We performed wonderfully hard labor, hauling buckets of sand and water to make concrete, making and hauling the concrete, learning how to lay cinder blocks, and learning and doing the multiple steps involved in putting in beautiful concrete floors in the existing room as well as the in one we were building.

I think the highlight for everyone was not the beach that we visited for a few hours on two afternoons, but rather the interaction that occurred and the relationships that were formed.  We lived in the community, in a rented house above another house, and there were Dominicans over all of the time. Our Dominican leader and his father were absolutely amazing.

The students did wonderfully, jumping in when it was their turn for meal clean-up, water fetching or sweeping and mopping. The lack of electricity the majority of the time didn’t seem to bother anyone, nor the heat nor the fact that we couldn’t flush toilet paper (or even the toilet at times), nor the day we didn’t have water. I ended up doing a bit of translating, but everyone tried to use what Spanish they did have.

We had a farewell get together last night with the Lions Club members who set up the service project for us, our “maestros” that taught us the work, and the family that we helped and others in the community. The father of the family gave a touching speech. Among other things, he reflected on how his children cried and cried the first and second day we were there because they were scared of us and didn't understand why we were there. Then the oldest came to realize that we were there to help, and on Friday, he cried when he realized that we were leaving. 

Those are the kinds of bonds that were formed between the community and our group, creating a cross-cultural experience like none other. Tears were shed when we left, and I have no doubt that the experience will be a highlight of their college years for the students that went.