MarthaEngel

“¿Te gusta bailar?”

Sí, yes, I love to dance.

              Questions lead to con-
nections. Connections lead to relationships, and relationships form memories that will last a lifetime. 

On May 26, 10 Marian girls and two chaperones traveled to the Dominican Republic to immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of the country. For 12 days, the girls worked, ate, danced and laughed with the locals, not only serving a community, but also learning how to live life simply and fully. 

Marian has been sending students to the Dominican Republic for more than 15 years, allowing girls and teachers to experience the life-changing trip each year. This trip is possible because Creighton University maintains a campus in the country, known as Institute for Latin American Concern. The ILAC center served as a home for the girls while they were in the Dominican Republic.

The girls had to apply for the trip months in advance, writing an essay and undergoing an interview process, before being accepted. Once students were accepted into the trip, they jumped into action, finding ways to pay for the trip and fully prepare themselves. Morning meetings were held throughout the second semester to organize bake sales, raffles and donations. The girls also did separate fundraising on their own. 

After arriving, the students spent time exploring the city of Santiago. Highlights of the first few days in the city included listening to music, horseback riding in the country and visiting a local orphanage. The visit to the orphanage was eye-opening for the girls as they played games and ran around with children of all ages. They played on the playground, gave piggy-back rides, and shared their hopes. “The kids at the orphanage had the biggest hearts and ambitions,” senior Ximena Perez Silva said. 

After three busy days, the group took a bus to a remote, rural village called Arroyo Pomo. This community, despite having gravel roads and no running water, “just opened their arms and homes to us,” senior Scarlett Wharton said. “They were so welcoming,” she said. The girls split up between host families on the same street, and spent time with their family and neighbors by playing dominoes, drawing and making friendship bracelets.

The community itself was tight knit, and “they’re like family,” Wharton said. The Marian girls were completely welcomed into the neighborhood. “I felt the impact we did have on them,” Wharton said, “but I think they had so much more of an impact on us.”

Despite the obvious language barrier, the girls learned to form genuine connections with the people they met. By making the effort to learn and communicate, “I became less self conscious as it went on,” Wharton said. “It’s so much more just thinking and speaking right away than it is in class,” she said, and even if the tenses aren’t exactly right, “you can understand,” she said.

The service aspect of the trip was lived out in the campo. Marian was the first all-girls group to participate in an aqueduct project, which lent to a “sense of giving to the community in the way we can,” Wharton said. “I feel like I was sharing what I had,” she said, to make a difference in the small community. 

The trip to the Dominican Republic is also different because it’s a much smaller group compared to other Marian trips, which allows the girls to bond and support each other. Through reflection times and conversations “we were able to lean on each other,” Wharton said, “and I’m grateful for that time together to regroup after a long day,” she said.

In order to be fully immersed, students left their phones behind. Ten days without a phone may seem like a challenge, but it truly contributed the most to the trip. “I don’t think we would have had this experience if we had our phones,” Wharton said. In fact, “it helped us connect with each other so much more,” she said. By setting aside everyday stressors, the group was able to absorb each moment. 

“I think I’ve already learned how less is more,” Wharton said. She said living life in simplicity is “so much more lighthearted,” and that all you needed to have a good time was plastic chairs and dominoes. At Mass, the small village “made the most out of that tiny little chapel they had,” she remembered, and even though they didn’t have a big church, they had a deep and shared faith. 

“I learned how to cherish the present moment, and what God has blessed me with,” Perez Silva said. It was “genuinely such a wholesome and intimate experience, not only with myself, but also with my group, and the community,” she said. 

At the heart of it, “the Dominican Republic trip was a God experience,” Perez Silva said. 

“It’s unforgettable,” Wharton added.