I am more than half way through my internship. I have officially been here long enough that it feels like home. I no longer wake up and wonder to myself why it’s so warm outside! (Not excited to get back to the cold). After reflecting on my time here so far, I realized how much I have changed in just eight weeks. People will tell you that getting your MSW is the hardest thing they have ever done and while I don’t disagree, this experience is coming for that top spot. However, the most difficult times bring the best rewards, and I am most certainly feeling that now. Throughout this experience, I have become more confident in my abilities and learned to be more kind to myself. Taking a leap like this has reminded me that in order to grow, we must overcome the fear of unfamiliarity.

This experience has forced me to face my fears and insecurities head on, and each time I am stronger. For example, a member of the non-profit organization Therapy Adventures visited the Dominican Republic to see about expanding their organization. The non-profit organization brings therapy and other services to communities and schools in Belize, Panama, Jamaica, Ecuador, Guatemala and hopefully the Dominican Republic. I was asked to accompany Rigil, Luz, Cesar and Arnold, the vice president, operations at AHI Travel, to a different Fe y Alegria school in the community that would benefit from Therapy Adventures and Community Service Alliance’s services. We sat down with the psychology department and gave a “pitch” about the services that could be provided. The school was very interested, and the meeting went great. I was really nervous to go, and I didn’t have much confidence in my language ability. However, I was a productive member of the conversation and the knowledge and training that UB School of Social Work has given me put me in a great position. After the meeting I felt more confident with my language skills, more confident in my ideas and training as a social worker. On top of that, I now have connections to another organization that is passionate about the well-being of children and their families and has connections all around the world.

These past couple weeks have been about connection and familiarity (The title of this blog). I have created so many new connections here professionally and personally. There is a gym in Los Alcarrizos that’s a 7 minute walk from my house, that I go to about 4 times a week. The family that owns the gym have been very welcoming, they even invited me to go on a beach day trip! We went to Playa Baní, a beach just about an hour West from Los Alcarrizos. It was beautiful and on the way there we took so many pictures, I really felt like I was a part of the family. The teachers in the school have also welcomed me with open arms and I am forming more personal relationships with each of them, day by day. This week we celebrated Día Internacional de la Mujers (International women’s day), I am so proud to be a woman and to be surrounded by all of the hardworking, kind and patient women at Santo Niño Jesús Fe y Alegria.

I also wanted to give a little snapshot of what my typical week looks like. Monday-Friday is similar, I wake up around 6:30am and am ready with coffee in my system by 7:00am to head to the school with Luz and my housemate Paloma. Once at the school the students arrive at 7:45 and we sing the national anthem and the school pledge. I love the music that goes with the school pledge, I wish everyone could hear how amazing it sounds with the students singing over it! Then depending on the day, I will assist the school psychologist, work on my Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum or assist the teachers in the classroom. Wednesdays and Fridays I work with two girls for one hour to teach them English. My internship hours vary week to week, but I work about 30-40 hours a week. Once I am finished with work, I will ride with the other teachers home in a gawgaw, it’s similar to a taxi but it is a small van. Or I will go back home with Luz and Paloma. Once a week I cook dinner for everyone in the house, which usually takes up my free time before I head to bed. Other days I relax on the roof, go to the gym, catch up on my favorite shows, read or hang out with my housemates. The weekends are completely different each week, I tend to stay within the community, relaxing, going for walks but I have also traveled numerous times on the weekends. You can really make this place fit your lifestyle, to make it feel like home, to make it feel familiar.

I have officially been in the Dominican Republic for one month. Time is going by so fast, I can´t believe I only have 10 weeks left. I have met some great people, seen beautiful places and found my place in helping the community.

Yesterday marks my one month of being in the Dominican Republic as well as my last Spanish class. I have had the privilege of learning Spanish one on one with Maria Christina. I have completed 25 hours of Spanish and cultural immersion and I can say that I am in a much better place with my Spanish than when I first arrived here. I have a lot more to learn but my pronunciation, sentence structure and confidence has greatly improved. Maria Christina has been a huge support during my transition to the Dominican lifestyle. She has taught me what to watch out for, the gym culture, sayings, slang and even swear words! I can confidently say that without these classes I would not be in the position I am right now and I would be having a much harder time adapting to the culture. The Spanish immersion that Community Service Alliance offers is a once and a lifetime opportunity.

A couple weekends ago, my housemates and I went up to Samaná for a weekend trip. Samaná is a town in the North on the Samaná Peninsula, with beautiful beaches. We stayed for two nights, and two days. Hiked for a total of 9 hours the entire weekend and slept on Playa Frontón for one night. We got to see beautiful sunsets and sunrises. We saved the best part of the trip for the last day. Samaná is famous for Humpback Whales! Yes, humpback whales mate during the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere, so we were able to go whale watching! Great way to end an amazing trip.

Throughout this month I have started with the work I will carry out for the duration of my time here. Observing different classes in the school and talking with the psychologist and other school personnel, I have noticed the differences in culture. There are many differences in how children and teachers act here in the Dominican Republic as compared to the United States. With that in mind I also noticed the lack of social and emotional development the students have learned and how the teachers do not have the time or resources to implement social and emotional curriculum in their classrooms. Due to this, the psychologist and I have started creating a social and emotional learning curriculum that we can teach a select group of students. To hopefully better their interpersonal skills, impulse control and emotional regulation. The curriculum is in its beginning stages but we are hoping to have it completed by the middle of March, I will keep you all updated!

Along with creating the social and emotional learning curriculum, this month I helped the psychologist run a sexual health education group for the 3rd graders. Discussing different parts of the body and how to treat yourself and others with respect. Those lessons were very fun and it was a great learning experience for myself. I learned how to facilitate a group and how to organize a group in the school. This is important because I will be facilitating groups after the social and emotional learning curriculum is completed. I have also been teaching one student English every Friday for one hour. She is in the third grade and we will be focusing on colors, numbers, objects in the house/classroom and parts of the body. I am thinking about taking on two other students that want to learn a little bit of English.

Completing an internship with Community Service alliance is not only about working in the school but it is also focused on the community in Batey and in Los Alcarrizos. There is another program here called Café Con Leche, it is a program where exchange students and other members of the community can train children of different ages soccer, two of my housemates are a part of this program. Myself, my housemates and other members of the community came together to create a mural at Café Con Leche. The mural says “CCL Preparando Futuros” which translates to “CCL preparing for the future”. This was a great opportunity for members of the community to get together and bring hope and community back into the area. To let the community know that Café Con Leche and other organizations are here to impact the community in a positive way.

I have had the privilege of creating connections with Maria Montes high school here in Los Alcorrizos, in the U.S this school would be a private school but here in the Dominican Republic it is a public school. This school specializes in the arts; visual art, music, dance, theater and multi-media. The students enter the school around 14, then in two years they need to choose which media they would like to focus in. After that they showcase their talent and are accepted into the school or are guided in finding a different school. The school hires licensed teachers to teach the core classes, as well as individuals in the community that specialize in the different medias. The school has an English club that students can join to better their English or if they have aspirations of going to the U.S to study. I was asked to be a guest speaker during their monthly meeting! It was a great opportunity and the students and community at the school were very welcoming. We spoke about the differences between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. In addition, the process of scholarships and how important it is to continue their English and expand their knowledge about other cultures.

I have more work I want to complete as part of my internship and if the rest of my time here goes as well as my first month I believe I will be able to achieve everything. I am excited to see what the future holds for my time here in the Dominican Republic.

Until next time 🙂