Dominican Republic ISV 2016!

So, first of all, I was a fresher when I heard about ISV. They came into one of my lectures and talked about these amazing opportunities to travel literally halfway across the world to volunteer and experience an adventure tour over the summer. Travelling has always been a passion for me, so I definitely wanted more information! I went along to the meeting at my university, where they outlined the six different countries and the conservation or community work you would be doing. I chose the Dominican Republic for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to start learning Spanish, and ISV has a partnership with ALPI which gives an optional Spanish Immersion week in the DR at the start of the program. Second, it was a chance to meet people around my age (18-25 in my case, but ISV doesn't have age restrictions). Finally, and most importantly, it was a chance to travel while making a concrete and positive impact on the community you live and work in for the project itself.
I won't lie and say it's easy work, or that it's a really cheap program, but there are plenty of ways to raise money, and ISV will give you tips on that, and seeing the positive impact you can have on the community, made the trip, for me, completely worth it!
For my two week project, we rebuilt a playground at a local school, replaced the foundations in an elderly man's home, and taught the children at a summer camp. There's a real sense of achievement when you can step back and see the change once you've finished the work. The kids were climbing all over the playground equipment even before we completed the whole playground!
Not only that, ISV also gives you an opportunity to add a two week adventure tour, in which you'll experience plenty of extreme activities, see some amazing wildlife, and basically have the time of your life! My favourite experience was probably the Fun Fun Caves, since it combined four different activities into one action packed day: hiking, horse riding, rappelling, and spelunking. That was a single day of the two week adventure tour. It was all go, and I enjoyed every second!
There are project leaders and tour leaders who look after you over the time you're in the DR. My project leaders were Danyi and Pedro, and you couldn't find anyone more enthusiastic for the work we were doing. Danyi was always full to the brim with energy, and it was clear how much Pedro cared for the people we were working with. They were brilliant, and I would just say a huge thank you to them for making the experience so rewarding.
My tour leader was Adolfo, and he was always ready to help with anything. If you had any questions, he was ready to answer them. He kept our slightly unruly group organised over the adventure tour and even suggested an extra activity of paragliding, which was outwith the included package, but an exhilarating experience and well worth the extra money.
Overall, if you love travelling to new places and experiencing new cultures, while giving back to the communities, this is the volunteer project for you. If this is your first time travelling, and you're not sure if you want to go this far, I still believe this is for you. Life is for new experiences, and what better time to experience than now? Be brave and step into the unknown. I promise it will be worth it.