Dental Healthcare Program in Las Terrenas

I spent a total of 6 months in the Dominican Republic and can generally say that I love the country. I went to two different hospitals and then to the dentist. I hoped that I would get a real insight into medicine there and that this would help me decide what to study, but I have to say that this was unfortunately not the case. There was really absolutely nothing to do in the first hospital and we sat there for four hours a day just reading. On average, we had maybe two patients a day, nobody came when it was raining, wie weren‘t allowed to do anything and the hospital was still under construction. After 6 weeks, I was allowed to change hospitals, and Nacho, the local coordinator, made every effort to make the change possible! There were significantly more patients in this hospital. Over time, I was also allowed to carry out tasks on my own and was allowed to watch a surgery twice which was really interesting. Nevertheless, I have to say that a lot is promised on the website, with various medical areas in which you get an insight and that you can help in the ambulance, in the pharmacy or in the laboratory. None of this was the case and even though I enjoyed the work, it was relatively monotonous and not what was promised. The staff at the hospitals have become friendlier over time, but especially at the beginning they didn't really pay attention to you and as soon as you didn't understand something in Spanish, they rolled their eyes and turned away. Working at the dentist, on the other hand, totally surprised me. The two dentists were super friendly and tried to explain everything. I also got to know a lot of different types of treatment, was allowed to see everything up close and was able to assist with everything after just a few days, such as a wisdom tooth operation. I enjoyed working at the dentist's the most by far! Overall, I really liked the accommodation we stayed in, as we lived in the same building with all the volunteers and were therefore able to get to know lots of great people. However, the photos on the rgv website don't match the actual accommodation at all; the accommodation shown is completely different. Nevertheless, casa regular is a nice place and the locals who live in the same building are really friendly. Overall, it has to be said that the communication between rgv and Aldeas de Paz is not really good and rgv never tells you that they are working with Aldeas de Paz so you are really confused at first. In addition, rgv gives you contact details of people who are supposed to be the local coordinators, but these people don't even exist there, only the employees of Aldeas de Paz. The coordinators of Aldeas de Paz, on the other hand, are very nice and especially the coordinator of the marine program, always organizes excursions for all volunteers and takes care of everyone. Spanish lessons hardly ever took place at the beginning, but our coordinator arranged for a replacement and since then we have had a very nice Spanish teacher who gave good lessons. All in all, it was an absolutely unforgettable time in the Caribbean, where I made new friends, improved my Spanish and learned a lot about a new culture and myself but honestly not because of the projects

My experience in Samana with Aldeas de Paz has definitely exceeded my expectations in a couple of different aspects. First, by working as a dental assistant through the dental care program, I was able to work with a dentist side by side, directly interact with patients, and closely observe the reality of dental care in a developing country. The Staff at the hospital including my dentist were very nice to me which made it easy to adapt and become part of the team. It had been a valuable experience that I wouldn’t be able to experience elsewhere. Next, I got to meet amazing people here – other volunteers. Open-minded people with great hearts come here to volunteer and it was great to spend time with them by working and traveling together, sharing stories and lives. I am blessed to have these friendships. Overall, it was a tremendously enriching experience!

A few weeks from when I wrote this, I stepped on to a small budget airliner and made my way across the Caribbean to the Dominican Republic. Before this experience I had never left the United States, and I was unsure what my time in Samana would be like. Needless to say, it was an absolute blast. I volunteered in a small dental clinic in Las Pascualas, a small, sleepy city on the outskirts of Samana. Volunteering in the clinic opened my eyes to some of the difficulties associated with public health care in a developing country, and it allowed me to look at public service through a different perspective. The dentist I was under was very nice, and incredibly accomidating; an absolute joy to volunteer under. This trip also allowed me to meet people from around the globe, and develop friendships with people who I would have never come across in daily life. The other volunteers really helped make this trip worthwhile, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with each one of them. Overall, Aldeas de Paz is a great organization to be apart of. The volunteers work hard to help the people of Samana, and the program director, Manfred, is very enabling. He will go out of his way to make sure you are getting the most out of your experience. I stayed in Samana for 28 days, and the time has honestly gone by very quickly. I have learned more than I had hoped to on this adventure, and I definitely recommend it to others.