This summer, a group of 24 cotter students attended an 8 day service trip to the Dominican Republic, led by chaperones Amber Atkinson, Mela Schmitz, Uli Schorn-Hoffert, and Gordon Hoffert. The group traveled all across the country, including stops in Santo Domingo, Jarabacoa, and more.
Some of the students’ favorite activities were horseback riding, swimming in waterfalls, learning about the country’s history, playing games in the bus, and spending time with one another at the various hotels they stayed at. “It was like a dream,” said Jase Vafaei, a senior who attended the trip.
The students also were able to learn and experience the foreign culture and language.
“I always hope the kids try to speak the language, in which this group really surprised me with their willingness to try even though when I had some of the students in class they didn’t seem interested in the language. Those same students wanted to learn phrases and speak in Spanish in the Dominican Republic,” said chaperone and trip organizer, Amber Atkinson.
The service aspect of the trip included three different projects. Firstly, the group volunteered at a tree nursery, where they pulled weeds and cleaned growing containers for tree sprouts. Secondly, the group volunteered to work at a geriatric center, where they gave pedicures, painted nails, and even sang together for the elderly. Finally, the group helped to clean pollution and trash from a local river.
However, not all parts of the trip went entirely smoothly. During the flights home, a hurricane hit near the area Miami Airport, canceling the group’s flight to MSP. The group spent 24 miserable hours in the Miami airport, unable to get boarding passes or through security.
A number of people from the group were sick on this last day so they tried to rest as much as possible. Students slept on the floor of the airport or played cards to pass time. Two students even waited in line for Subway sandwiches for over three hours during the night.
Despite this less than ideal extended stay at the airport, when asked if they would go on the trip again, nearly everyone said yes, which shows the overall good experience had there. “Even though we had that issue at the end, the trip was well worth it!” said Amber Atkinson.
“It was an adventure and I made memories I will definitely never forget,” said Coco Costello.
