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.