Day 8: Farming and Lifestyle

Submitted by Taylor Whitson:

We started off our last full day in he Dominican Republic by taking a tour of the Taino Farm. The farm focuses on sustainable farming and aquaponics. One of the main forms of farming we learned about what Aquaponics. This is the process of taking water from fish tanks with the Ammonia fish produce, having nitrifying bacteria turn it into nitrogen, and then give the plant roots access to this water, then recycling the water and restarting the process. Touring this farm was a great way to see sustainable agriculture and learn about how they are trying to better the community. They consider this farm an education center for not only groups like us, but also the community. They are proud to say that all of their supplies comes from the garbage and are recycled. They show that you do not need to have money to have fresh, organic foods by only use recycled goods and running the farm on solar power. Our guides also allowed us to try fruits and greens that they were growing such as fresh cherries and peppers. It taught us about what is grown in this country and what opportunities exist for more sustainable development. 

Submitted by Scotlyn Sunkel:

After our tour of the EcoFarm, where we learned about sustainable agriculture, we took a relaxing float trip down a river. We had to walk about 2 miles to the river, where we saw baby donkey in road. We spend the next hour floating and chatting with our peers. The water was so cool and refreshing and we even hit a couple of very small rapids! Along the shore, there was a mama pig and her piglets. Once we returned to the farm, we enjoyed a farm-to-table meal of rice and beans, salad, fish, and banana bread! This opportunity gave me a chance to relax and reflect on the experiences of this week. I enjoyed seeing another side of agriculture that is different than what we see in Indiana. I was also able to experience the rural side of the country. 

Submitted by Annabelle Cobb:

After a long day of travels, we finally got to dinner in Santo Domingo. We ate at Lo Muyayo, which is owned by Martha’s son, Carlos. Martha is Sydney’s aunt who lives in the Dominican Republic and she joined us for our farewell dinner. She has taught us a lot in such a short time and we are very grateful for all her effort that was put into making this trip amazing. The menu was a slight challenge to read since it was all in Spanish, but we managed to figure it out. We enjoyed all the rice, beans and chicken that the DR has to offer, but it was nice being able to order American food for our last night here. We also learned how to play flip dominos which kept us entertained. My time at the farewell dinner was bittersweet as I realized it was my last night in the DR with all my new friends. I have enjoyed getting to know everyone on this trip, including our tour guides, John & Juan, and of course Eduardo! They have taught me so much about the DR culture. The last dinner was a great way to end our adventures here in the Dominican Republic