Learning about myself in the DR

Our service trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was as much of an external service project to the community we visited, as it was an internal self lesson. Along the way, I learned more about myself in one week, then I could’ve in years, otherwise. The reason? For one whole week, we spent our time focusing on the ones around us and making a difference, rather than ourselves. I learned things about myself that I never expected to. I realized my urge to help others, my compassion to work with kids and discovered a sense of leadership that went far beyond my previous experiences. Along with this, I found a sort of self-content that can only come from being a part of something bigger than yourself.

Going into this experience, I was very unsure of what to expect. While I’ve been to Central America before, and seen up-close the poverty and living extremes that inhabit third-world countries, I had never been exposed in a way like I knew I would be on this trip. Meeting the kids and the families of the lives we would impact through our service trip and getting hands-on experience working to make a difference in this community would be a life changing opportunity, I knew. However, what I was not prepared for was the warm embrace our 4-H group was welcomed with, and the extraordinary people that we worked along side during this trip. Gone was the initial nervousness I first felt, as it was replaced with a sense of kindness and appreciation that the Dominicans we encountered exuded. The impact we made not only on the community, but on the lives of the people was evident on each and every face in different ways- whether it was the beaming face of a kid who was handed a new soccer ball, or the quiet relief on a school teacher’s face as new school supplies were delivered or even the friendly surprise of a hotel employee we greeted. It was truly amazing to be able to visibly see the difference that you, yourself could make. There is something to be said about having the opportunity to be able to do so much for a country that has so little.

The culture we experienced while in the Dominican Republic was simply incredible. It’s one thing to eat jerk chicken, or listen to some reggae music back in the states, than it is to visit a Caribbean country, that is for sure. One of the most important and influential things a person can do, is visit another country and live in a different culture. In fact, I would say it’s an absolute necessity. You can learn more about others, and yourself, by doing this, than you can by doing just about anything else. As a group, we experienced different lifestyles, religion, language, music, entertainment, and food. Every day we ate traditional Dominican food, listened to island music, learned new sentences in Spanish and even learned to Salsa and Merengue, typical Dominican dances. I definitely believe others should have the experience I, and this amazing group of 4-H teens, did this year. To help a third-world community, experience culture, and learn so much about other people is a truly awesome experience that should be shared all around.

Submitted by Julia Billingsley, Highland County