About the Dominican Republic: A Spanish-speaking country on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic is best known for its friendly and passionate people, its unspoiled beaches, its national music (the bachata and the merengue), and its colonial history. The original capital of the Spanish Empire in the Americas, the Dominican Republic contains a staggering array of well-preserved architecture from the early 16th century. The island’s geography is varied and spectacular, ranging from arid deserts to high mountains, and its flora and fauna are equally diverse, including cacti, orchids, mangroves, American caiman, sea turtles, iguanas, flamingos, and humpback whales. Its coral reefs are a destination for snorkelers and scuba divers from around the world.

The Project: The group flies to the historic colonial capital of Santo Domingo, where students spend one day getting acquainted with island culture and geography. The next day the group travels southwest along the coast to a small mountain village near Barahona, where students work alongside local people on much needed community development projects. Past projects have included building a community center and kitchen, laying cement for a basketball court and for village homes, working in an organic garden, and teaching English classes to local children. Conditions in the Dominican Republic are extremely simple and our living accommodations are basic. Putney students live together in a school building. Each day students help a local cook prepare traditional meals featuring rice, beans, chicken, mangoes, and bananas. Delicious tropical fruit abounds. Our student chefs often share favorite American recipes from home with new Dominican friends. In the evenings students get together with friends in the community to play baseball or learn to dance the bachata in the open air.

Weekends: The group explores the diverse natural and cultural wonders of the Dominican Republic, including deserted white pebble beaches, 16th-century Spanish colonial towns, enticing coral reefs, the coconut and banana plantations of Samaná, the ruggedly beautiful Jaragua National Park, and the rivers and waterfalls of the lush Cordillera Central mountains.