Below is a reflection by my good friend Joanna who came to visit in April. I had an incredible time showing her my world here and knew from the get-go that this would be life-changing for her. I am humbled to read her reflection and want to share it with you all! Gracias Joanna! Everyone is still talking about her in my community!
The Best Experience EVER!
So I
met this girl at college, who little did I know, hated me until junior year (
ugh, men ;) ). Then all of a sudden, the
universe – and the fact that our boyfriends roomed together- conspired and we ended up not only becoming
friends, and eventually roommates, but life long besties. From day one, Laura’s dream was serving in
the Peace Corps, in fact, that is probably one of the first things she ever told
me about herself ( after hating foods that are white, and that she, too, shared
a love for the Spice Girls). Although at
the time, in our 10’ by 10’ dorm room on a private college campus in Worcester,
Massachusetts, it seemed like a pipedream, now five years later she is close to
completing her time serving as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer in Los Blancos,
Dominican Republic.
Laura has encouraged our college friends to
visit her ‘world’ since she started. I will admit, I was apprehensive at first,
I had already been to the Dominican, and have a ‘thing’ against visiting the
same place twice when there is so much more to see in the world (let me tell
you - this experience was nothing like
my first trip to the DR at Punta Cana
Iberostar all-inclusive resort).
However, it’s always been a dream of mine to volunteer in places that
need some volunteering, plus with the limited time Laura has been able to come
home since her tour, I felt like I owed it to her, and myself, to see what this
place was all about.
The journey begins. I arrived in Santo Domingo and was greeted by
Laura at the airport. We jumped on a bus that took us to a town about half an
hour outside of her village. Her
boyfriend had family visiting and they were able to drive us to her village –
sans seatbelts ( first shocker for this small-town, safety first kind-of-girl!). On our way, we saw a car rolled over on the
side of the road, and about 5 cars lined up to see if everyone was okay. This was disturbing, but it was also
interesting to me because here in the United States, cars would slow down and
stare until they caused another accident, but I don’t think that many people
would stop and see if everyone was okay – afterall, isn’t that the job of the
authorities? Where we were, however, the
authorities do not have the same resources we do, the same protocols, and not
nearly the same healthcare if there was an emergency – so people have to look
out for each other. I loved this sense
of community.
Over the next few days, I lived the
‘campos’ life. I shared a room with
spiders as big as my palm, lizards, mosquitos, and crabs… yes, crabs, Laura
lives across the street from the ocean.
I woke up to donkey’s braying, roosters crowing, and children
laughing. I ate a breakfast of squash,
eggs, and onions, and lunches of starch I didn’t know existed. I drank about 1/8 the amount of water I
normally drink in a day and instead replaced it with cherry juice ( cherries+
sugar, with a hint of water). I did not
take a warm shower once, in fact, quite often my bathing took place in the canal
behind her house, the ocean, or by ‘bucket bathing’ - exactly what it sounds like.
The smell was probably the most
discomforting part, because the water is so limited, you should only really
flush the toilet once or twice a day… mixed with the heat, it was not a
pleasant odor come sundown. There was
also very limited electricity, or “loose” as they call it. When Laura and I planned on doing laundry
before we left again for the capital, it was very stressful because the
electricity only comes on for a few hours a day, and it is not a scheduled
time. Laura told me a story about how
one time the electricity hadn’t come on
in days and there were riots because of this in her neighborhood. As a consequence, the stellar ‘authorities’
threw mustard gas at the homes in Laura’s neighborhood causing temporary
blindness, and the inability to breathe fresh air. Because the gas also infiltrated the water,
people couldn’t even wash the stinging out of their eyes. Although this wasn’t the most comfortable
living style, I got used to it and gained a whole new appreciation for what I
do have.
What I could not get used to, however, is
the emotional toll that these people face everyday. While I was there, a woman lost her 9 month old
child to a lung infection (something that could probably have been cured with a
few doses of modern medicine here in the U.S.).
She had to make a casket for the baby, and carry him, herself, to the
graveyard where she buried him. There
was no funeral home, or director, or facilitator that plans any of this, it is
on the family to prepare all funeral services.
As horrified as I was, Laura claims that unfortunately, this type of
thing happens weekly because of all the disease and unsanitary conditions that
they have to deal with.
Although I am not an ‘animal person,’ the liveliness-or
lack thereof- of animals was also horrifying to me. I remember one day walking to Laura’s friend,
Katie’s house and seeing a dead puppy lying on a rock next to a muddy
hill. It couldn’t have been more than a
few weeks old when it passed. The girls
told me that because animals are not fixed, this happens often where they have
babies and can not take care of them, therefore, they are abandoned and left to
die. Heartbreaking.
Although I have talked a lot about the sad
things I have seen, I do want to mention the pure beauty and liberation. Los Blancos sits in between white sand
beaches and a mountainous rainforest. I
could not have asked for a more beautiful location to spend my April
vacation. Nothing is as soothing as
listening to the roaring waves and trickling rain against the lush greens. We took a ‘bola’ (catching a ride with a
stranger – aka: hitchhiking, which is the primary mode of transportation in the
Dominican) out to Bahia de las Aguilas ( Bay of Eagles) which is by far the
most beautiful beach I have ever been to.
The water was six different shades of blue and green and as clear as
glass for what seemed like miles. There
was not a cloud in the sky, and it was so tranquil it was as if we were in our
own world.
I also loved how friendly and giving the
people were. It is custom for a person to
offer food to anyone who is around if they are cooking or eating. At Bahia de las Aguilas, not only were we
offered rides the whole way there, without which, would have made for an
impossible walking journey, but at the beach a family sent over a giant plate
of fresh salad, fish, and rice – our peanut butter and rolls that we brought
for lunch didn’t hold a candle to their delicious feast, and for that I was so
grateful!
As the journey neared it’s end, Laura and I
spent our last night talking, drinking wine-obviously, and reflecting. My trip was so inspiring and emotional it is
almost impossible to put it into words.
The connections I made- especially with the kids- are unwavering. I will never forget Nino, who when I said I
loved coconut , climbed a tree, smashed it open, and poured me fresh coconut
juice – or Angie and Ashley who would sit with me for hours on the hammock as I
read my American book out loud as they repeated the words in English. I will not forget all the kids who gathered
at Laura’s house with notebooks and pens when I taught an English class – many
of whom had never been to school, almost all of whom could not read, and could barely
write, but were so captivated, engaged, and hung on every word I said.
Now as I sit in my classroom, with desks,
and books, and computers-tiled floors, a whiteboard, and an American flag, I am
so grateful and appreciative of what I do have – but I think more often now of
what others do not, especially the beautiful people I met on my trip. It does not seem fair, but I think the least
I can do is tell my story, my experience, and encourage anyone and everyone to
try to start each day thinking about we do have, what we can do, and what we
have every opportunity to do. Thank you Laura for a life changing
experience, Te amo mucho!
