Life in the Bateyes

Arrive at Miami International Airport (MIA) where you’ll meet your Rustic Pathways Flight Leader, who will help get you checked in and through security before traveling with your group to the Dominican Republic. Get acquainted with fellow Rustic travelers before boarding your flight.

Arrive at Santo Domingo Airport (SDQ) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

After breakfast at the hotel, head to your new home just outside of San Pedro de Macorís. Get familiarized with your surroundings and the history of the bateyes. These communities are home to sugarcane workers and their families, who have some of the lowest standards of living in the region. Sugar is one of the Dominican Republic’s main exports, and the country depends on its production to keep its economy healthy. Many of the field workers come from neighboring Haiti, and conditions are typically poor. Workers may be in the fields for up to 14 hours daily in the tropical heat. Some migrate for work; others stay in the Dominican Republic year-round or were even born here. Many lack citizenship and therefore quality education for their children.

We have been working for years directly with a few small communities who open their arms to Rustic Pathways students like you to come work and help out where you can.

Wake up to your first full day in the bateyes – the area itself is completely surrounded by sugar cane fields, and home to the communities you will be working with. Receive a formal introduction to the project and people you will be serving. After a delicious Dominican lunch head over to start your service projects in one of the batey communities. Service initiatives vary based on local needs, so you may help with construction or agricultural projects or designing activities for local children. Again all projects are designed around the immediate needs of the community and may vary week to week. Students will be contributing to the Monte Coca Housing Initiative, helping to build homes for those in Batey Monte Coca.

The next two days will be spent continuing work on service projects in the bateyes. You will work and live with your fellow travelers at The Base, which is also home to a local NGO that serves the surrounding bateyes. After service, enjoy a game of pick-up baseball with the local kids before returning to The Base for dinner. On Saturday, visit a sugar cane field and learn how the cane is planted and cut, and taste some raw sugar cane! The evenings will be spent relaxing, planning service activities, and discussing the day’s work. You’ll be learning to connect global issues of migrations and citizenship to the local experiences you are witnessing on the ground in the Dominican Republic. Hear from a guest speaker from the ASCALA organization in the evening as you learn more about the work being done in the bateyes.

After three days of invigorating service work, look forward to unwinding with a well-deserved day of fun! Go to the beach to spend the morning swimming in the serene Caribbean waters and soaking in the sun. Explore the beach town of Bayahibe, and grab lunch at a favorite local spot. Enjoy the afternoon snorkeling the coral reefs of the coast of Bayahibe. Have a relaxing dinner near the water before heading back to the base after your fun-filled day.

Join your group for a mid-trip discussion where you will begin to reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned so far.

Run an educational summer camp for local children from some of the bateyes we work in. Get them out and running around, playing educational games and having fun with your group and other kids in the community. In the evenings, plan your camp activities and discuss the day’s work. Play sports, including baseball, which has a huge presence in the bateyes and across San Pedro de Macoris. Take a trip to town for ice cream and spend the evenings relaxing in the cool night breeze by the Base.

After two long days of camp, unwind with another day of fun at the beach! Spend your morning soaking in the sun and have lunch at the beach. In the evening, head back to the base and prepare for service the next day.

Thursday and Friday are service-filled days. Start to see all the progress you’ve made and complete the projects you started last week, spending more time with families you are serving and getting a better understanding of the infrastructure and Haitian-Dominican nature of these communities. Unwind after service by playing a game of baseball with kids. Spend the evenings having more in-depth group discussions, watching a movie and enjoying the beautiful Dominican sunsets.

This morning, put the finishing touches on your service project and get ready to say goodbye to the communities you’ve called home for the last 11 days. Say your final farewells to your new friends and community and start packing for your last beach trip of the program.

Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Say farewell to the bateyes on Sunday morning before you head out to the beach town of Samana bright and early for some time of reflection on the experiences you had in the communities. Relax on the beach, swim through the blue water, and explore some of the most beautiful views in the area. Experience the contrast between the Dominican Republic’s stunning attractions and the lesser-seen bateyes where you have been working for the past two weeks.

Head back to the capital for a tour of the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the first university, cathedral, and hospital in the Americas. Take a tour of the walled city and learn about the deep history of the first European settlement in the Americas. After touring the Colonial Zone, head over to a special dinner and dance show at a typical Dominican restaurant.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your flight home or to your next Rustic program as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.

If you’re staying in the Dominican Republic, your Program Leaders will take you to your next accommodation to meet your new group. If you’re continuing on to another Rustic Pathways destination, you’ll board a connecting flight to that country.