Up in the Mountains

Days 11-23

Time does not seem to slow down here in Barahona, despite the relaxed attitude of the people who live here.  My days have been filled with activities and jobs of various sorts, from the Bakery Project, to the unofficial school photographer, to being a coach, and to just being present.  

Each day starts off early with mass at 6:30 in the morning.  I’ve adjusted to this schedule, although reluctantly at first, and have found it peaceful to begin the day in church, being able to see the sun out the eastern windows.  After mass, we head back the house for breakfast, which we quickly eat to be prepared for the kids who arrive to start school at 7:30.  We get our work done during the day, with lunch at 12:30 and dinner at 7:30.  After dinner, we have our personal time to relax and get ready for the next day ahead of us.

Like I stated in the first post, there are two sessions of school each day – one in the morning and one in the evening.  Each has a recess period, and during that time, we all go outside to interact with the children and relax from work for a bit.  At first the children were shy around me, but now they’re not afraid to approach me.  The other day, a boy came up to me and asked:

Boy: Are you from the United States?

Me: Yes, I am.

Boy: Are you white because you ate a lot of rice?

Me: (Laughing) Yes, of course!  And too much milk.

Boy: You don’t eat anymore rice.  I’ll eat rice and we can switch places!

The children are really the life of this place.  Even when school is not in session, the children will hang around until the gates close at night, around 7 or 7:30.  The Salesian sisters here always treat the children with extra care and love, and with 700 kids, it can be hard.  Occasionally, a child will come to school hungry, having not had dinner the night before or breakfast that morning.  While the sisters do not want the children to get used to depending on them for meals, they will never turn a child away hungry.    Other times, children will ask for help with a task or other problem, and the sisters always take time to give attention to the children.  When the children are acting up, the sisters are not afraid to correct their actions, but only through words and positive examples.  Just observing their attitude towards the children is a learning guide for me.

Last Wednesday, a group of us from the parish took a trip up in the mountains to a nearby village.  It’s ‘relatively’ nearby in that it’s probably only 10 miles or so away from here, but takes about 45 minutes to drive to.  Off the main road, it’s just a dirt road that gets washed out badly during rainstorms.  Traversing the ruts and mud uphill is a slow process, but it was scenic all along the way.  From up on the mountains, you can face out and see the ocean, with a dense tropical forest to your back that looked as if it could swallow you whole.  

Due to the remote location, the people in the mountains have very little and live thriftily.  Chickens, hogs, and donkeys are a common sight for the people there and provide food for families.  Fresh fruits and vegetables grow in the forest, which the people depend on every day.  Many of the villages are small pockets of houses packed closely together; small communities scattered along this dirt road in the mountains.  As we drove by, the adults would wave and the children would run after the truck for a short ways, cheering and smiling.  We finally came to a school atop a hill to donate supplies and visit the people in this community.  As we pulled up, people gathered around to warmly welcome us and invite us into their community.

While we were there, we also brought another gift.  For Christmas, my brother, Paul, gave me a soccer ball to take with me on this trip.  Well, I came to find out that most people don’t play soccer here; it’s all basketball and baseball.  Luckily, it was a new ball (American-made too!) and the markets are flexible here – we were able to trade the soccer ball for a basketball and get a discount on a hoop.  The school had wanted to build a basketball goal, but did not have funds for one.  Thanks to Paul’s gift and the Sister’s bargaining (and a few extra pesos) we were able to get the supplies to finish the basketball goal for the kids.  When we presented the gift, I told them it was from my family and the Sisters here.  To show thanks, they sang a song for us, which was very heartfelt.  Paul - know that your gift to me has gone much further than I could have made it go on my own and you have impacted the people here.

After the visit, on the way back down the mountain, I was reflecting on what we experienced.  The people didn’t need a basketball goal; certainly it may have been more beneficial for us to trade in the ball for more school supplies, or even other items needed by the community.  But the group insisted on a basketball goal, because it’s more than just an activity.  It gives the children something to do together, than they can all share in.  It’s an outlet for the children who are otherwise secluded from the rest of the city.  There’s something to be said for learning the value of teamwork at a young age, and while basketball is not the only way to learn it, I think it’s an easy and positive way for kids to do so.

On the way back, I was speaking with a few of the other volunteers who made the trip with us.  Three were from Haiti, and had learned English there (as well as French, Spanish, and Creole).  They were encouraging to speak with, giving me confidence that I’ll pick up Spanish in time.  They came to the Dominican Republic to study to become doctors.  They spoke with pride about their country, but also with sadness because the people need so much there.  He said many people who are lucky enough to get educated in Haiti end up leaving the country for good, because of the instability of the economy and political situation.  These young men were different though and it was very inspiring to hear their stories.  They wanted to become medical doctors and return back to Haiti to help.  They realize they could make much more money in other Caribbean countries as doctors, but choose to help their people over making money.   As one of the Haitian volunteers said, 

“The government does not take care of the people, the communities take care of the people.  But what happens when the people leave and stop caring for one another?  Things will never improve that way.  That is why we must help.  If no one helps, everything will stay the same.”

I hope everyone back home is safe and well.  You all are in my thoughts and prayers.  Peace.

First Impressions

Days 1-10

Hello friends and family!  In the 10 days that I’ve been in the Dominican Republic, much has happened – so I’ll do my best to recap to try and capture the environment I’m living in.

I began my travels on Jan. 31^st and flew from Louisville to Charlotte to Miami to Santo Domingo, whereupon I arrived at 9:30 p.m. local time (I’m in the Atlantic Time Zone, 1 hour ahead of EST).  As I waited to get my visa and exchange currency, I felt a bit nervous about beginning this journey (not being very efficient in Spanish may have played a small or large part in the nervousness).  I collected my bags and shortly thereafter, I was greeted by the sisters near the exit.  On the plane, I had practiced what I would say and guessed some questions they might ask me, so I was able to respond to them fairly easily.  But then, we had a 30 minute car ride to the capital, and questions were asked that I did not understand.  Luckily, one of the sisters spoke English!  Something I definitely did not expect.  So we were able to communicate and talk on the way to the capital.

 

The following day, I got oriented with the other Salesian sisters and volunteers in the community.   We started discussing what I would be doing during my stay here: helping at the school, doing small repairs to the ceiling of the chapel, re-routing rainwater, and helping restart a bakery in Barahona.  As we were going over the bakery project, I was told that I’d be leaving for Barahona the very next day.  While I was excited to go to Barahona, I was also a little apprehensive because I was told that English was not spoken there. 

The next day, I left for Barahona and felt the frustration from my lack of Spanish.  A lot of times, I knew what they were saying, but couldn’t form a correct response.  The drive along the coast was beautiful, passing through many small towns along the way.  The drive also showed the uneven distribution of wealth in the Dominican Republic.  The tourist places are well kept and maintained, but apart from that, many people live in poverty.  The drive to Barahona was a reminder for me, to let me know why I am here: to give what I have to help out those in need.  At this point in my life, it’s my time.  While I may not change the world, country, city, or even community, I believe that my service will be worth it if I affect just one person positively (but hopefully more than that).

In Barahona, I learned about the bakery and the school, which operate in the same compound, where I am also staying.  Again, meeting and greeting everyone was a little difficult due to the language barrier, but we will overcome that with time.  The bakery will be a very interesting project and I am very eager to keep working on it.  We hope for it to re-open in May and as of now, we are still planning out such things as the menu, supply ordering, hours of operation, job descriptions, etc.  The goal of the project is to provide employment to members of the community, while also making nutritious bread available to families at an affordable price.  

The school has about 700 kids attending it, with two different sessions per day: the morning and the afternoon, so there are always kids around, which creates a very lively environment.  All the teachers are very dedicated to their jobs, and the sisters are so encouraging with the kids that it creates a very warm environment of learning.   I hope to employ the principles of accompaniment with the kids and continue to learn Salesian values from the sisters throughout my stay here.  

 

At the school, three days a week, the kids have basketball practice in the school yard, where about 100 kids show up to practice and play.  Baseball may be the sport to watch in the Dominican Republic, but basketball is definitely the sport to play – almost every schoolyard has a full sized court outside with numerous public courts as well.  The kids are broken up by age to make it more manageable, and also practice at different times.  The practices have been something that I look forward too, as non-verbal communication is much easier to do on the court, where I can help coach and play with the kids.  The older group age range is about 17-20, so I’m able to play competitively with them.

In the 10 days I’ve been here, I’ve learned quite a bit and look forward to the continuous learning.  Here are a few things I didn’t expect, but have encountered:

1. Motorcycles, dirt bikes, and mopeds are the main mode of transportation.  In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already ridden them a handful of times, and is quite an experience in the busy streets.
2.  Washing clothes by hand is tough work.  Don’t take your washer and dryer for granted, trust me.
3.  There are so many different types of fruits/vegetables in the banana family that I didn’t know about.  Lots.
4. My name is hard for people to pronounce here, so it usually ends up being Russo, Rose, or – my favorite – Roosevelt.
5.  Baseball may be the sport to watch in the Dominican Republic, but basketball is definitely the sport to play.

  

Friends and family back home: take care.  I’ll try to update the blog every week or two and provide pictures.  Peace.