It may be hard for some of us (me included) to even think of taking a vacation when all we've done for our past summers was think of ways to improve our CV but I gotta say, this was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I decided to do absolutely nothing in my last summer before clerkship and dedicate some time to travelling instead. My sister and I took a trip to the Dominican Republic and had the time of our lives. I really encourage everyone to travel at some point during their preclerkship, because honestly speaking, when will we get to do this again? It doesn't have to be a great big adventurous trip like backpacking through Europe (something still on my bucket list). Take a week off and enjoy yourself at an all-inclusive!
Some tips:
1. Bring sunscreen - lots of it
2. Bring nice dresses! It's fun to dress up!
3. Drink lots of water (but make sure it's bottled, don't let diarrhea ruin your vacation!)
4. Bring a water bottle: so you can bring some water back to your hotel room for the teeth brushing!
5. Definitely go on an excursion: when will you get to do something like that again??
6. Dominican people can be really pushy! Don't let them push you into buying something you don't want!
Things I learned:
1. After spending several years trying to manage my time and juggle so many different commitments, it was hard for me to relax on this trip. I still felt like I had to be doing something all the time, which really tired me out on my first few days here. But I think this trip has really taught me to relax - that it's okay to take a nap in the middle of the day. I also spent se time relaxing in the pool and sunbathing at the beach. Surprisingly - it felt NICE!
2. Spend time with your parents. I had the best time with my parents and was really glad I had his opportunity to reconnect with them two years after moving out. I also noticed that they've aged since I last lived with them. I learned patience as I realized that they weren't as quick with their minds as they used to be. But I loved them and was really happy to see them enjoying themselves. They have never taken a vacation like this before and I'm glad I pushed them to do it too. I also realized that after years of working hard to save enough money for Amanda and I to go to med school, that they didn't know how to relax either. I think it was more difficult for them than it was me...they still kept with their routine throughout the vacation of waking up early.
3. Eat small portions! You definitely don't want to gain weight. Apparently the average weight gain for an individual at an all inclusive is about 8-10lbs! What we tried to do was "taste test" all the new foods, but we didn't get more than the smallest serving if a dish. Another thing we can do is drink water to fill yourself up before you go to eat or use smaller plates!
And lastly, here are some pictures of the adventures we had!
Day 1: arriving at the airport and the resort
Here we are enjoying our first drinks, with (many) more to come
Our hotel room: two doubles and a day bed! Perfect.
Day 2: first full day at the resort
Miami vice: our drink before we discovered the coco loco!
Day 3: Dominican Night
Day 4: the excursion and BBQ formal night
We booked a tour with Marinarium and it was fantastic! The tour took us to enclosed areas with sharks and stingrays. We got the opportunity to touch a stingray and snorkel with the sharks. Best part of the trip! Then after, they took us on a cruise around the area until we got to a part of the water where we can wade into. We all got off the boat and enjoyed more singing and dancing in the ocean waters as the crew members served us drinks and entertained us! For anyone going to the Dominican in the future I completely recommend this trip! Worth every penny!
Day 5: relaxing and Japanese formal night
Maxi dresses and bry
Day 6: more relaxing at the beach and Italian night!
To top off our trip, we realized that all those bites we've been getting were NOT mosquito bites...they were bed bugs! Poor Vick had almost 42+bites....
Day 7: last day! Formal garden grill night
I gotta say 7 days is enough for an all-inclusive. But I don't think I was able to maintain any of my caloric intake today. Three of my travel buddies and I were hit with a wave of travellers diarrhea unfortunately. But that didn't stop us from going to the beach and spending some time at the pool! We wanted to make the most if our last day here!
Of course we had our final formal night at the Garden Grill. It was also oriental night at the buffet! Two dinners??! Of course.
Until next time!
Jessica
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