. The people that go on trips like these are always nice and willing to make friends. Also, the instructors were just as nice. The trip itself was half fun and half work which for me was the right amount. Before going to the Dominican Republic, you should learn just a little spanish so you aren't lost all the time... Overall, this was a great experience for me.

My experience with this program was pretty good. I was very exited to go one this trip however, I did not know much about it! I was disappointed to some degree because I was very exited to speak lots of Spanish, talk to tons of locals and learn about the government of this country but that was pretty limited.

This trip was a life changing experience. The staff was amazing and I still stay in touch with some of them. Together as a group we dug trenches and laid piping for the town to have an aqueduct. This was hard work, but the staff made it fun the whole time and allowed us to take numerous breaks making it bearable. It was amazing to see how thankful the community was and how much work they put into our project. The next day we were the leaders of running a camp for the kids. This was hard because the counselors stepped back and gave all the responsibility to us. This was amazing because you form a bond like no other with these kids. Not being able to speak the language you are forced to communicate in different ways. One of the little girls did my hair and put flowers into it, something that wouldn't usually happen in the United States. After long days of service we would have free time which was so fun and helped us build friendships, playing cards and banagrams after a long day of working in the dirt was so fun. The trip was the perfect balance between learning about the Dominican Republic culture and helping a community in need. The sights we saw such as beaches and waterfalls were one's I will never forget. The counselors taught us history of the DR and taught us their traditional dances that we were able to perform the last night when we had a going away type party. Everyone's ability to give up technology even when we were in areas that it was available made the experience so rewarding. This is an experience that I will never forget, and the friendships I made were amazing. I still stay in touch with over half of the people from my group.

To say the least, this trip has been amazing. Not only did this trip incorporate the tourism side of the country, we also got to see the poorest areas of all-- the bateyes, where not many people get to visit. Going to both the agricultural and tourist areas of the country, we are able to really see the country, not only its beaches and waves but also its poverty. I got to learn more about the Dominican government, the sugar cane companies, and the hardships of the Haitian immigrants. This has really been an eye-opening experience for me, and I'm sure, the others in the group. 3 of us are even considering going on this same trip AGAIN next year. Aside from being in the impoverished bateyes, we also went around as a regular tourist would at the beautiful beaches, caves, and historical sites, so if you are interested in doing lots of community service, learning about Dominican culture, and also swimming in unbelievably beautiful beaches and caves, this trip is for you.

If you want a fun, life- changing experience during your summer rather than sitting home on instagram (come on, we all know you do that;) ) then going on a rustic pathways trip is definitely for you! I participated in the Advanced Leadership Program and I am proud to say I came back a different, better person. The experience and bond I had with the little kids during the camp we ran was truly indescribable. As much as this trip was fun, it was also one of the hardest, most rewarding things I've ever done. Everyone on the trip got along well and I know I've made life long friends!

While in the Dominican Republic, I truly got to experience how the locals live and why us going there can impact their lives. Learning about what they have to deal with daily was opened my eyes to the fact that in the U.S., people have very easy and simple lives. When our running water is shut off, even if only for a few minutes, we act like it's the end off the world. In the DR the running water is not drinkable, you can't flush toliet paper. Things like this we take granted for everyday and it's amazing to know that the people there are grateful for what they have, even though they could complain about they have to go through.