This Thursday I had the surreal experience of visiting the brand new Hard Rock Cafe in the Capital (Santo Domingo). The director invited me to come with her to a fund raising event for the first underwater conservation park on the Dominican Republic. This park will be a huge step towards protecting the remaining coral reefs. I have been put in charge of the annual sixth grade coral reef trip. I will be traveling to a beach the first week in December to work with Reef Check to teach the students about the importance of coral reef conservation and the damage that has already occurred. Working with Reef Check is an exciting opportunity to use my recent Master's on coral reef microbes in my current teaching job. Traveling to the Capital was a surreal experience. I went from the muddy streets next to my apartment with fresh pig legs hanging next door to hearing famous artists perform live in the Hard Rock Cafe and looking at guitars from Maroon 5, and real jackets from the Beatles in the space of a 3 hour drive. Visiting the nicest part of the Capital and being admitted into the VIP room (only because I'm a teacher) was a strong reminder of the huge disparity between rich and poor in this country. I am so excited that the school is able to fund raise and provide my students with the opportunity to work with an international organization on real corals. Many of my students have never been to the beach even though it is just 2 hours away.
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