Sunday - Higuey

We started the day by leaving the hotel and embarking on our journey to Higuey, the largest city in the Dominican Province of Altagracia. We first went to the biggest Roman Catholic Basilica in the Caribbean, Our Lady of Altagracia. We arrived right before service began and it was truly one of the prettiest churches I have seen. We then went into a local farmers market and we were able to see what people are selling here.  The most interesting part for me was all the spices because they all smelled so good. We then went to three stores and everyone was able to buy a plethora of items for themselves or their parents. We then went to a familiar face, Welintons family home outside of Higuey and it was truly beautiful. His family made us a traditional Dominican meal which was most definitely the best meal I’ve had all trip. We then went to a local supermarket and were able to buy many local goods. We then finished the day with some amazing dinner.

Max Jones-LaChance, Alexandria

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Today, we took three Dominican teens and visited the city of Higuey. We had a lot of new experiences there. Our first stop was the open-air market, which was unlike any market I had seen before. It was filled with unfamiliar items like spices and fruits. We then visited three souvenir shops and I enjoyed watching the locals interact with us, despite the language barrier. After the shops, we went into the countryside for lunch with a friend of Virginia 4-H, Mr. Welington de la Rosa. He gave us a tour of his homeplace, and we learned two Dominican dances: the Merengue and Bachata. Later, we visited Iberia, a grocery store similar to Walmart.

Sarah Lichvar, Scott County