Dominican Republic: Christopher's First Stop

The first stop on our Thanksgiving Caribbean trip was the Dominican Republic. While we visited the north of the island, I learned about San Domingo, the first place Christopher Columbus landed in the New World, and thus its first European capital. The colony was then converted to Catholicism and today the a full image of a bible remains on the national flag. While the majority of the nation is catholic, there is still freedom of religion. As a matter a fact, it has long been this way. But some national laws do constrict the freedom of the citizens. For example, abortion is illegal regardless of the circumstances, thus pushing people into unsafe situations.

The country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Like with most neighbors, there are some conflicts. Back in colonial times, the citizens were locked in a harsh cast system, Haitians on the bottom, Dominicans, then the mixed population in the middle (Europeans mixed with natives or blacks), and the European colonizers at the very top. This gradient racial classification meant that the whiter a mixed or native person was, the higher he or she was on the social, economic, and political hierarchy. In 1937, during dictator Trujillo's tenure, himself a mulatto who suppressed his black identity, the Parsley Massacre took place. People were forced to say the word "parsley" and if they were unable to pronounce the "r", thus having a french accent, they were determined to be Haitian and thousands were killed for this reason. Today, the Dominican Republic's GDP is around $9,000 and  Haiti's is $1,300 causing a lot of immigration from Haiti to DR. This immigration is a great point of contention and discrimination. Pregnant women come to the DR to give birth (22% of all births are to Haitian mothers) but unless at least one parent is Dominican, the child is denied citizenship. In addition, Haiti might deny citizenship to the same stateless kids due to lack of documentation or witnesses. 

While Dominican Republic struggled with colonization and dictatorships, today it is a more or less democratic state and the most visited tourist destination in the Caribbean with spectacular beaches, golf courses, merengue music, and delicious cuisine. 

Fried plantains, steamed fish, and freshly made pina colada

Playa Grande's public beach is pristine.

Masks used in merengue festivals

GenapSys: A Two Week Internship

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work as a business and HR intern for a bio-tech company called GenapSys. The two weeks were jam packed with diverse tasks, ranging from redesigning their business cards to organizing an HR/recruiting efforts. Not only did I learn how a start-up works, but also an astonishing amount about DNA sequencing and GenapSys’ role in revolutionizing the space. While I can't reveal anything specific about the company, I can hint about the direction in which medicine is heading. Instead of general medications that may or may not work for all patients, we are inching towards more personalized medicine and proactive ways to beat or avoid an illness. With the help of genome sequencing, people all over the world will be more aware of their bodies, what predispositions they may have, what specific medications might work for them and in general be more in charge of their own health. I am so thankful to have had the chance to work with such brilliant inventors, scientists, biologists, chemists, engineers, businessmen and women including my brilliant and caring mentor, Leila Rastegar. I aspire to be like her :) 

A Perfect Weekend Getaway

This past weekend I was blessed to have the opportunity to fly down to LA for fewer than 36 hours with my aunt for her birthday. I was beyond excited to squeeze another short trip in before my summer ended:) By far the highlight of the whole trip was the food. All four of the places we ate at were top notch. 

Lunch at Blue Plate Taco:

This was probably one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to…probably on par with Oyamel in DC. I had the steak quesadilla, and of course the guacamole and chips. It was so well made; the cheese was perfectly melted onto the steak and let me tell you…the ratio was stellar. But probably the best part was the agua fresca; it was the perfect compliment to the quesadilla with the tangy taste. If the food doesn’t impress you, the ambiance will certainly take your breath away. Just across the street is the gorgeous Santa Monica Beach and the beautiful Mexican design also reflects the beachy vibe. Just let the picture do the talking:

Dinner at BOA Steakhouse:

Also one of the best steakhouses I have eaten at. My aunt and I shared quite a lot of everything, but my personal favorite was the chipotle corn. It was a great dinner.

Brunch at Urth Caffe:

Want organic?  You would die here. It was everything that I love in one meal. I had the most perfect granola with strawberries, providing a balance of fresh fruit and sweet-spiced granola. Their famous mango green tea boba (tapioca pearls) is a must try. It almost tasted like Thai Iced Tea with tapioca pearls…it was beyond delicious. I will definitely be going back very soon. 

Snack at Lemonade:

After a long walk to Venice Beach from Santa Monica, we finally arrived at a cafe called Lemonade. Since we were still too full from Urth Caffe, we only tried the lemonade. It was not too sweet and not too sour. I had it in the watermelon jasmine flavor and my aunt tried the mint one. It was unforgettable…we need one in SF! 

My trip to LA was a perfect weekend getaway and I cannot wait to go back! 

Overall, my summer was spectacular; I made surprising friendships, tested and pushed myself, got inspired, exercised my independence, learned so much, and overall had a lot of fun. It will go down as my favorite summer to date:)

A Day and a Half on the Cape

My entire summer boiled down to this: How do I want to live my life when I am on my own, making my own decisions? I think I found quite the plan. Without going into detail, let's just say it includes a couple of weekends in Cape Cod. I took the Boston Fast Ferry to Provincetown, Cape Cod and was picked up by good family friends. I was able to relax here, walk on the beach and sit carefree by a pond. It was so peaceful and I never wanted to leave. I had one of the coolest experiences of my life during the one night I stayed in Cape Cod. It went from being a perfectly sunny day to an intense thunderstorm within minutes. I have a new favorite weather now... when it rains so hard that you have blurred vision from the buckets of water dumping from the angry sky. While at first I was disappointed that there was not going to be a sunset, I was pleasantly surprised when we drove to the harbor and saw one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. The sky was painted with pink and orange; the declining sun projected its rays onto the glistening water and the docked boats swayed in the evening breeze. Just behind me was the raging storm and in front of me was the most serene sight. It was an unforgettable end to my travels!

People to People Ambassadors Program, Harvard University

I also had the opportunity to attend a People to People camp this summer at Harvard University. We toured both the Harvard and MIT campuses as well as  the Boston Area. Along with an eight-hour course on The Seven Habits of a Highly Effective Teens, we did a service project. It combined two of my favorite things, organizing school supplies and helping little school kids. We sorted and compiled backpacks for 139 homeless elementary and middle school children in the Boston area. I loved seeing the difference that I was making and truly felt like a leader in this project. This camp really surprised me, I came in with some apprehension but in the end I got so much out of it. I met so many interesting people from all over the world. At my dinner table, was a student from Colorado to my left, a student from China to my right, someone from Germany in front of me, and another from Indonesia a few seats over. It was so eye-opening to hear about the different things we do in each of our own communities and cultures as well how much we have in common. I made unexpected friendships, was inspired to really push myself to do better in school and maybe even apply to Harvard :)

Young Women's Leadership Institute, Barnard College

One of my favorite things about my summer was finding my independence. There is nothing I enjoy more than walking the streets of New York by myself, and knowing exactly where I am headed (most of the time:). Knowing that I am able to go wherever I want with my own two feet is a freedom I long for everyday, walking the streets or even taking the subway across town. This past week, I had the privilege of staying at one of my dream schools, Columbia (well actually, I stayed at Barnard but I was right across the street J), and attending a one-week summer program called "Young Women's Leadership Institute.” I was in an environment where it was okay to talk about gender issues without being criticized or judged.  Not only did I learn in depth information about the history of women and the path ahead, I was fully immersed in college life. Best of all, I got to hear from a diverse group of girls around my age and listen to their stories as well as share mine. I met an Afghan girl, only a year older than me, who was a victim of domestic violence after the death of her father. An organization called Women for Afghan Women saved her life. It was beyond moving to see such a smiling happy face with such a dark history. I was so inspired by how she overcame it all (positive outlook on life, bright future). I really enjoyed this week of my summer and I can't wait for the camp at Harvard to experience more of the college life!