After flying into Santiago, Dominican Republic, from Miami, I met up with the rest of the group and we found our guide, Leslie. We left Santiago and began our journey towards Cano Dulce, which was a little over an hour away through the mountains.

On the way, it was evident that there weren’t really any highways. Most of the roads seemed fairly small-scale, where most used motorcycles rather than cars.

Additionally, it was also interesting to see the amount of corner stores and small-scale shops, which is quite a contrast to the corporate structure of the United States.

On the first day of work, we traveled to a community called Cano Dulce. Our goal for the project was to create concrete walls with empty, recycled bottles placed inside for insulation.

When we arrived, the studs were already in place. First, we nailed wire to the studs after ensuring there was chicken wire mesh on the outside. After that, we stuffed water bottles of similar sizes in the wall cavity and covered the inside with a layer of chicken wire. These bottles were originally recycled from corner stores and restaurants. The premise was promising, but what was frustrating was the lack of education by 7-elements, the in-country provider, of locals on the consequences of littering. This, coupled with the bottle walls, could spark more change.

The owner requested a window on the left side of the space. On day three, concrete will be plastered on the back wall.

On our second day of work at Cano Dulce, we put wiring on the two other walls and prepared the site for mixing cement. In a typical fashion also used in other countries in Latin America such as Nicaragua, local dirt was used for the base and the mixing operation took place on the ground.

When the dirt was piled in a mound, dry cement mix was added and mixed together. Next, a hole was formed in the center of the pile to allow for easy mixing with water, activating the cement.

Although it took a lot of manpower to mix the cement, it was the best method for the site due to the small amount of wasted material, few tools which would need to be cleaned, and the ability to take what was needed to where we smoothed it on the chicken-wire and bottle walls.

On a day off from working, the group traveled to Dudu Lagoon, which is an ecological park and a series of lagoons formed in the igneous rock. After lunch at Dudu, we rode to Playa Grande and had some time at the beach.

The next morning, after a two-hour drive, we arrived at La Grua, a Haitian refugee community, where we treaded the fine wire of the delicate cultures in conflict for so long–the Dominicans and Haitians.  Although it was very eye-opening to visit La Grua, I regret that we weren’t able to work closer to our home base, due to the time our group spent driving.  The two hours each way could have accomplished a great deal back at Cano Dulce.

We started by mixing concrete and ended up producing about ten bags-worth. After spreading each bag, we carried it in buckets to masons who spread it. The masons splashed water on the top layer for the finished surface and spread on an organic compound which gave the concrete a yellow, brushed, finished surface which is apparently revered in the Caribbean.

On the sixth day of the trip, after a relaxing morning at the lodge, we went to the beach for snorkeling, after which time we had a fairly open day for lunch, free time, and souvenir shopping.

The beach day was a great end to the trip. It allowed us to relax after the hard work throughout the week and to spend time together as a group before classes started in Knoxville for the fall.