Friday - 2.16.24

Our morning began bright an early with a 5:30am arrival to EHS. We were all so excited to see each other knowing that we were about to embark on our exciting journey to the Dominican Republic. Everyone said goodbye to their parents, boarded the bus, and we were off. The bus ride to Newark airport was smooth and trafficless, complete with a beautiful sunrise over the NY skyline. Once we arrived at the airport, check-in was a breeze and we made it through security without any problems. Our next stop was gate C90, where we grabbed some snacks, enjoyed each other's company and finally boarded the flight to Santo Domingo.

Before we knew it, we were able to see the beautiful shoreline and blue waters of the Dominican Republic. The plane landed in Santo Domingo and we all shared in the tradition of cheering and applauding for a safe flight. Once we got off the plane, we grabbed all of our checked luggage and finally met Rafael, our awesome tour director! 

We went straight to la Zona Colonial from the airport, where we unloaded our bags and walked into the walled city. As we were walking through the colonial city, I head one student say, "I don't think my brain has actually processed that we are here yet!" It felt surreal to be in the presence of all the history that surrounded us. After a brief stroll on "el Conde," one of the main avenues in the Zona Colonial, we arrived at our hotel, checked in and immediately headed over to the supermarket to grab some pesos and other necessities. 

Once everyone had the chance to get what they needed from the supermarket and check out some of the stores around our hotel, it was time to get ready for dinner and head over to the restaurant. The meal was delicious! We had some pollo al horno, arroz con plátano maduro, y ensalada verde. Some of the students even played a circumlocution game in Spanish! They were playing heads up with their phone, but they were describing all of the words in Spanish! Everyone was in great spirits and happy to finish up a long day of travel. Once dinner was over, we walked off some of the food by exploring some of la Zona Colonial. It was cool to see some of the historic buildings at night and check out the view of el Río Ozama. 

On our walk back to the hotel, it started to rain and instead of hiding from it, we embraced it and continued our trek back. It actually felt really nice and for some of us, it brought back childhood memories of dancing in the rain. Now that we're all back in the hotel, we are exhausted, however, we're excited to get some rest and start exploring Santo Domingo tomorrow!