Moorestown Friends School Dominican Republic 2026
June 12, 2026
Shortly after we landed, we met with our guides Rebecca and Heriberto who greeted us with delicious pizza in the airport. When we arrived at the hotel, we quickly learned that there aren’t many areas to park, meaning that we had to grab our suitcases and run to the inside of the hotel! While waiting for the hotel rooms to be available, we were provided with two options: Play card games in the lobby or take a short walking tour. Some played uno while the others were met with gorgeous views like a temple, la plaza and a statue.
We had around an hour to get settled into our rooms, when they were ready. After settling in, we went to a nearby plaza where we journaled about the importance of our trip, the meaning it held and what we can take away from the trip overall. Our group decided on core values that would guide the week ahead of us like being respectful, trying new things, and continuously working hard and having fun! We played a game called “This is the game of Wah”, which relied heavily on being in tune with everyone and your surroundings. Once we were finished with our short and first challenge, we got picked up by the bus and driven to “El Conuco”. There they served delicious buffet styled food which featured dishes such as pasta, fried chicken, plantains, fish, and many varieties of desserts like flan. As soon as everyone finished their food, many different cultural songs and dances were shown to us. We were swept off of our feet and invited on the dance floor to participate in a group dance, Kongo line, and the Macarena. During this time, lots of people stepped out of their comfort zone to participate as a group. We headed back to the hotel and discussed the plans for tomorrow. Today, we learned about the way culture shapes the Dominican Republic while tomorrow we will learn about the hardships hidden by the tourist life.
By Ava and Nicole
