Final Reflection - Kathryn Flynn

This week has been one of the best weeks of my life, just like last year. Each year I learn more, see more, and experience more things. It is such an eye-opening experience, and one I am planning to make for a few more years. We work with some pretty awesome kids, and they teach me so much each year. I’ve had three years in Spanish class at Strasburg, but I learn more Spanish with those kids in a week than I do any other time. They are such a joy to be around, and a joy to work with.

I also love going to the schools. That part of the trip is more moving and thought provoking than any other. We go and see all these kids at their school, give them school supplies and play with them, and they are so thankful. Even with the language barrier I can tell the extent of their gratitude from the huge smile that splits from ear-to-ear. They look at school as a privilege, something that they like; this makes me change the way I look at school at home. Most of my friends and I see school as a bit of a prison, we can’t wait to get out at the end of the day. These kids show me that an education is a really valuable thing; with an education you can go anywhere. That is what I get out of this trip the most. They might not have much but they are so grateful for what they do have.

I honestly cannot wait until next year, I’m counting down!

Contributed by Kathryn Flynn, Shenandoah County

Final Reflection from a Veteran - Chase Smith

This year was my fourth year traveling with 4-H to the Dominican Republic. After every year I always tell myself that no other year will top this one, but I am always wrong. The trip gets better and better every time I go. This year we did not have as big as a group as past years, but I enjoy going with a small group. That way we get to know each other better, by the end of the week, we are like a family.

This year I tried a different type of fundraising, I sent out letters with pictures to the community to ask for donations. I figured I would get about half and then do some fundraisers to cover the rest, but I was wrong. Multiple businesses, churches, and individuals were inspired by my trip and decided to help me get there. I ended up getting one hundred percent of the funds needed for this trip. I couldn’t thank the community members of Bath County and surrounding areas enough for their generosity. 

I love when we first arrive at the hotel; many of the Dominican teens are there to greet us. We renew multiple friendships, and make many more with them. Then after getting to know them, we start our Day Camp. This is the reason I support this trip so much; there is no better feeling than to see the reactions, emotions, and happiness of these children. I was disappointed not to see some of them from last year that I become so close with, but I am glad that many new campers came.

This year we ended up with 43 campers that showed up for the 4-H Day Camp. I know Carol and Christine have wanted to get other children from farther away and the ones that don’t get this kind of opportunity. Well Kayla, a member of the Peace Corps, made this happen by bringing in nineteen kids from a small village called Veron.  I had a blast with all of the kids and made friendships that will last forever. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to them; trust me, if it was possible I would pack them all up in my suitcase and bring them home!

The service project this year was much more rewarding than past projects I have done on this trip. This year we got to refurbish old desks that were being donated to a school in Macao. I knew that what I was doing would be used every day by little children, unlike the last three years where we did landscaping things. Which of course it helps out tremendously, but now I know that my work is going to be put to a good use.

When we went to Macao and met the teacher at the school where the desks and some of the school supplies are going, I got inspired. We learned that this woman had a stable job working at a resort not far from Macao and while visiting the village she noticed that there was no form of education there. So she gave up her job at the resort, and put up a school with 2x4s, tin walls and a tin roof. Now she teaches a morning and afternoon class to all of the kids in the Village of Macao.

The rest of the day we delivered the last of our school supplies to Colegío Elizabeth, in the village of Veron. It feels so good to show up with boxes of supplies and watch all the kid’s faces light up with big smiles.

The trip to Higüey is the part of the trip I look forward to every time I go to the Dominican Republic. It is definitely the biggest eye-opening part of the trip. Yes, we all know what a third world country is, and what it looks like; but we base that all off of what we hear from others and what we see on TV. Here you actually get to see the big picture and get to walk right through it. This year most of us agreed that the farmer’s market smelled a lot worse. I noticed many of the teens saying, “how do they not die by eating all that food out in the open”, after seeing all the meat and fish hanging out in the hot sun, with flies all over it.

The last day we got to go snorkeling, which is always a blast. I get to see things I have never seen in person, such as a flounder, a school of barracuda, baby snappers, a coral reforestation project, and so many other exotic creatures that live down there.

That night we finished up with dinner at the Giudicelli’s house. They are an awesome family to host a party, where they fix us a traditional Dominican meal and teach us Dominican dances.

I would like to thank all who support me every year to go on this life-changing trip. My plan this year is to try to get more people from Bath County to go. I would also like to thank all the chaperones for going on this trip; you all did a great job in helping out during the course of the week. One of which was my teacher my junior year in high school and yearbook advisor, Justin Broughman. I was glad that he got to tag along and see what the trip was all about, after hearing me talk about it all year in school.

I also want to thank Virginia 4-H for all of your support you give towards this trip and a big thank you to Carol Nansel and Christine Hodges for hosting this adventure every year.

I plan to go next year; I already miss all my friends down there. Then hopefully the following years I plan on applying to be a chaperone to continue my services in the Dominican Republic. 

Contributed by Chase Smith, Bath County

Final Reflection - Suzanne Loveland

I can't seem to stop thinking about my trip to the Dominican Republic.  I find myself wondering about some of the smiling children that I met and what they might be doing today. I pray for the the Peace Corp volunteer and know that at times she must feel overwhelmed, but  I also see that she is doing something so worthwhile and making a difference in a village... I wish that I could do what she is doing. I think about that cheery guy who made the most delicious omelets every morning for me .

AND I think about all the wonderful new friendships I made with the people that I  travelled and worked with all week. I truly feel blessed to have met everyone and feel like I have several new buddies.  I also enjoyed working with all of the teens.  They were a great group of workers that were fun to be around!   I wonder if Justin, Carol, Christine, and Debbie are as tired as what I was for several days???  Please say YES!!! 

I also enjoyed seeing Paul and Aligda Giudicelli again as well as all of the Dominican teens.  They were all so friendly and helpful, particularly with Spanish translation. 

I  had a great time experiencing all of this with my son.   Although we joked alot, it was so rewarding to be there with him.  I got to jump off a 10 foot plank into icey cold water with him.  I got to dance the merange with him.  Even though he told me before the trip not to bug him or always take pictures of him, he asked several times to take a picture of "me and my Mom."   I got to experience working really hard in a mission trip to make a difference in our world with my son. 

I had never done any type of international mission work before and I struggled with why I shouldn't do more here in the United States???  Why should I ask my friends and church family to support me with mission work in a foreign country?   Well, why shouldn't we?  I learned that we all need to be more aware of our world.  We all need to take care of it.  We all need to learn about each other's culture so we can better understand why we need to perserve it and avoid conflict.  Hopefully the folks we encountered realized that we do want to help and we do care. If everyone thought about all of our foreign neighbors, wouldn't this world be a better place?  I'd like to think that it would be a more peaceful world, and a cleaner one. 

I think that each one of us made a difference in what we did on that trip. We helped with school supplies, we helped paint desks for a school that will eventually have a permanent structure, we educated youth on the importance of ecology with some simple crafts....all of these things affect their community in a positive manner.   Perhaps it seems small, but it can continue to reap benefits to many.   YES....international work is so important for the 4-H to continue to support.   Everyone needs to be a better steward and neighbor on this planet and this can be most effectively learned through international experiences.

Of course, we all learned how blessed we are with the things that we have.  I think it is easy to think about what we don't have....but, we have so much compared to many people that we saw in the DR.  I will always remember the cement floor shack with mattresses and mosquito nets  that I saw near Macao.   I am so thankful for the infrastructure of the US (I won't complain about our roads anymore!).  I never really thought about our waste management so much until I went on this trip.  Can you imagine not having adequate landfills and where all waste would go?  We had to always plan to have bottled water with us on this trip. 

I would like to thank Carol and Christine for all of the work that they do and did  for this trip.  Their passion is making a difference in so many Dominican and American lives. 

Would I go back?  YES, when are we leaving? 

Contributed by Suzanne Loveland, Chaperon, Shenandoah County

Final Reflection - Debbie Fadeley

What a WONDERFUL trip – I am so glad that I had the opportunity to visit such a great country.  Everyone was so friendly, they went over and above to help you and it was very special to meet Dominican teens who went out of their way to translate for us.  It was truly an eye-opener to see such a poverty-stricken country and the way they live.  I kept asking myself, “how in the world do they survive living without running water or plumbing, no air-conditioning, living in shambled shacks and butchering in 90 degree heat, hanging their meats out to display?”  It was truly amazing.  We live in such a great country and are blessed with so many luxuries and don’t even realize it.  I am so very thankful for all that I have every day!

Delivering the school supplies to the schools was very touching.   What a great way to connect with these children letting them know that we care for them and want to help them out.  The kids faces just lit up when we arrived and were grateful for the “treasures” that we gave them.  Some faces were happy; others not, but what a lasting impression it has left in my heart and on my mind.  I want this particular program to be a part of my life and I want to help out any way I can to make a difference in these children’s lives.

This is a wonderful trip for teens and I highly recommend it.  In today’s world of texting, cell phones, computers, etc., it is important to let them know that technology is a great thing, but it is not the most important.  Kids across the world are suffering every day and WE can be there to help make a difference in their lives by giving them a smile, handing them a piece of candy, stickers, or a jelly bracelet or donating school supplies to help them get an education.  Thank you 4-H for helping to make a difference!

Contributed by Debbie Fadeley, Chaperon, Shenandoah County

Final Reflection - Rachel Harriman

The 4-H Day Camp we held went fantastic!  I thought everybody did their part; American teens, Dominican teens, and of course the adults. It went very smoothly, I expected though that the children who came would not know English and would not want to interact with us but I was completely wrong! Some of the kids spoke English and I thought it was fun trying to figure out what they had said and see what they wanted. I had so much fun and even though I take French in school I learned my fair share of Spanish.

I have to say my favorite part of the whole week was going to the schools to deliver the supplies we had all gathered back at home. I loved being able to see all of their faces when we blew up all the volleyballs and basketballs for them to play with, they were ecstatic! They were all so friendly everyone was smiling and having a good time. I wanted to stay longer at each but we needed to stick to our schedule.

I would recommend this trip to all of my friends and fellow 4-H’ers. I had such a great time and made so many new friends. The 4-H Dominican Republic Trip was truly an ‘eye opener’ for me. 

Contributed by Rachel Harriman, Shenandoah County

Final Reflection - Grayson Love

The 4-H Dominican Republic trip had a huge impact on me.  It let me see/explore a different part of the world that I wouldn't have seen without this program.  I am extremely grateful for this trip because I got to meet new people and make a lot of new friends.  I also learned a thing or two.  I learned that I can make a difference in someones day just by giving them a little fist bump. I also learned that the people of the DR are really friendly and nice. Now that I'm back in the U.S. I'm going to work on my Spanish to get ready for next year! And I would definitley recommend this trip to other 4-H'ers because it is a great trip!!!!!

Contributed by Grayson Love, Rappahannock County

Final Reflection - Bobby Loveland

The trip to the Dominican Republic this year had a big impact on how I live my daily life. It made me realize how privledged I am to live in America and not have to worry about sanitation like Dominicans do.

The 4-H Day Camp gave me knowledge and friendship. Day camp went smoothly.

When we went to Higuey was when it really hit most of us how poor the country really is. Many of us complained and were uncomfortable walking through the streets as the smell was overbearing to some. But at the same time it taught many of us that you really have to be fortunate for what you have.