Building Bonds

A group of GCDS students, faculty, and staff traveled to San Juan de la Maguana, a western province of the Dominican Republic, for a week in June. During that time, they helped build two homes—mixing cement, hauling materials, making bucket lines, steering wheelbarrows, and handing off blocks. They worked alongside masons and the new homeowners, who shared the enormous impact these houses would have on their lives.

YUDI AND AMBIORIS QUEZADA, a married couple who are part of the GCDS Dining Hall staff and are Dominican, joined a Center for Public Good service trip for the first time. Here are some of their reflections from the trip (translated from Spanish):

YUDI: We all applauded when we stepped on Dominican soil. At the airport, we were warmly received by two guides and parts of my husband’s family. Upon arrival in San Juan de la Maguana, we were introduced to the family whose house we were building. Seeing the children living in such conditions broke my heart. That experience motivated me to work harder so that this family could see their dreams come true. The next day, it began to rain, but even the rain didn’t stop us. We continued working. At one point, I approached the house where they lived. It was raining heavily, and I saw their house filling with water. This brought back memories from my childhood. I remembered waking up one morning to find my mother trying to keep me dry with a bucket during a similar situation. I felt like a child again, understanding how difficult such a situation is for a mother. I was very impressed by the children of GCDS. They worked like adults, always willing to work with love. They also shared a lot with other children and the people who came to help. Despite language barriers, they tried to understand people and even taught them English. Ms. Donnalley and Mr. Lehn led the team excellently. They were very organized, working with love and respect. Everyone, both children and adults, worked as a team. I loved working with them and contributed wherever I could. I am so grateful and happy to belong to the GCDS family.

AMBIORIS: I was transported to my childhood in the Dominican Republic. All of us who have lived in the fields of my country have gone through hardships. Seeing the family that is living there fills me with nostalgia. I could see the joy of those families as we built the house. It was wonderful to see how sociable all the GCDS children and group were with all the people from my country. That was something very, very nice. It was very satisfying for us that the school goes to the Dominican Republic to carry out these projects. Sometimes it seems like a country that has everything, but we do have many needs in many parts of the country. We, as a couple and as Dominicans, feel very honored to have been considered for this service trip.