Final days...
After
almost six weeks scattered across the country at their service locations,
the students returned to
Santo Domingo on Wednesday, April 2. They
returned a few days early in order to eat
lunch with
President Hipólito Mejía. As students gathered, the
greetings were warm and the stories animated (
photo
of Mo, Sarah and Luke).
It was a time to catch up, play a game or two of dominos, to share common
experiences and see who had the most unusual tales from service.
Besides
lunch with the President, the next two days were spent with final evaluations
and Spanish testing. Students finished up journals and final projects.
They shared a
meal of empanadas
at
Casa Goshen and celebrated
Caitlin's
21st birthday. They also re-connected with their host families in
the city.
Monday
morning the students headed out of the city for a final retreat together.
They stayed at a beach hotel in
Guayacanes about an hour outside
of Santo Domingo. The final retreat was a time to relax, play, and reflect
on the past 13 weeks, on the ways SST altered attitudes and perspectives
and about what it may feel like to return home. More photos:
1,
2,
3.
Students
left Santo Domingo early in the morning of Wednesday, April 9. Most left
with skins a shade or two darker. They took home gifts from their Dominican
host families and souvenirs to share with family and friends in North
America. They returned with a greater grasp of the culture and history
of the Dominican Republic and a greater command of the Spanish language.
But perhaps most importantly, they returned with greater awareness of
the world around them and new perspectives on the meaning of service,
priorities in life, relationships and faith.
After
almost six weeks scattered across the country at their service locations,
the students returned to Santo Domingo on Wednesday, April 2. They
returned a few days early in order to eat lunch with
President Hipólito Mejía. As students gathered, the
greetings were warm and the stories animated (photo
of Mo, Sarah and Luke). 
It was a time to catch up, play a game or two of dominos, to share common
experiences and see who had the most unusual tales from service.
Besides
lunch with the President, the next two days were spent with final evaluations
and Spanish testing. Students finished up journals and final projects.
They shared a meal of empanadas
at Casa Goshen and celebrated Caitlin's
21st birthday. They also re-connected with their host families in
the city.
Monday
morning the students headed out of the city for a final retreat together.
They stayed at a beach hotel in Guayacanes about an hour outside
of Santo Domingo. The final retreat was a time to relax, play, and reflect
on the past 13 weeks, on the ways SST altered attitudes and perspectives
and about what it may feel like to return home. More photos: 1,
2, 3.
Students
left Santo Domingo early in the morning of Wednesday, April 9. Most left
with skins a shade or two darker. They took home gifts from their Dominican
host families and souvenirs to share with family and friends in North
America. They returned with a greater grasp of the culture and history
of the Dominican Republic and a greater command of the Spanish language.
But perhaps most importantly, they returned with greater awareness of
the world around them and new perspectives on the meaning of service,
priorities in life, relationships and faith.
