My trip to Jarabacoa comes to an end after 13 Months
On February 5th, 2005 I accepted a job with an Indiana based company to Jarabacoa. I arrived in Cibao Intrernational Airport in Santiago where I was picked up by the school driver. Arrived and was impressed witht he campus. It was located up a mountain near this area called Pinar Quemado. The campus had everthing the school was there, the church, the student residents and the staff residence. it was like a resort. They had a pool, a soccer field and a basketball court. The school was home to troubled american teens. Some sent by their parents and some on court order. The parents must sign a 13 month commitment. Which the tuition is between $4,000 us to $ 7,000 us a month. Some of the kids come from well off parents and some are sponseredby their local churches. The campus had 55 students. There were 3 boys houses and 2 girls houses. These kids were not allowed to leave the campus. They were only to leave the campus on Tuesdays where they called it freedays. Tuesdays were saturdays for them. reason for that is that people were drinking and partying on the beach on the weekends. My job was a groupleader where I lived and ate at the one of the student houses working clossely with the kids. In the house there were 3 adults living there the house mother which handles medicine and food and the house father which is the discpline guy and household head. and me the groupleader( big brother figure). My first 3 months i worked in the program. then in the summer time I was transfered to this town over the river called Angosto. In angosto we had 12 boys and 5 staff building houses for poor people. It was a 10 week brogram we eneded up building 3 houses and fixed a flooded brige.
End of the summer program I was working in another boys residence as the head of the house until the new house parents arrived.
We went on the annual family vaction where we adventured the Island. We got to go to las salinas, santo domingo, bani and puerto plata. It was a good learning experience. The school had a bus for us.
Then it was the annual Pico Duarte Trip. All the boys went separetly we had to climb Pico duarte( the carribbeans highest mountain) It was fun getting to the top. The area was damaged by an earlier fire, so most of the trees were fallen and burnt. Pico Duarte in Manabao was excellent. I was able to loose 15 pounds in that one week.
On my time away from work I was swimming on the river and staying in the Gran Jimenoa. And witnessed the extreme makeover of jarabacoa. They build a new police station, a library all the major roads and re did the central park. The town is new.
Jarabacoa is full of Missionary and church organazations so you will find lots of canadian and americans.
This was a rewarding oppurtunity I learned alot about the Cibao valley and most of the island too. And after 12 months i left the schhol to vacation in puerto plata then came home to Toronto. Great trip overall.
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