Dominican Republic 2011

In June of 2011, I joined ISV for three weeks in the Dominican Republic. My first week was spent with a host family in Santiago. There I went to Spanish immersions program and learned about the Dominican culture. For the last two weeks, I stayed at Tubuaga an eco plantation outside of Puerto Plata. We ran a summer camp and did beautification projects in Caraballo. We got to interact with children that lived in the refuge camp that had absolutely nothing, but were the nicest most caring kids you will ever meet. Volunteering with ISV opened my eyes and realize how lucky I am to have what I have. I also got to meet amazing people from around North America that I will continue to communicate with.
If you want a life changing adventure, do ISV. Although you are there to volunteer, you do more than that. You experience the culture through traveling and going places where you interact with the locals. The accommodations are out of this world as well as the food. This is a wonderful way to travel because you aren't just hanging out at the resort all day. I think about those three weeks daily and know that it has made me a better person. I liked ISV so much that I'm volunteering with them again in Summer 2012.