The following pictures are from the March 2002 Alternative Spring Break Trip to the Dominican Republic.  Twenty-five students and four faculty chaperones spent a week at the Hope of the Child Orphanage in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic.  We worked with children from ages four to18, conducting activities in reading, art, English, Spanish and recreation.  We also helped with various renovation projects (e.g., installing a new generator, painting a bathroom and murals, and shoveling several tons of gravel to build a new road).  Each of us took two suitcases of items that were donated to the orphanage.  This was the third annual spring break trip that Penn State Altoona students and faculty have taken to the Dominican Republic.  We will be returning this coming spring 2004.

Here's what some of our students had to say about their experience:

  “When you go on vacation, you tend to see everything that’s nice about a foreign country, but when we
  went, we saw the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich, and got to experience so much
  culture,” said elementary education major Erin Donohue. “I know we made such a difference in their lives,
  and I’m almost jealous of them because their lives are so simple – and even though they are extremely
  poor, they are so happy.”

  “Taking this trip was one of the best things I’ve ever done, and being able to talk to the kids was so
  rewarding,” said secondary Spanish education major Molly Loucks. “I went there thinking that I knew
  what poverty was, but I had no idea. I was so humbled the entire week. And now that I’m back here, I’m
  just so thankful and so grateful for what I have.”

Take off from Baltimore                           Dr. Lee Ann De Reus, Dr. Lori Bechtel                Catching up on the news in Puerto Rico
                                                               Dr. Roselyn Costantino at the airport
                                                               in Puerto Rico
 

Departing from Puerto Rico                         Aerial view of the Dominican Republic           Busride from Puerta Plata to Monte Cristi
for the Dominican Republic
                        

A view from the bus                                              A view from the bus                                           Flag of the Dominican Republic

Unpacking our donations for the orphanage            Our home for the week                                    Bunk beds with mosquito netting

Lunch line                                                           Our cooks                                                       A view of the orphanage
 

Some town kids resting in the shade                      The U.S. and the Dominican Republic      Morning meeting and plan for the day

                        The children                                                                         The children
 

Recreation with the children                                    Basketball                                               Baseball
 

Dr. Costantino and one of the                          Resting in the shade                                                  Dr. Bechtel and Shana
children from town

Reading with the children                            Artwork with the children                         Artwork
 

                                Learning English and Spanish                                      Building the road
 

Our mural on the children's house                     "Friends Forever" mural on the bathroom               Painting the inside of the bathroom
 

A view at the beach                                        Swimming at the beach                                        A view of the town from atop the bathroom
 

                                    Pigs at a home near the orphanage                    A house in town
 

                                A house in town                                                 A house and family in town
 

                                                                
                                                    Dr. De Reus and Dr. Bechtel        Dinner out on the town
                                                    relaxing before dinner in town

                                                    An evening at church with            An evening at church
                                                    the children

                                                      A day at the Haitian market        Vegetables at the Haitian market

                                                                                     The Haitian market

                                                        The Haitian market                       The Haitian market
 

                                                                                                Sunset