Being an Encuentro Man: Tips for Success.

The men of ED are few and far between. In our community we had four of the fifteen members of the male gender. While this initially could be viewed as a roadblock to having a fun time while in the DR, it also provides many opportunities for the men of ED. This post, written by the men of communidad 19, will discuss a few tips for success for the men of ED.
1. Bro it up. Set aside time for just chilling with the guys. Being part of a small community within your ED community with people who share your gender can provide lots of opportunities for you to form meaningful relationships with the other guys of ED. This can be eating together at dinner or going out together. We loved to go to the Colmados and grab a fria or two.
a. –Anthony.
2. Learn to Dance. Dominican Culture has dancing at its forefront. Learning how to dance will allow you to fit in when all of the girls want to go out dancing (Trust me they don’t have a clue how to dance either). Additionally, you’ll get some serious compliments from your Dominican peers for your skills.
a. – Justin
3. Give yourself alone time. During my time in ED I loved to use the computer room to just chill by myself, sometimes even until the early morning. Once everyone saw that I was very tech-savvy they began to discuss technology with me, and it helped me make friends. Before I knew it, everyone was in the computer room with me watching my favorite youtube videos.
a. -Pedro
4. Speak Spanish. Speaking and practicing your Spanish will allow you to form friendships with the staff of ILAC and other members of the community. During my time in ED I was able to make friends with many staff members, people who I’ll try to keep in touch with when back in the states, not to mention the command I gained of Spanish.
a. -Luca


Luke Howard