Dominican Republic! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There wasn't a grading system in place for the Spanish courses that I took. At the end they gave you a certificate saying what level of fluency you were based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale. In Sosua I had Melicio as my professor and was in the highest level for Spanish. He was a great professor, the class was very laid back and if you wanted to learn a specific subject, all you had to do was ask him and the next day in class you would be learning it. I wanted to focus on vocabulary and conversation, so that was what we did for the majority of the class time. The facility there was great, very open to outside. There were many teachers so the class sizes were small. Only 3 people including myself, and then one of the other people left so then there was only 2 of us. In Santo Domingo there weren't as many teachers available so the class sizes were bigger (it varied but I think there were 7 of us) but were held in very small rooms so it was cramped. I had Alejandra, and she was great as well. Her class was more organized and was more of what you would find here in the states, a little bit more homework, and was focused on grammar and vocabulary. Classwork usually consisted of reading an article or a story and then analyzing and summarizing it. (The 2/5 stars for balance of work and play is because it was a bit much having Spanish classes from 9-12, then a lunch break, then our art class with our Western professor from 2-5 along with homework that night, especially with being in a new country and wanting to explore. It was difficult. Wish we had more time, either program length or more free time.)WWU's aspect in this course was interesting as well, we were able to create art while learning about different social and political issues taking place in the Dominican Republic.

On-site administration of your program

The only complaint I really have is that in Santo Domingo there was a lack of communication between the school, the students and the host family. We were not given any rules or guidelines by the school for our housing situation or by the host family itself. Oftentimes we didn't know we had done something wrong in the host family's house until it was too late. Instead of the host family telling us directly about a problem, they would call the school and complain, but the school did not tell us about the instances, and the host family wouldn't tell the students. This turned out to be a common problem, and our program had to have a group discussion with the directors of the program about basic rules halfway through our stay, which did little to solve anything.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

They arranged housing for us. The neighborhood I stayed in was pretty safe, it was far away from the other students and the nightlife which were on the opposite end of the city, which I really disliked, made it difficult and a little bit more expensive to do things. My host mom was wonderful and she treated us well. There was some miscommunication at times which led to a little bit of tension, but that is bound to happen when you both have different native languages. Overall it was a great experience.

The Dominican Republic is not the place to go if you are vegetarian. There were a few vegetarians in the program and I think their host mom didn't really know how to accomodate them. Lots of fresh tropical fruit, so yummy! Our host mom also fixed us a lot of fried food, all very delicious but be ready to gain some weight. Also, lots of rice and beans, with a side of meat.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Every Saturday we would have an excursion. Loved most of them, they were outdoors and active. The first one was hiking up to waterfalls and swimming in them, then having homemade dinner at an eco-friendly hostel. The second was going to caves near Cabarete, and you could go swimming in one of the caves. The third excursion we went to a Haitian batey and saw the poverty in which the people there lived in, but there wasn't much explanation or preparation before we went there so we didn't know what we were in for. Our small trip to Santiago wasn't well prepared and was short, wish I could have seen more of that city. Had a beach day which was really fun. Then had a trip to La Romana which was very unprepared, I think mostly everyone on the program thought that was a waste of time because we went to a resort and just spent time in shops for tourists.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never really felt in danger, but you just have to be street smart and take caution like always. For instance don't go out at night alone and be very careful with your personal belongings.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Since our program was through Western everyone in our group spoke English, so it was a bit more challenging to practice Spanish. In Sosua, there weren't many opportunities because we all stayed in a hotel together. The instances in which I did speak Spanish were with locals who struck up conversations, school, or negotiating with vendors or motoconchos, etc. If you really want to speak it in Sosua you have to put yourself out there, which I honestly didn't quite do. In Santo Domingo, we had a host family and that was very beneficial. I would speak to my host mom Uralda and try to make an effort. In Santo Domingo you had to practice your Spanish in order to get around the city, and I felt my language skills improving more there.

Select all that apply

• Host Family
• Hotel

Select all that apply

• Americans
• Host Family