About Student Life
Student Life (Non-Academic) Activities:
Upon arrival in the country, students are met at the Cibao International Airport by the Encuentro Dominicano staff and ILAC/CESI representatives. Students are then transported to the ILAC/CESI Center which they will complete their academic studies. The orientation is held in Santiago and continues for several days. Students will cover a variety of topics including: life as an international student in the Dominican Republic, Creighton’s Tradition at ILAC/CESI, ILAC/CESI house rules, building community, race and gender issues, health and safety, religion on the island and academics. Students will get an introduction to Santiago and do a scavenger hunt as they learn about the city. A weekend trip is traditional for the first week so that students get the opportunity to interact with one another and meet the directors and their families in an informal setting. Cultural activities and excursions are an integral part of the student life programming.
Student life programming provides students with the opportunity to further the process of immersion into Dominican culture and society. For Encuentro Dominicano this means introducing students to communities to which they may otherwise never have been introduced on an average visit to the country. 
These trips could include a visit to both public and private medical facilities, cigar factories, free zone factories and coastal areas that compete with the large multinational corporations on the island. These day trips are complimented with other weekend options, students participate in optional weekend trips to Batey Libertad, Santo Domingo, Jarabacoa and La Vega. Batey Libertad offers Encuentro Students an opportunity to learn about some of the unique economic, political, and social issues Haitian agricultural workers face and the impacts of these issues on their health. Students had an opportunity to stay with families, meet and interact with the youth (playing soccer, basketball, etc.), complete a small service project, learn about the women’s group of the community, and talk with local leaders about the plight of Haitians in the Dominican Republic. Students will also have the chance to visit the 27 Waterfalls in Damajagua. This site has been practicing responsible tourism and the organizing structure of the tour guides. Students scale small waterfalls and enjoy a three mile walk through picture perfect terrain.
The overnight field trip to Santo Domingo includes visits to the Botanical Gardens, the Three Eyes, Columbus’s Lighthouse, the aquarium, and a walking tour of the Colonial Zone. This is often students first introduction to dancing merengue, bachata and other forms of Latin dance.