My last Imed Una Vida DR Trip as an undergraduate...

I just got back from my third college trip to the Dominican Republic, my 4th total trip in five years. This country has such a special place in my heart and I know for a fact that is not the last I've seen of my Dominican family. However, it's the first time I don't have a definite plan for going back. And it makes me sad.

This past week I and the group (15 STUDENTS!!) learned from the Dominicans to
live passionately
love actively
care selflessly.

The things I've learned from this country are countless and I am forever grateful. It's crazy that a random decision to travel to an unknown place one summer in high school could have changed my life so much.

A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step

Seeing a bunch of friends prepare to graduate and start their lives, I cant help but think about my life after college. It is such a weird idea that i won't be in school forever. And yet I can absolutely not wait!
I can't wait to start my Peace Corps application. I'm so excited to see where I'll go next year! So much is up in the air and I feel anxious. However, I also feel content and calm. I know God has a plan for me and He will watch over me as he has my whole life. It's been so blessed and I am not worthy. But seeing as I have the opportunities I refuse to waste them!!

So I'll get down to it and study hard for my final tomorrow because in order to get on with my life after college, I have to pass my junior year finals. I got this.

Simple life

The bigger cultural difference between the US and the DR to me is that Dominicans live so simply. They don't need all the extras that we have in the states. I love it.

It's such a good, freeing feeling to have less possessions. You feel less tied down and free to move about. I think a lot of people have so many things because they are unsure about who they are so they have an excessive amount of stuff that they use to define themselves. Sure some things are meaningful because of who or what are tied to them. The excess is what makes belongings no longer meaningful.

Clutter is restrictive. Have less, live more. Focus on love, relationships, and just being rather than on worldly excess.

The mountain border

I love who I am when I am in the Dominican Republic. It is an emotional roller coaster and my mind races all the time. However, when we are in this little mountain town on the border between the DR and Haiti, I always feel strangely calm, collected, and ready to take on the world. The layers of beautiful, vast mountain ranges immediately lift the weight I had been feeling. This walk across the boarder was just what I needed after an emotionally taxing, heavy-on-the-heart day in Los Pinos.

Imed DR Trip

I'm back from an amazing week in the Dominican Republic. Putting all that work into organizing and coordinating the trip was well worth it. It was so cool it was to be able to watch people falling in love with this culture as I did and continue to do. Watching the changes in each and every girl on the team and knowing I played a big part in it was an indescribable feeling. I believe that that is what life is all about, touching as many lives as you can. Starting these Imed trips is one of the best things I have done with my life. I've created experiences for people that they wouldn't have experienced without my piece in the puzzle. It's a very content feeling. It's also exciting to think about what I can do in the future. The possibilities are endless.

happy birthday brother