On November 18, the Dominican Republic service team from Watkinson departed from JFK airport accompanied by five UCONN health residents. For the past 12 years, Watkinson School has been sending teams to the Dominican Republic for the week of Thanksgiving where they spend the week hosting construction and medical clinics in the Dominican Republic where they give aid to those in need.
Below is my reflection of the trip!
Reflection
I traveled to the Dominican Republic during Thanksgiving Break, just like last year. The trip completely changed my life when I went the first time and I knew I would go again the moment I landed back in the United States. Despite the many unexpected delays, and complications our team encountered, we were extremely persistent and adaptive. We were strong through the storm that delayed our flight, caused flooding throughout the island, and prevented us from visiting Batey Papita until Thanksgiving day. Because of this, the construction team worked at a school in La Romana for the week where we painted a mural and different areas of the school, taught and played with the children, and eventually made it to Papita where we distributed medpacks and shoes. I spent every day working at the school with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart. On the other hand, the medical team traveled to their destinations as usual and conducted the medical clinics amazingly.
Similarly to last year, I was on both teams throughout the week and had a well-rounded experience in the Dominican Republic. I went into the trip with many expectations of how the week would go and the biggest lesson I learned was to never do that again! Having expectations clouding your mind will always tarnish the great experiences you may have. Every day was so unexpected and I was constantly surprised. I also learned to appreciate the little things. I went into the trip with the expectation that I would do hard life-changing work every day but I quickly realized that even the little things like playing soccer with a little kid, painting a mural, and saying “God bless you” to people who need it is just as important.
I left the Dominican Republic with many lessons learned, friends made, and a feeling in my heart that work like this is what I want to dedicate my life to. Helping others while connecting with them is something I've become very passionate about and I hope that the rest of my life looks like this! I, of course, plan to go on the trip again this next Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to making more amazing memories!