Day 1 - Rain, rain, go away (and it did!)

Greetings from Rancho Baiguate! Even though we had a slower than expected start to the day and had to be flexible to both island weather and island time, our first full day in the Domincan Republic was a great one. Given the wet conditions this morning, we spent the first part of our day enjoying each other's company, playing card games, getting fully oriented to what is in store for the week ahead, and learning a new and very fun group game called "Chicken." Our Rustic Pathways guides, Kate, CJ, Carlos, and Jackson are fun leaders and the group is already bonding nicely!

Once the rain stopped, we were able to take a tour of Rancho Baiguate and learned about the many environmentally sustainable projects underway here. The grounds are beautiful and the projects expansive. It's wonderful to stay in a place that is so dedicated to the environment and its local community. Rancho Baiguate seeks opportunities through micro finance and waste water treatment (among others) to make life in Jarabacoa better. The group enjoyed learning about these projects and, as Anna McMurchy so astutely noticed, it was nice to walk on grass, again!

Once the tour ended, we had a delicious lunch and as we finished up, one last lingering shower rolled through before the sun finally broke free from the clouds! Unfortunately, our guides did not think the conditions were favorable for starting our service project, which will be to dig an aquaduct in a local community, given the saturation of the ground. So, instead, we embraced the opportunity to tour La Jagua, a community in which returning DR trip members worked last year. The aquaduct project there was completed late last summer and it was clear to see when walking around that life had changed for the better in this small community high up in the mountains.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Poblivio, the community leader who worked with the group last year. It was great to see familiar faces and we quickly set off to see the water source for the aquaduct, something we were not able to see last year. Though it was muddy and at times a little arduous, the hike was well worth the journey as it was rewarding to see the origin of clean drinking water for this community. It was also incredible to think about the distance the aquaduct covers as it took about 20 minutes on foot to reach the source!  

After our hike, we took a brief tour of the community and stopped by Poblivio's house where group members had the opportunity to ask questions about life in La Jagua and take a well-deserved break from the heat and sun. Ashleigh and Madeline made fast friends with many of the children, and Kimmy and Emily had fun sliding down the muddy hill! All in all, it was a great visit had by all. We said our goodbyes and headed back down the mountain to briefly stop in to the community where we will work for the remainder of our time here in Jarabacoa. Hatillo is a very small community on the outskirts of Jarabacoa and, like La Jagua before, does not have access to running water. We will spend tomorrow and Tuesday in Hatillo digging a ditch in which to lay PVC pipe. It promises to be hard, but rewarding work.

Currently, there is a rousing card game going and we are preparing for our nightly reflection. Be on the lookout for student guest writers in the coming days. Hasta mañana!

Thank goodness for cards!

Playing a new group game "Chicken" - Lynn was the ultimate victor!

Taking a tour of Rancho Baiguate and learning about environmental sustainability projects

A lone horse mid-tour

Everyone on the truck as we head for La Jagua

La Jagua

 Community leader, Poblivio, showing us the water source of the recently completed aquaduct

Group shot at the water source

Returning students, Ms. Barlow and community members at the source

Poblivio's wife in her kitchen with clean running water!

 Fruits of our labor from last year!