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
June 13, 2026
To kick off the second day of being in República Dominicana, after breakfast we hopped on the bus for a nice drive to El Rancho where we will be staying for the next four days. After dropping our things off, we headed to ASCALA where we meet up with Maria Antonieta, she works there. She gave us a little introduction and back story about the organization, and how they help immigrants to have the right papers to become a citizen, being provided with healthcare, and getting them food. We headed on over to lunch at the baseball park where we got to see many locals play baseball. It was really cool seeing how well they all played, some of us even got to play alongside with them!
After, we enjoyed a delicious lunch where the chicken was a fan favorite. Then we headed to help build houses for a family. There were different jobs that people had. Some got to help make the concrete and cement by mixing it together. The other group was an assembly line carrying bricks to where they were supposed to go. Then we started to help clean out the materials used and then we headed back to el rancho for dinner. Today we learned how being an immigrant can be challenging and how it can be a long and scary process. We also learned that by just helping build homes can make a great impact on the community because they will now be able to be in a safe space and help out the community. We all look forward to more building and helping the community more tomorrow.
By Olivia & Kendall
June 14, 2026
After our first night in El Rancho, we woke up to a delicious breakfast. Then we quickly got ready for our second day off work. At the work site, many of us moved a pile of 800 cinderblocks !!(that you can see in the photos) while others mixed cement and concrete. We continued to learn the values of teamwork and persistence. After working for 2.5 hours we went to a baseball field complex where we ate a delicious lunch which consisted of chicken, rice, beans, and plantains. After eating, many played baseball with new friends we made. After lunch we went back to the work site where we worked for another 2 hours where we started to construct the walls of the house and shovel out sand to support the foundation. Then we went back to El Rancho where everyone went into the pool and relaxed. We then ate tacos for dinner which were appreciated after a long day of hard work. After dinner we had a dance lesson, we were taught salsa, merengue, and bachata dances by Jonathan who was a very helpful instructor. We then discussed the day as a group and prepared for the next day ahead.
By Will & Kellan
June 15, 2026
Today we started the day off with breakfast at el rancho so that we could have enough energy to finish up our construction portion of the trip. On the way there we had some seating complications, as well as some pant problems and flying hats. When we got there we “finished up” 3 floors of the house, completing them with sand and stone. We worked our behinds off in the sweltering heat and were so determined to be done that we finished everything 15 minutes earlier than expected. We were sad to leave behind the roaming goats, dogs, chickens, children and avispas (a new word that we learned, it means wasp), but excited to get back into our bus to head to ImpACTA Kids to eat our delicious lunch. Once we finished up our chicken, pasta and rice, we headed back to el rancho to get changed to have fun at the beach. On the way to the beach, we stopped at a local convenience store to buy some local snacks. We found many familiar favorites as well as some delicious new foods, such as aloe Vera juices, Malta morena, plátano chips and cajetas. Once we got to the white sand beach and clear blue ocean water with all our snacks, towels and water bottles in hand, we swam for hours in the salty water and our leaders had popsicles for everyone. Some people were very interested in the four dollar fruit from the vendors walking around, some of us even bought some pretty beaded jewelry. We even bought a pineapple to eat tomorrow morning, pineapple has been soooo good! For dinner, we had pasta and garlic bread, which then led us to some free time and the beginning of our documentary about the inside story of sugarcane workers in the Dominican Republic. It taught us about the systemic dislike for Haitians in DR, as well as the process of them being illegally brought here under false pretenses of a better lifestyle. The documentary was an eye opener that helped us be more aware of the background of DR and Haiti and the living conditions that the government allows its inhabitants to be living in. We finished off our activity filled day with a journal and reflection about our opinions on the documentary and what community means to us. Today we learned how to appreciate the little things in life, whether it’s hanging out with your friends on the beach, eating delicious pineapples, or simply having a roof over your head.
By: Gianna & Sadie
June 16, 2026
We started off the day with a hearty breakfast of toast and eggs as a group. After that, a few of us decided to continue a pool game a little while, after our guides had to drag us away from the table to embark on our local adventure. On the bus a few of us started to sing songs to pass the time. After arriving at the Manny Acta baseball field his sister came out and gave us a talk about her brother’s legacy and his career which was very impressive. He coached several MLB teams and played in it as well. After that was finished we were divided into two teams of 10 to play the kids in a friendly game of baseball. Little kids really looked up to us and singled one of us as team captain. The team captains worked really hard to make sure a batting order was made, and the kids were happy. People really tried their best to play even though they had no experience and the kids thought it was really funny. After that, we had lunch at the baseball field and played with a few local friends. We had to say goodbye for the final time, everybody was really sad because we knew we were never going to see our new friends again.
We headed back a little earlier so everyone could get some rest, take a nap, and start packing. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, socializing, playing games, and having fun in the pool. At dinner, we were excited to be surprised with burgers and fries, we had definitely missed them!
Later we gathered for the evening reflection and discussion, sharing highlights from the trip that is coming to an end. We wrapped up the night with music, dancing and karaoke. We are excited for snorkeling tomorrow!
By Vihaan and Harper
June 17, 2026
Right now we are on the way to the airport to go back home to our families. We are excited to go home, but we will also miss DR! Yesterday we had a lot of fun going snorkeling and cave diving. We went snorkeling at two different spots, and one of them had a sunken ship underwater, which was super cool to see. We took a boat to get to the areas where we were going to swim and saw lots of fish. It was a very cool experience and definitely one of the highlights of the day. After that, we had a buffet lunch right in front of the beach. The food was great, and we got to relax and play on the beach for a little while, which was a nice break from all the adventure. Then we took the bus to go on a hike that led us to the cave where we were going to cave dive. When we got to the cave, it was very dark and there were bats everywhere. They flew around when we shined our flashlights at them. We had to wear life jackets, so when we got in the water we floated and couldn’t move very fast. The water was very cold, but we still had a lot of fun, and many of us faced some of our fears. Later, we went to a very nice hotel and had dinner on the rooftop. The food was really good, and we had a great time together, especially during an activity that helped us acknowledge and appreciate each other. When we got back to the hotel, we got our phones back and were able to call our families. After that, we went to bed. Overall, it was a great trip! We made new friends, had amazing experiences, and created memories that we will never forget. See you soon!
By Taylor & Harper
