Dominican Republic

---

Aged 12, I was offered the holiday of a lifetime, to venture into the Caribbean with my family, on an experience in which will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. The sheer excitement of boarding an aircraft, and listening to the engines roar from London Gatwick- Punta Cana, truly established a true interest to me. Since this experience i embrace cultures and love to gain an understanding in the way us in the UK take many things for granted.







As we glided down to Punta Cana airport, the collaboration of fear and excitement penetrated my body as the wheels of the aircraft touched the runway. The one memory of this moment was that exhilarating moment when the airhostess opens the cabin door, and that gush of moist warm air, swarms past your face. (This has to be the best part of going on holiday!)







Day one, we were greeted by some rather colourful Dominicans wearing clothing with various different fruits on, a true reminder of where we are. We settled into a hotel which had a natural pool, home to seven flamingos. Being a curious and adventurous 12 year old, my days consisted of reserving my breakfast rolls, and observing these magnificent animals for hours. Of course this is a huge difference between seeing an animal in a book and seeing one first hand.







A week in and we decided to fully embrace the Dominican style of living, so we went on what they call the truck safari. Here we boarded a truck with several other companions, which drove us into the borders of Dominican Republic. (Close to Haiti) we got of the truck at a local school which many of the local children took delight in our presence. An entire school consisted of a structure roughly the size of an average sized bungalow. Inside contained basic books, desks, a chalk board, one teacher for 50 students. This truly changed my perception of the way I take school for granted. We were told a story of many of the children had to walk over 8 miles a day just to get an education, which their parents had to fund. Many of the children were begging, offering flowers in return for money.







We then visited a Chocolate and Coffee plantation, which was intriguing to see, as we were able to see first-hand in how chocolate isn’t just simply, extracted from a plant, it has many chemicals and sugars added to the cocoa bean, to make that delicious bar you’re probably eating whilst reading this.

---

Photos

Hurricane earl drift wood
Here i am aged 12, taking pleasure of seeing this huge tree trunk, swept ashore from the choppy sea!