Dominican Republic
La República Dominicana will always be one of my favorite countries to visit. It was as a Sophomore that officially committed myself to learning Spanish, having never fully spoken it as a child. Practicing with my friends, using Duolingo, and visiting my school’s free language lab, I was able to build from the shoddy foundation of the classes I took in middle school. As a child, I vaguely remember visiting the Dominican Republic with my family. Something that stood out to me was that we were staying at a resort in Punta Cana. Of course, the buffet and mango smoothies were a plus, but it wasn’t until we ventured off the property to ride horses that I really felt like I was clearly somewhere outside of the United States.
I think my curiosity from then is what prompted my idea of planning a trip of my own as an adult. After discovering cheap Spirit tickets flying into Santo Domingo I decided to plan two weeks of backpacking and language immersion. To this day, this is one of the most meaningful trips for me because in many ways it felt like traveling home. In the Dominican Republic, even with my limited Spanish, everyone simply saw me as Dominican. This is something I am not necessarily used to in the United States, where I grew getting asked what I was mixed with and why my middle name is Gladiolo.
In my trip I passed through Santo Domingo, Las Terranas, Rinćon, Cabarete, Puerto Plata, and Santiago de Los Caballeros. In my two weeks of adventures, this small country gave me a taste of what it has to offer, and I truly can’t wait to return!
