About a year ago, a friend recommended that I visit Cabarete on the north coast of Dominican Republic.

I searched the Web and discovered the Iguana Mama Adventure Tour Company, which offered a mountain biking tour of the country through the Dominican Alps. I thought, “Why not?”

I left Washington, D.C. early on Dec. 31st to make my way to Puerto Plata, a small city on the North Coast of the DR. Rain prevented our ability to land safely in Puerto Plata, however, so we were diverted to Santo Domingo to refuel.

Once in Santo Domingo, the captain informed us that a part was broken, so we then de-boarded into a “holding pen” of sorts because we hadn't cleared customs. That was the last word any of us heard from the airline.

It was at this point, when unleashed from our holding pen, that I realized I had left the States. After getting nowhere with the airlines, a few of us decided to take a taxi to Puerto Plata, despite being warned about mountain bandits.

What was it like? Picture a taxi fuming noxious toxins, pouring rain, pitch black, in the mountains, a driver with a huge machete, a small bag of trail mix for dinner and a car that veered off the road repeatedly, and you’ll have a good idea.

Although landing in the DR was tumultuous, my first two days were spent on the incredible beaches. There are very few Americans in Cabarete.

This is basically a Biking off the beaten path Trip in Dominican Republic forces alumna to step outside herself knockabout beach town with many Europeans. I heard many languages and met people from every part of Europe.

Some of my favorite memories included children running out of their houses yelling, “Hola” and giving me “high fives” as I peddled along on my bike.

I also remember sleeping with centipedes in the mountains and being scared to death I would land in a DR hospital. There was also this wonderful man in my biking group who practically became my personal guide.

He related the history of the country, stopped me where there were great photo shots and helped me to speak to the Dominicans.

He explained that the country was quite violent, having just found out that his English teacher had been killed under mysterious circumstances. I, too, noted many people, especially children, with huge guns.

There is no sense of America's gun control in this part of the world. I was also amazed by how many schoolaged children could be found playing at home and walking along the roads during what America would consider “school hours.”

Why weren’t they in school? Apparently, in the DR, children attend school for only a few hours each day from the ages of 7 to 14.

Students are mainly taught English and only a few other subjects, and most children must spend several hours walking to get to their school.

At the age of 14, most boys join the military, and most girls become pregnant and have children. I also learned that this is not the sort of country where you want to be traveling by yourself, especially not knowing the language.

Most times, if I was polite yet selfassured, the Dominican men, who were very hands-on, would go on their way. Only once did I have two men in a police vehicle following me for a long time with huge guns and machetes sexually harassing me.

I ignored their pleas but also tried to be pleasant. They were the police after all, and I was alone without an ID on me. Now back in D.C., my time there seems so distant.

A typical weekday morning in the DR would find the women washing out clothes, the children hanging outside of the hut homes, and the men working on some type of construction project. It is quiet actually.

There are few modern conveniences, which makes society slow down and take time for each other. Instead of e-mail, neighbors walk next door and have that conversation; instead of kids zoning out with TV, they use their imaginations to create their own characters and stories.

The Dominicans are a beautiful people who inhabit a landscape that is truly magnificent. By traveling to the DR entirely on my own, I learned a great deal about the country and my ability to communicate, get along, and, at some points, survive.

My time at Wittenberg, especially courses such as Common Learning and being a part of a diverse student body, prepared me to step outside of my own comfort zone and experience a culture quite different from my own.

Wittenberg helped me to appreciate that there are many ways to live, and, in turn, my own life has been enriched.

— Lisa Kothari ’93

Kothari currently works for the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. She hopes to visit the DR again soon.