Let the Games Begin!

Days 34-52

Reasons why I know I’m beginning to adjust to life here in Barahona:

San Rafael Beach

1. I began writing this entry in Spanish, with my spell-check also set to Spanish in Word.
2. I get excited when we have either Yucca or Sancocho for meals.
3. I am able to navigate the city (though it’s not that big) on my own.
4. Instead of just the kids knowing my name, I know many of their names too.  It may not seem like a big deal, but with around 800 kids at the school, it can be hard.

Finally, a short story about adjusting to living here:  two weeks ago, I went to Santo Domingo with Sor Elizabeth to get an extension for my visa.  We came find out that they can only extend it by 3 months at a time, so I’ll have to return to do the same at the end of June.  While in Santo Domingo, we visited the Provincial House and I got to see the sisters there again that I had met when I first arrived in the Dominican Republic.  It was great to see them again, and also was a positive way for me to know that I had made progress with my Spanish.  While there, we discussed what I would do during my 9 months here.  At first it was believed that I’d spend 5 months here in Barahona and 4 in Santo Domingo.  When I spoke with Sor Maria Esther and Sor Carmen at the Provincial House, they told me I’d most likely stay in Barahona the whole time.  I felt a bit of joy at hearing this news, and was surprised by my feelings.  I thought about this much during the day, and I’ve come to realize that the relationships I’ve begun to establish in this short time are very important to me: the kids, the sisters, the teachers, and others such as Adrian (the groundskeeper, who is my age), Emanuel (our driver), and Chi-chi (the basketball coach). Moving to Santo Domingo would be like starting over, in a way, and sometimes beginnings can be tough.  I found this to be a benchmark for my journey here.

Hand-made Backboard

Work in the mountains has continued with a basketball goal now installed!  It was inspiring to see the excitement on their faces when we arrived and showed us the backboard they had built and, from an engineering standpoint, it was surprisingly level.  

Adrian and I

I was also able to visit San Rafael beach, which is a little ways down the coast from the city.  I went with Adrian, Emanuel, Eric, and Johan, who all seemed to want to go just as much as I did.  When we arrived, I was about to run into the water, when Adrian grabbed my arm and pointed to the waves, then looked at me and told me not to swim if I didn't want to die.  I looked again at the 10 ft waves pounding the shore and decided it was best not to die.  We threw a frisbee around and swam in the surf and just enjoyed the scenery.  Yes, the water in the Caribbean is really an emerald green and seems to transfix your gaze with its power and serenity. 

Work-wise, the past two and a half weeks have circled around one big event here in the Dominican Republic: Los Juegos de Salesianos.  Basically, it’s a big sports tournament with the different Salesian schools in the country.  There was a lot of prep work to do before the games, both administrative and physical.  I would work to make nametags, verify birthdates, and create spreadsheets during the day and practice basketball with the kids at night.  Finally, last week, from March 15-18^th, the games began. 

The Mini-Basketball team in action

Nearly 5,000 kids from different schools came to compete in the games, so we had the job of keeping track of our kids and coaching them the best we could.  Adrian and I were in charge of the Mini-Basketball group, the youngest kids (7-9 years old).  That meant watching them at all times and keeping them out of trouble!  With kids that age and their energy, it was quite a tiring task for four days.  It was all worth it though, as the Mini-Basketball group earned second place out of 16 teams!  I was very proud of them and their accomplishment.

The Mini-Basketball Team

There was one moment which made me even more proud to represent the little kids:  At nights, all the kids from Barahona would sleep in a big convocation hall (about 150 of us).  Adrian and I were again with the youngest of the group and made sure they had everything they needed.  As we were winding down for the night (well, Adrian and I anyway…), the Mini-Basketball team started clapping and circled up, sitting on the floor.  I watched from my bed, curious as to what they were doing.  They all held hands and started to pray together.  I looked at their faces and every single one of them was concentrating and focused.  They said intercessions afterward and finished with a Hail Mary.  I was so taken aback by all this that I didn’t know what to say.  They weren’t abashed by their public prayers in the middle of the hall, no one told them to do this, and none of the older kids did anything similar.  Not only that, but they prayed together in a circle before each game.  It may not have seemed out of the ordinary to them, but it was a very powerful event for me to witness; to see these kids take time to thank God amidst all the commotion and excitement.  In my heart, I felt great pride to be their coach; that these were the kids representing Barahona.

 

Barahona finished the tournament second overall out of 30 or so schools for the second year in a row.  Our homecoming was festive, as we were greeted by what felt like the whole town upon our arrival.  We were showered with confetti (dried leaves) and given hugs and candy.  It felt great not only because we were victors, but because I was welcomed back as one of them, as a part of the community.

Haiti: There and Back Again

Days 24-33

Friends and family, greetings from Barahona!  I hope this post finds you well and safe.  My thoughts and prayers were with everyone during the storms and I’m glad you’re all safe.  Much has happened since my last post and I’ve continued to learn and grow while here.  I’m pleased to say that my Spanish is coming along, although I have to take it one day at a time.

This past week, I got to travel to a town right inside the Haitian border and would like to share my experience.  Despite Barahona being two and a half hours away from the border, many of the people here are Haitian, or of Haitian descent.  Many towns, such as Barahona, offer a unique syncretism of cultures.  The Haitian influences are apparent to me here (once they were pointed out to me, by others) and it is very interesting to see the mix of cultures come together so easily.

Typical Haitian Style Home

  On Thursday, I traveled with Sor Andrea to take another sister, Sor Carmen, to a town called La Descubierta.  Sor Carmen works with the provincial house and travels to all the different locations to check up on them.  I wanted to use this opportunity to see more of the Dominican Republic and learn about the country I’m staying in.

From mountainous...

...to arid.

...to tropical...

Lago Enriquillo

The drive itself is very diverse, traversing through different landscapes, each containing its own beauty.  The path to La Descubierta goes around Lago Enriquillo, the largest lake in the Dominican Republic.  To get there, we passed through the mountains and came to the flat, low-lying plains in a valley.  Recently, the plains have become flood-plains after heavy rains.  The land is changing here, and is noticeable by Lago Enriquillo.  In recent years, the lake has been swelling and growing.  What was once shoreline is now many feet underwater.  Hundreds of feet out, one can see a line of dead palm trees that once lined the shore.  As you can see from the picture, this is a huge problem for the community because the roads that travel around the lake are now merely a few feet away from the lake.  In the future, they will be underwater.

In fact, the transformation has already begun.  Highway 48 has already experienced this problem, the road that runs between Boca de Cachón and Jimaní (two towns on the border) and into Haiti, is under water.  The people have created a makeshift detour around the hazard, but there is not much of an elevation gain, so it is only a matter of time before that is taken as well.  Highway 48 continues to run into Haiti, and we crossed the border to see another similar problem: Lake Azuéi in Haiti is doing the very same thing.  The picture below shows a stretch of dirt road, Highway 46, which has water on both sides of it.  Gravel has been piled on top of the road to keep up with the rising waters, but this can only be a temporary fix.

Highway 46

In a first world country, this may not be a huge problem, because an additional road (or, better yet, a bridge) could be build to fix this whole problem.  However, the people here do not have the resources to reconstruct the roads on a whim.  People rely on these roads to get to and from work, as they are the only roads available.  Additionally, people live in areas that are now prone to flooding.  Families that have lived in neighborhoods for generations are now forced out because of the changing environment.  

The government is doing what it can to help these people, but the resources are limited.  In 2009, heavy rains caused floods that affected nearly 10,000 families living around the lake.  What’s worse is that the past two years have been relatively dry, but the water continues to rise.   

We turned around in La Source, Haiti and took Highway 46 back to Barahona.  The drive back was solemn from everything we had seen.  Still, the landscape was incredible; during stretches of the drive, I felt like we might be the only people within miles.  I was able to see iguanas first had, which is probably the closest I’ll ever come to seeing dinosaurs in real life (my dream).  We also passed by caves, now protected by the government, that were home to the indigenous people on the island.  The incredible fact is that the very same geography that gives us food, water, and shelter can be the same that takes it all away in an instant.  

 
I wish I could follow up these problems with some good solutions, but I cannot provide any – except to pray for the people here and the solidarity of communities.  They are a resourceful people and will find a way to cope, rebuild, and stay strong.    



Many other adventures have happened in the past two weeks, but this was the one I wanted to share with you all.  I hope everyone back home stays safe and is living every moment they have to the fullest.  You all are never far away from my thoughts and prayers.

Russ