Sano y Salvo en la República Dominicana (Safe & Sound in the DR)

Session Two is off to a humid, hot, great start! July in the Dominican feels a little like stepping out of your house and swimming to school, but hey, at least we're rocking that dewy glow, right?

We have a great diversity of students in our group. Artists, dancers, painters, chefs, athletes, YouTubers, curious minds, and hard-workers alike have arrived from either coast and everywhere in between to take part in what will surely be an unforgettable summer.

After settling into our host homes, students are having fun getting to know their families.

We meet each morning at the language institute to take the rigorous, four-hour-a-day (!!) Spanish class with their native teachers.

There is an air of confidence in this group that is palpable. Though students have reported being nervous about being in a new culture, their courage and bravery shines through. Oh, and did we mention their flow?

Our schedule is jam-packed. On our first day, we took a city tour, and yesterday we visited Santiago's prestigious museum dedicated to showing the origin and journey of Dominican culture: a mixture of native, Spanish, and African cultures.

As we mentioned before, we've hit the ground running. Yesterday, students completed their first “Mision N.” This is the part of our day where we go out into the community for authentic conversation with native speakers. We were impressed with students' willingness to jump right into the activity, and luckily we are aided by the friendliness and overall openness of Dominican people.

We can't wait to experience what else is in store this month! This week we have a Dominican dance class, a chocolate farm tour (yum!), and a trip to the beach for some R&R. If your students haven't sent you gorgeous photos of the beach by the end of the weekend, it's not because they don't miss you, it's because they're having too much fun!