Depart Home for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Airport Transfer to Hotel
On-Ground Briefing
Orientation Walking Tour - The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do incase of an emergency.
Welcome Dinner - The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Visit the Historic Colonial Zone - Where by day you can explore important historical and cultural sites of the first European settlement of the Americas and where you will gain an understanding of the beginnings of Afro-Caribbean culture.
Lunch Break (not included)
Visit to the Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of History and Geography - Located in the Plaza de la Cultura in the Heart of Santo Domingo.
Dinner (included) - at Maison Kreyol, the most famous Haitian-Caribbean restaurant in the Dominican Republic- a staff favorite for cozy dinners.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Visit the Boca De Nigua Sugar Mill - a colonial infrastructure built in the mid-1600s for sugar processing, where the predominant use of slave labor was common. Due to the severity of the work and the high level of exploitation, the slaves assigned to this sugar mill rarely survived more than seven years of labor. This led to the insurrection of over 200 slaves on October 30, 1796, the most important event in the resistance of enslaved Africans in the Spanish part of the island. They managed to seize control of the sugar mill facilities and establish a popular government, led by the enslaved woman Ana María, who was crowned as a queen. From the very beginning, the abolition of slavery and the formation of a popular government representing the island's ethnic diversity were the main objectives. After significant battles, the Spanish slave owners managed to disperse the rebels into the forest and surrounding areas near the sugar mill. The revolutionary project of Boca de Nigua came at a very high cost but left a lasting foundation for the defense of human rights for Black individuals in Santo Domingo.
Head to Najayo Beach for a Savory Caribbean Lunch (included)
Visit Museum of Dominican Resistance - and learn about the atrocities committed during the Trujillo Era and its eventual demise.
Dinner (not included)
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Tour of One of the Nearby Major League Baseball Training Academies - All thirty major league teams have academies in the Dominican Republic, the majority of which are located near the city of San Pedro de Macorís. You’ll head to “baseball city”where fifteen of these academies can be found in one area. Take a glimpse into the lives of some of these young, up-and-coming peloteros, or ball players.
Lunch Break (included)
The Group will Attend a Game of Baseball - When the game is over, you will get to sit down and talk with some of the players.
Afternoon Watch a Documentary about Baseball in San Pedro de Macoris,
Dinner (not included)
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Visit La Cofradía de Los Congos del Espíritu Santo (The Congos of the Holy Spirit) - a brotherhood that practices music, dance and popular festivities with Afro-Caribbean instruments like conga drums. This cofradía is one of the most important socio-cultural expressions of the Dominican Republic, deeply rooted in the history, geography and culture of the country and is particularly common in the community of Mata Los Indios, Villa Mella.
Lunch Break (included)
End the Day With a Reflection on your Experiences in Santo Domingo Over the Past Three Days and a Special Dominican Dinner and Dance Show.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Explore the Province of San Pedro de Macorís, Visit the Museum in Town - discover the history behind one of the first settlements on the island. Learn about the birth of the sugar industry in the Americas and the cocolos, African-descended migrants who arrived in the Dominican Republic to work in the sugar industry as workers and technicians.
Lunch at Rincón Cocolo - the only restaurant in the country that serves traditional cocolo cuisine that was founded by one of the first cocolos.
Meet the Leadership Team at ASCALA - a religious organization dedicated to supporting underserved communities in the region, to learn about the socio-political issues facing the bateyes. The Word batey is the word for the long barracks that were originally built for migrant sugar cane workers, and are now used as permanent settlements for multiple families. Many families in batey communities are faced with substandard housing, unsafe and low-wage working conditions, and limited access to healthcare or social services. Community members also face social and institutional discrimination as a result of their ethnicities or immigration status, since many families have migrated from Haiti to look for work or to join family members working in the DR. Your guide will translate as needed and give context to the projects, history, and barriers to success.
Visit the Sugarcane Field - where your guides will give you the chance to talk to some of the sugar cane cutters, hear their stories, and learn about the hardships they face every day. You will also visit some of our community partners and learn about the ongoing work in the area. You will also get the chance to cut some sugar cane and experience for yourself how challenging it can be, in one of the only remaining nations where sugarcane is harvested by hand with a machete.
Dinner (not included)
Full Day Working Alongside our Partner Community on Infrastructure Projects Designed to Increase the Standard of Living in the Batey - Projects include the construction of cement homes which could consist of digging foundation, mixing cement, laying cinder blocks, plastering and/or painting depending on which stage the project is in. Other projects include building latrines, cementing floors, and educational exchanges with local youth.
Service Days Will Have an 8:30 am Departure From the Base House to Arrive on Site Between 9:00 am and 9:30 am. A Morning Shift Would be From 9:00 am - Noon, Then we Break for Lunch until 2:00 pm, and Work Again until 5:00 pm.
After Returning to the Base Students Will Have the Chance to Shower, Before Having Dinner Onsite. After Dinner we would have our evening discussions, Guest Speakers, and/or Documentary Showing.
Full Day Working Alongside our Partner Community on Infrastructure Projects Designed to Increase the Standard of Living in the Batey - Projects include the construction of cement homes which could consist of digging foundation, mixing cement, laying cinder blocks, plastering and/or painting depending on which stage the project is in. Other projects include building latrines, cementing floors, and educational exchanges with local youth.
Service Days Will Have an 8:30 am Departure From the Base House to Arrive on Site Between 9:00 am and 9:30 am. A Morning Shift Would be From 9:00 am - noon, then We Break for Lunch until 2:00 pm, and Work Again Until 5:00 pm.
After Returning to the Base Students will Have the Chance to Shower, Before having Dinner - Onsite. After Dinner we would have our evening discussions, Guest Speakers, and/or Documentary Showing.
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Travel Back to Santo Domingo
Check-In to Hotel and Refresh
Lunch Break (not included)
Explore the Colonial Zone’s Local Watering Holes, Chic Modern Restaurants, and Galleries of Afro-Caribbean Folk Art - So much of the vibrancy of the Colonial Zone comes from the respect and adoration for the country’s rural towns and nature, and you’ll see that resonate in the art and food now that you’re back in the city.
Farewell Dinner and a Dance Show at the Renowned Local Restaurant “El Conuco.”
Breakfast & Day Briefing
Transfer to Airport
Depart Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for Home