Two summers ago I decided to adventure out to the foreign island of Dominica. Having never heard of the island and not knowing anyone on my trip, I decided to take a risk. I arrived to the dark sand island ready to embark on what would turn out to be the best summer of my life. I signed up for a trip focused on academics and community service, but found myself immersed in a world of discoveries and new experience.
 

Nervous to meet what would quickly become my temporary family, I arrived to our first location; a small bed and breakfast, where my tripmates quickly united as a group. Within the first 24 hours I was there, I found myself pushed to my physical limits, climbing an astonishing mountain to witness an unforgettable view of the second largest boiling lake in the world. The mountain however was not the best part of the day. That came afterwards when our host brought us to a local hot spring for a spa relaxation. I didn’t think that when I signed up for the trip, I would find myself immersed in mud baths, playing games, and having the time of my life; and this was only on the first day!
 

The rest of the trip went by like a whirlwind, faster and more breathtaking then I can even convey in words. A week later we found ourselves in another city, with new friends. Our local tour guide joined us on the beach at our hotel with his family and his guitar. Soon after another local leader and his charity group that we had been working with joined us. We spent the sunset on the beach having a barbeque while playing guitar and swimming in the ocean. Chicken wars in the clear water, singing on a boat under the stars, and relaxing on the beach, established itself as one of those quintessential nights that could not have been more perfect if it had come straight out of a movie.

We met so many local people, and made so many friends on the island, that moving locations was one of the hardest parts of the trip. We painted a library and a local nonprofit, and couldn’t believe that weeks later when we were shopping in another town people knew us as the group of friendly Americans who came to help their local community. It was amazing. Sometimes find myself reminiscing about the memories that I created, and the friends that I made. I wish I could tell you about the warmth inside you when a local family welcomes you into their home, the sensation of swimming in the dark of night surrounded by bioluminescence, or the fantastic feeling you get when you sit on the front of a catamaran speeding through the open ocean. Writing them in words will not do this trip justice. It was the best summer I’ve ever had, and a memory that I will have forever.