Voluntary Simplicity – SunCampDR Apartments
SunCampDR Apartments vacation Rentals, Puerto Plata, Dominican RepublicI am Canadian and was raised in a middle class family. What I enjoyed the most in my youth was the vacations with family… those fishing trips where we stayed in a camp and we shared good times different from than the environment at home where everyone was always so busy. Now, I have found the same ambiance, a vacation lifestyle… under the tropics! Not so cold, not so many mosquitoes and comfortable swimming. Life is more simple… less clothes and less mosquito repellent. I have becomes used to a more simple diet: less food, but healthy food such as fresh fruits and local vegetables and products.
I chose to work in tourism here and meet people who are happy because they are enjoying the best part of the year, the vacation time… Working in tourism also makes life simple… we are not in the middle of traffic, stress and work commitments. Visitors vacationing in the Dominican Republic are happy because this is the rewarding vacation they have been waiting for! The Dominican Republic is known for its good weather and friendly people which is why this is a destination people come back to most. Once people come on a vacation to Puerto Plata or simply in the Dominican Republic, they want to come back!
Always coming back to the Dominican Republic was also my case. I worked for a Canadian tour company who sent tourists to different islands and my second destination was here in the Dominican Republic, and I have always been coming back for vacation after working in other countries. I like the simple Caribbean lifestyle, the simple people, their friendliness and uncomplicated way of thinking.
I can live with very little. SunCampDR is designed for people who don’t need too much in life, people who can vacation without their usual comfort back home. We have the basic commodities but no luxury. We have a gas stove – always ready to cook despite some electrical power failures. We have propane gas hot showers and the internet is powered by an invertor (back up system energy)! We did not have this much when I first moved to suncampdr…
I moved here in a wooden house with no running water, no electricity, no phone, no internet wi-fi – only the sky so shiny in the night time and the sound of the river flow. The first thing we did was dig a well for fresh water and than, the backhouse toilet. For now, I consider myself very privileged to have all the services and commodities and I am glad that it suits many people for their tropical vacation. I agree that it is not for every vacationer. Many prefer luxury hotels. Our simple lifestyle puts us in touch with the local people and we share with them moments and conversations that would not be possible otherwise, if we did not live close to them and visit their corner stores and their churches, baseball fields, discos, etc.
In the public transportation of Munoz, all drivers consider you as a resident and treat you with respect. If we talk about the accommodations – yes they are simple – but you can live a very good vacation and choose to go outside and meet the people, discover the culture – a vacation that will remain in your memory… a more humanitarian experience. Even on the grounds of SunCampDR, you will meet friends that share ideas and you will keep in contact with them and may choose to go on vacation together again or come back here again, like the case of Jennifer and Quinn who are both volunteers who met here last year working together and came again for the same purpose! These are real important values!
The apartments have no air conditioning but it is healthier, more environmental and provides less of a contrast when you go out of the room. The fan is enough to refresh you and the natural breeze from the river makes the night comfortable.
My 18 year old son asked me… why don’t you make your own apartment more luxurious? I simply answered this is the way I like to live, I don’t need luxury. I told him I am different. I am for a rich quality of life, which is in accordance with physical and mental health. I only wish to have more time, not more luxury – more time to spend with the people, more time to get to know them. More time to take long walks, more time to go swimming, more time to meditate, more time to prepare natural juices and more time to sit and talk to my father who lives with me 6 months of the year and also more time to spend with my son (and less time fixing my old vehicle). And more time with the people in the village. When I come back from the community center I am always full of energy, it has a special effect… a magical feeling. Would that be from the affection from the children?
Another aspect of voluntary simplicity that I like is that here we don’t ask ourselves so many questions and we don’t compare ourselves to others. Fashion is not so important… everything becomes simple! This wisdom we get by looking at Dominicans – they live day-by-day – is a great lesson. I have not achieved this level but I am proud of my way of thinking compared to the way I was in Canada. I seem to be more satisfied with less and I wish to explore this path of simplicity more. The projects going on at SunCampDR with Bernard – the dry toilet, water filters and the alternative energy – are fascinating to me.