Little by little – that was one of the main principles of our 8 day service learning project thought the St. Petersburg College Dominican Republic Study Abroad program. Before I came to the Dominican Republic, I expected the country to be a tourist-filled place like it can be seen in Punta Cana – but this beautiful place has so much more to offer. We stayed in a small town named Monte Cristi, where we were immersing ourselves into the culture by working with students in a local elementary school.

As an education major I truly enjoyed teaching English to the students and applying all that I have studied. But more importantly – the students taught me what it means to be happy. They go to a school that is leaking water from the ceiling, that has limited school supplies and that seems to be missing organization and structure (in comparison to what we are used to in U.S. schools).  Nonetheless, the school provides something that no money could ever buy: hope. Though easily overshadowed by ongoing behavior problems and off-task behavior, it is inevitable that the students at Bella Vista Elementary want to learn and strive for your attention.

Once you step into the classroom the children approach you with so much positivity and gratitude. This showed me that it is not necessary to have a SMART board or computer station in order to provide education. The people in the Dominican Republic may not have much, but they make the most of what they have, they use their resources with great respect and they are thankful for what they have. That happiness is not something that money could ever buy. It showed me that life is what you make out of it. Poco a poco – I made an impact on the students I worked with and they impacted me just as much, as I’m leaving the country with a heart filled with love, new friends and gratitude for all the things that I have in my life.