Just a Small Town School...

After leaving campus early Monday morning, the Dominican Service Project Winterim has been spending their first week mainly working on their project. This assignment entails the students working with the Cabarete Coffee Company and Tres Mariposas organizations to renovate a public school in Cabarete and spending time with the kids in and out of the classrooms. They've spent most of this week working with the school and the kids while getting familiar with the Dominican culture. Next week, in addition to working on the main project, the students also plan to climb through the Damajagua waterfalls, and trace the footsteps of the widely renowned Mirabal sisters on the 50th anniversary of their deaths. This jam-packed Winterim, led by Ms. Meghan Smith and Mr. Scott Smith, pushes students to widen their perspectives by working and interacting with people who have very different experiences and life-styles.

Cabarete is a small town known for its beaches and beauty and is a popular tourist attraction. It is located in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. The area is brightly

illuminated by constant sunlight, while the sky remains a pale blue and clouds are nowhere to be found. Palm trees are everywhere, and the beaches are picturesque with the vast turquoise, yet freezing cold ocean sprawled out endlessly. Knowing how the gorgeous the scenery of this small town is, the Dominican Service group is very lucky to be in such a warm location, especially when compared to the gloomy rain and grey skies we're getting here in Groton.

(Beach photo cred: Cabarete Dominican Republic)

(Waterfall photo cred: 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua Cascadding Hike)