Alyssia
Psychology Undergraduate |
Alyssia
Psychology Undergraduate |
Friday 1/20/23 Today we took a trip to Puerto Plata to see some really cool stuff. We went to the Fort/Prison that the Maribal Sisters husbands were kept at during their assassination. I enjoyed seeing this since I wasn’t able to see the sisters houses due to sickness so it was nice to see something related to the history. We took a short walk and saw the Social Services building in PP. There they help patients with HIV, reproductive health, general checkup, domestic violence victims, psychologists, and they even have a pharmacy. Everyone there was so nice, and they showed us a lot. They talked about how they go into the communities to get patients and they even help patients get to them. It was a really cool place to be and it was free too which I liked because not many people have insurance in the states let alone in the DR. We walked around for a bit and stopped at this really cute place for lunch called Kaffe. It was really good. Then it was on to the next adventure. We took a walk down the pink street and umbrella road (see below) then we gathered in Puerto Plata square and we waited for our taxi driver. Once we were all in the bus we traveled back into Sosua to visit CONANI. This is an organization that helps children who need services. This could be children that are struggling with abuse, or who need mental health services. They also help with kids who have special needs, and they help them connect with other organizations that can help them get what they need. They even do adoptions even though its only to heterosexual couples its still interesting to hear all the things they do for the children. We got back on the bus after about 30 minutes with CONANI and took the 30-minute drive back home. Once we got back Anna went shopping with me. I was really grateful for that because I was the only one who hadn’t gone shopping yet and she offered up her time to go with me. We were put for about 2 hours before coming back home to have a big dinner with all the food we had left in our house. Saturday 1/21/23 Ziplining and Monkey Jungle time! We woke up early and headed down to the coffee shop to wait for our bus like normal. At about 8:30 am we got on the road to monkey jungle. On our way there we received what our taxi driver described as “ a free Dominican massage” because we were driving on really bumpy dirt roads. I thought this was funny. We got there and I chickened out of the ziplining. I know how silly of me. But I did get a really cool tour of the facilities at the monkey jungle and got to learn some history behind the organization. Its not just a tourist attraction. It also is called HADAC. HADAC was started in 2009 when a couple decided they would move to the Dr and start a free clinic and pharmacy to help the Dominican and Haitian communities. They would take donations from the states and fly doctors down to do clinics for the communities. All while building a zipline and rescuing endangered monkeys. The husband was an engineer, and the wife was knowledgeable in primates and other animals so it worked perfectly. They continued to build their attractions and their clinics over a few years. In 2016 the couple was flying supplies out to Haiti in their small plane. They were able to land there and drop their supplies bringing another passenger back to the Dominican with them. Unfortunately they crashed on the way back and were lost at sea. The wife’s parents decided to come down to keep their dreams running. Now they still have clinics and have doctors come from all over to help the community. They still have the ziplines and the monkeys and its absolutely beautiful there. After the tour I was invited to feed peacocks which I gladly did. I learned that only the males have the pretty feathers on them and I thought that was cool because I didn’t know that before today. I feel like that was equivalent to ziplining while others might not think so. Once the other girls got back from flying through the sky it was time for the monkeys!!!! This was the most exciting part. Once we got into the enclosure the monkeys started jumping all over us! It was so fun, and I loved it. We fed them sunflower seeds and they cracked them on our heads and left the shells in our hair. Then we got to feed them some watermelon which they absolutely loved. Did I mention they were spider monkeys? These small guys get a super specialized diet, I also learned that on my private tour. They loved us! Then we went down some rock steps to see COCO. COCO was the one of the first monkeys the original founder rescued, and boy was he aggressive at times especially when it came to food! He was really cute though. He even showed us that he can slam a large rock on the ground multiple times. The guide told us a story about how one time a woman got too close to the cage and COCO took her phone and bent it! I made sure to keep mine close by. After we fed the monkeys and said goodbye we piled back into the van to drive back home. On our way home we belted songs out and showed our taxi driver Maximo some older toons like Bohemian Rapsody. He liked that one. We immediately hit the beach when we got home it was so hot!! After sitting in the sand for a bit we all moved to the pool back at our estate. We took a quick dip and decided to tan. Well, I fell asleep… so I burned. Surprisingly it doesn’t hurt though!! I never flipped to get my back so I’m not tan at all on my back only burnt on my front. We were out in the sun for about two hours and then we went and took showers. We had another big dinner with what food we had left we made garlic bread and pizza as well as two types of pasta. Our kitchen was a disaster zone, but it was so fun to cook with everyone. We danced around the kitchen cooking and listening to a 2010s playlist. We all sat down to eat and we still had soooo much food after. Then we all went back out to the beach to just soak in those last warm night walks. When we got back to the house we started to pack and then we went to sleep Sunday 1/22/23 Travel Day
I’m writing this as I’m on my first flight home right now I’m 35,567 feet in the air and its absolutely gorgeous. This morning we got a catered breakfast from Cabarete Coffee and I made sure to pick up a few bags for my friends back home. I had peanut butter toast with bananas and a chocolate croissant for breakfast and they were so good. That is one thing Ill miss the most about the food is the homemade peanut butter. It beats storebought by a long shot. We left breakfast to go finish packing and to write blogs, which I’m doing on the plane instead. We gathered and weighed all our bags to take them downstairs. One of the women from 3MM that we worked closely with Iskania showed up to say goodbye and we gave her a big hug. Her son was there too, and he was such a cutie! I went back to my house to finish my packing and then we started loading up the van. We took a short ride to the airport and got our bags. There was a long like to check in and after that we went through security. Once we got through we had about 2 hours before our flight was supposed to leave so we all got some food and shopped a little. I got some cool candies that the states don’t have, and I’m excited to try them. Then we all got settled and waited for the plane to start boarding. Before we were allowed to board the first flight a dog had to sniff all of our carryon items to see if there was anything we couldn’t have on the plan. We all checked out with the dog and got to board. The first flight today I’m sitting with Emily and Anna, and I have a middle seat which I don’t really mind, I kind of like them. We will land in Newark New Jersey around 5 pm and then we have a three hour layover until 8:30 when we board to go home. I sure do miss the Dominican Republic and all it had to offer me these last two weeks but I’m ready to be home and in my own bed. I hope I get this kind of experience again. I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity and all the memories that its created for me. This trip is something I will tell stories about for years. This trip has made one thing clear for me. When I come back to the DR one day I will not stay in a resort. Once you’ve been emersed into the culture there’s no better place to be than in the culture. I think a resort doesn’t give a person what Cabarete really has to offer. You must go out and seek what it has.
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AuthorHi! I am currently studying psychology at Buffalo State College! I hope to be a clinical child psychologist in the future. I love to spend time with my friends and family and I love taking naps! You’ll catch Me on the couch every Sunday for the Buffalo Bills game! Im always busy learning or trying new things! :) Archives
February 2023
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