Adventures in the Dominican Republic, Part VI
Field Notes III.VIII: Photographing a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, July 2021
Welcome to Field Notes!
Today we will conclude this series about my trip to the Dominican Republic in July of 2021. You can get caught up on previous issues here-
Saturday July 24, 2021
For the last time I awaken in my small room in Hotel Kevin. This eccentric little hotel in the middle of Puerto Plata on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic has become beloved to me in the short span of the few days we have stayed here.
I lay still under the thin sheat on the bed, just listening to the air conditioner hum overhead. It is aways at the end of things that time seems to have slipped by too fast.
My bags are already packed. On the table stands my plastic water bottle filled with cold instant coffee that has been slowly diffusing overnight. This coffee and I have had a disagreeable relationship this past week. Still, it strikes me as sad that I won’t need it after today.
I make my way down to the hotel lobby. Again, I am the first one of the group to arrive. One of the curious little dogs who lives here makes her way in with several puppies in tow. Has she had these the entire week? I haven’t seen them before, but they do not appear to be newborn.
The group is gathered and we pack our bags into the quirky bus named Expresso. We soak in a final view of Hotel Kevin before heading out, leaving Puerto Plata in the rear view mirror.
A final drive along the coast gives us one last glimpse of the sea and rocky islands just offshore. Then, we turn South for the hours long drive across the country to Santo Domingo. The drive seems painfully long. Much more so than on the way here. We have returned to a world delayed by traffic.
It is afternoon when we arrive in Santo Domingo. We drop our luggage at Bella Epoca Bed and Breakfast, a picturesque but smallish hotel where we will stay the night.
The plan was to spend the late afternoon and evening exploring Old Santo Domingo, the site of the oldest permanent European settlement in the Americas. It was founded here merely 6 years after Christopher Columbus first arrived.
The weather does not care for our plans. Rains come with off and on heavy showers, but I am undeterred. I am keenly interested in seeing Old Santo Domingo. When will this chance come again? Will it ever? But the decision is made to skip it, and I am not in a position to protest.
As an alternate, we visit a large indoor shopping mall. The idea was sold as being a very unique and interesting place. Maybe it was for the group of teens with us, but for me it was just another shopping mall. I found a table to sit and wait, helpless to change the circumstances.
Sunday July 25, 2021
In the morning I learn that one of the teenagers had a medical emergency overnight. Her roommates alerted Sandi that she had passed out. Sandy got Kelvin they drove her to a local emergency room. Fortunately, she was only found to be dehydrated. A liter of IV fluids was flushed into her and they were all back within an hour, at a whopping cost of $25.
No one thought to wake me at the time, even though they all knew I was a paramedic. Oh well. It wouldn’t have changed much.
We say our goodbye’s to Kelvin and Hochi when we arrive at the airport. They have become friends by now, but will we really keep in touch as we promise? We board the plane. A short and uneventful flight is followed by a trip through customs.
We are home.
What is adventure? Excitement and fun are first to mind when thinking of travel to exotic locations. There is so much more to it than that. This trip has offered opportunities to meet some really decent and good people. I witnessed how hard and tirelessly they worked; how honestly and humbly they lived their lives. The small bit of effort that I was able to contribute really only served to spark a drive within myself. It is a drive forged by these connections and examples, to live up to these virtues and become a better person. Although the trip was a mission to deliver help, this experience gave me much more than I could ever give.
Well you guys, this is it. We have reached the end of this series. Hopefully it has been of interest. When I originally wrote this back in 2021 I had a following section where I analyzed the results of the trip, my equipment, and my photography workflow afterwards. I’m going to omit all of that. The story and the impressions of this country are what really matter here.
And, I’m always interested to hear your impressions. I’ve tagged along on two mission type trips now. I find them beyond fascinating in how they can allow a much deeper glimpse into the way of life in a corner of the world I would otherwise never visit, or maybe only see as a tourist. And, there is something about earning a bond with those people through shared physical labor that is maybe impossible to accomplish any other way.
What do you think? Have you done service type trips like this before? I KNOW some of you have immersed yourselves in foreign cultures way more deeply than in this short experience. How does that compare?
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I loved this series!!! I can't believe how many parts there were, I didn't realize until you listed them all at the start of this piece. Thank you so much for sharing this with us! The DR has been on my list of tropical countries to visit. Oddly, Haiti has as well, which will probably remain a wish since there's so much unrest there. It's weird to think the two are attached by a border and one of them is so unstable.
Anyway, thanks for taking us on this journey!