Mofongo? Batchata? Yes, please!

On our recruitment trip to the Dominican Republic, we fell in love with Dominican culture and look forward to welcoming our Dominican participants who will share their culture with Americans who haven’t had the pleasure of visiting this Caribbean country. Along with our partner, GloEx, who hosted us, we visited Los Tres Ojos (The Three Eyes), a limestone cave with four brilliantly blue ponds -  "Lago de Azufre”, "La Nevera", "El Lago de las Damas", and "Los Zaramagullones”, which is not considered one of the eyes due to removed position from the cave. The cave is filled with stalactites and stalagmites and has lush greenery both sprouting from the ground and trailing down from the overhead opening. The cave and ponds are home to many different critters, and we were lucky enough to spot bats, fish, spiders, and even the sweetest cat who was open to lots of pets. After the national park, we wandered through the Zona Colonial, the oldest permanent European settlement of the Americas, and even spotted the American Ambassador, Robin Bernstein! Throughout the trip, we tasted scrumptious local cuisine, like fresh fish, empanadas, and mofongo. We ended our trip with at outdoor discotheque where we watched, and embarrassingly tried, different dance styles from salsa to bachata.

Experiencing Dominican culture gave so much to us and helped us develop our understanding of our Dominican participants. We wanted to reciprocate by giving back to the community that hosted us. As a company with programs that promote educational development, we wanted to continue this theme with a donation of educational toys to a local first grade class. We provided the students with legos, play-doh, coloring books, crayons, soccer balls, and a t-ball set. All of these items contribute to successful development from creativity through art to motor skills through building to physical and mental health through sports. The children were exuding joy and excitement, which affirmed how important volunteering, whether it be at home or abroad, is.

Our recruitment fair helped prepare participants for the Summer Work and Travel program by giving them a overview of the purpose and regulations and providing them with an understanding of who World Wide Cultural Exchange is and what our values are. Our employers, Loews and Eagles Beachwear, gave informative and engaging presentations to introduce their businesses and drum up enthusiasm for the participants’ employment. Through our interview process, we became acquainted with all prospective participants and selected a promising group of young adults who will continue our mission of connecting our global community and making the world a little bit smaller.

Photos contributed by World Wide Cultural Exchange and Global Educational Exchange.