ipl-logo

Personal Narrative: A Trip To The Dominican Republic

604 Words3 Pages

When I was 12 years old, I went on a mission trip with my church to the Dominican Republic. At that time, I didn’t know that my life was going to be completely changed. I didn’t know what to expect in the Dominican Republic. I was young, naive, and totally clueless of the world beyond the United States. I knew that spanish was the primary language spoken in the Dominican Republic; therefore, I studied hard prior to this trip. When my group and I arrived, we rode in a bus to take us to our camp. On the ride to our camp, I was observing the streets. The streets were filled with trash, rocks, and a bunch of other debris. The people of the Dominican Republic were thin, hungry, and just miserable-looking. I’ve never seen such remorseful faces in my …show more content…

With the spanish language barrier, Ren and I were not able to communicate properly. However, we would often communicate through body language, hand signals, or facial expressions. In time, we became very good friends. A week has passed and Ren introduced me to some of her siblings, close friends, and some neighbors. As I was observing Ren with her friends, I noticed something very interesting. Ren was smiling, laughing...and living with her loved ones. I didn’t understand how it was possible. She didn’t have a family of her own, was disabled, and was living in a mess. It sincerely touched my heart. Everyone has their own source of happiness and Ren’s source was from her friends and family. Some people are happy with their friends, some people are happy with money, some people are happy with cats...the possibilities are endless. Although this relates to happiness, I broaden the aspects and took the ideas a step further. Every being in this world can improve themselves in their own unique ways. Just like how people have their own sources of happiness, students have their own ways to expand their thinking, skills, knowledge, and

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Borders Of Dominicanidad By Lorgia Garcia

    1158 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lorgia García-Peña, through her book, The Borders of Dominicanidad, has inquired for readers to think of dominicanidad through dictions, word choices/phrases, actions, descriptions etc., to understand its underlying truth. These dictions can often have political agenda and are often politically constructed. She mentions the contradictions that challenge these “truths” in regards to dominicanidad and the bordering of Dominican racialized groups. These contradictions can either reaffirm or question these borders in regards to belonging or not to a nation focusing on identity. In both of Chapter 1, The Galindo Virgins, and Chapter 4, Rayano Consciousness, illustrates dictions and contradictions that influence and affect the borders of dominicanidad.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: A Night In Key West

    221 Words  | 1 Pages

    Every night, 365 days a year the sun sets in Key West is a part of someone’s night. The light goes out, but the city is still awake. Everywhere in Key West there is either food, art, or someone showing off a cool talent. The hot humid days turn into cool humid nights. The stars and moon come out and dance to the music.

    Read More

  • Costa Rica-Personal Narrative Essay

    1057 Words  | 5 Pages

    My sleep schedule is not a hearty one; my dependence on caffeine, therefore, is. Waking up and smelling freshly brewed coffee mixing with the cold, brisk morning air is bliss. Now, add riding a warm bus through a foreign land. This land contains every variation of forestry your brain is capable of imagining.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mark Kingwell's In Pursuit Of Happiness

    753 Words  | 4 Pages

    The fact that happiness is a state of well-being pursued by humans since the beginning of humanity is not new. Since the ancient Greek philosophers, happiness has always been a goal for people. However, the definition of happiness is still subjective and controversial as Mark Kingwell, an award-winning social critic, essayist, and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, presents in his article “In pursuit of Happiness." The author begins to build his credibility by calling everyday facts and emotions, also by citing philosophers, researchers, and other authors. Using the sources effectively in a persuasive piece, Kingwell demonstrates, through examples and science researches, the difficulty in defining happiness, which can result in unhappiness.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: Growing Up In A Hispanic Home

    797 Words  | 4 Pages

    Even though growing up I didn’t visit Dominican Republic as much as I would have liked to when I did it was an experience that opened my eyes deeper into my culture. Learning to read and speak Spanish in “El barrio” alongside of my abuela and other family members it helped me progress because I now had more doors open to me in my future due to my ability to fluently speak both

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Film 'Black In Latin America'

    1128 Words  | 5 Pages

    The film begins with an explanation of the differences between the two countries. The Dominican Republic is a Spanish-speaking country influenced by European culture. The citizens of the Dominican Republic are proud to be of mixed heritage, but often dismiss and forget their black ancestors. They equate their homeland only to Spain and not Africa.

    Read More

  • Yolanda Ypres Suicide

    1191 Words  | 5 Pages

    The subject interested me so much that I went back to school to study the science of happiness, and now I teach the subject at NYU. Happiness doesn’t necessarily mean you have a smile on your face. It’s more of a mixing board with several different dials: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement. Everyone’s mixing board is set differently. There’s no one way to be happy and there’s no wrong way to be happy.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Living In Miami

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    Recently, I’ve become a resident of Miami, Florida. Previously, I lived in Haiti, where I was born, then moved to the Bahamas as a child, now in Miami. Living in these different environment made me the mature human being of today. Miami, known for its beaches, is extremely attractive to numbers of individuals from across the world. Haiti is very different from Miami in numerous ways, especially when it comes to the type of food we eat, to the type of attitude we enriched our children with, also the system of education and work provided.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech On Haiti

    1030 Words  | 5 Pages

    Joshua Morgan Oral Communication Professor Currie General purpose-to inform Specific purpose- my classmates will be able to convey how I grew to have an intimate relationship with Haiti Central idea-Haiti has a special place in my heart Intro Attention grabber- Haiti is not a large country, Haiti 's border with the Dominican-Republic is only 159 miles. To put that in perspective, if you were to drive along the border at 60 mph 's, it would only take you 2 hours and 39 mins.

    Read More

  • Review Of Ari A Memoir Of A Bilingual Childhood By Richard Rodriguez

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most individuals are apprehensive about changes, but there may be no reason. Changes can bring benefits to those who experience them. In the essay “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” Richard Rodriguez explores his life as a bilingual child. He discusses the many changes he experiences as he goes from being fluent in Spanish to being fluent in English. Rodriguez dissuades the reader against bilingual education which is the education of nonnative English speakers in their native language.

    Read More

  • My Life In Haiti

    794 Words  | 4 Pages

    I was born in a really poor place in the Caribbean called Haiti. When I was 9 years old, my family moved to the United States, because I was doing things I am not proud of. Later on, I went back to Haiti after an earthquake ravaged my homeland and left nothing, but destruction and sadness in the people’s lives. Some of my family were also still there. I called them to ask them how they were and to make sure they weren’t hurt.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: My Mission Trip To The Dominican Republic

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    I believe in finding yourself in others. In the 21st century when you grow up you are surrounded in a world of technology, ungratefulness, and high expectations. Before I went on this life changing missions trip that was my mindset. I was ungrateful,and jealous of what I did not have. But now my values and my mindset has changed I now am grateful, and I am jealous of the people who have so little and are still so happy.

    Read More

  • Can Money Buy Happiness Rhetorical Analysis

    680 Words  | 3 Pages

    People miss the fact that happiness comes from within. In an attempt to find joy – we must also be cautious about over excessive desire to acquire material objects and wealth. There is a delicate balance that must be reached between the pursuit of happiness, satisfaction, and contentment. While there are many conditions that fulfill ones emotional wellbeing, happiness and how we acquired it, depends upon the

    Read More

  • Happiness In Willy Loman's Death Of A Salesman

    1008 Words  | 5 Pages

    Not many achieve happiness in their lifetime. Either they do not live long enough to witness it or they are not prepared for what their happiness is. Happiness is very subjective. Each person’s version of happiness is different. This version of happiness is universal.

    Read More

  • Personal Essay: The Definition Of True Happiness

    1224 Words  | 5 Pages

    A collection of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches had attempted to define happiness and analyze its connections. Researchers have found that about 50% of people happiness depends on our genes, based on studies of identical twins, whose happiness was 50% correlated even when growing up in different houses. About 10% to 15% is a result of various measurable life circumstances variables, such as socioeconomic status, marital status, health, income, and others. The remaining 40% is a combination of intentional factors and the results of actions that individuals deliberately engage in to become happier. Studies have also found that most of us are born with a fixed “set point” of happiness that we fall in throughout our lives.

    Read More

More about Personal Narrative: A Trip To The Dominican Republic

Open Document