To the Dominican Republic

4:45 a.m. is very early in the morning, but almost all of our kids made that meeting time at Logan Airport. Our crew gathered in the lobby of Terminal B evincing a mix of excited sleepiness, all of them eager for the trip to begin but unsure of what our week in the Dominican Republic was going to bring.

Happily, both of our flights left on time, and after a moderately bumpy ride heading south out of Newark Liberty International Airport, we arrived in Santo Domingo about 25 minutes ahead of schedule. We filled out our immigration and customs cards, shuffled through a couple of lines, got a few things stamped, and then we met our Rustic Pathways contacts: Carlos, Laura, and Andres, who asked us to call him “Roro.” We ate lots of pizza in the airport lobby, then boarded our little bus and headed east.

At about 5 p.m. we were at our home for the next several days, a typically Dominican concrete, low-frills building that houses ASCALA, a group dedicated to helping the immigrant communities in the Dominican. Here we got our first real introduction to our project, got an overview of the ground rules for staying at ASCALA and working in the Batey Monte Coco, and enjoyed each other’s company over dinner and conversation.

We are living dormitory style with all of the boys sharing one room, the girls and a friendly—although they’d call it terrifying—lizard sharing another, and the chaperones in their own spaces. Meals are all about community, with all of us sitting around one table sharing stories and reflections, and the mood is completely laid back.

On Tuesday we’ll be introduced to leaders of the Monte Coca community, get an overview of the challenges that sugarcane growers face, and finally, after months of preparation, get our hands dirty.