My First Vacation EVER: the Dominican Republic

Written by: Diana Cepeda

I was 22 years old when I went on my first ever vacation. Yes, I do realize how sad that sounds. I mean I've gone to New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Canada, and DR, but all were either, a). when I was too young to remember, or b). in the ghetto. So yes, I am marking this is as my first vacation. One without the constant sibling bickering for hours during a "road trip". One where I flew over an actual body of water, all to arrive to

P A R A D I S E.

I have never admired the smells, the colors, or the sounds of music of my fellow Dominicans so much in my life. All I knew when I had arrived was that I could not wait to see what else was waiting for me.

Stepping off the plane, I thought to myself, I have never met such nice and helpful Dominican people in my life. Immediately, a person on my left was offering to help me to the car, while a person to my right was taking it upon himself to drag my luggage behind me. I was left at my car, but not before I realized that they were waiting for their tip. So I gave them tips, $5 here, $10 there. By the time I got to the hotel I realized that I had handed out all of my American money. "Note to self, don't hand money to people for simple acts of kindness, aka.. opening a door when it's there freaking job," lol.

Every night was a new themed restaurant, a new fancy shmancy outfit to show off, and a new opportunity to experience tourist shows. We ate Dominican- Chinese food, Dominican- Mexican food, Dominican- Indian food, Dominican- Japanese food, and yes, Dominican- Dominican food. Don't tell me you can't taste the difference between rice and beans in America versus rice and beans in DR.

We watched countless people sing, drink, and dance. We even had the full Dominican Michael Jackson show experience. However, my absolute favorite memories of the trip had to have been the excursions. Day 3, we zip-lined, road a horse (which I hated), and drove a dune-buggy. Day 5, we drove a speedboat and met some of my boyfriend's long-lost family in what seemed like the middle of a plantation. If you ever find yourself in DR, do yourself a favor and go zip-lining. Skip the horse-riding. I'm pretty sure I peed on my horse's back out of fear he'd drop me like how Michele's horse in Full House yeeted her.

All-in-all, my first vacation trip was a success. I ate, I drank, I swam, I laughed, I had my first professional photo-shoot, and I celebrated my 23rd birthday with the man I love. 10 out of 10, recommend experiencing the Dominican Republic for yourself!