a whole new world

The sharp, bipolar worlds of the Dominican Republic would shock anyone who experiences or lives it. Julie and I had a chance to spend a short time in Bavaro, a resort area next to Punta Cana. My friend Jonathan, who works at one of the all-inclusive resorts, gave us a great deal that we couldn´t pass up. We left our small town, rural Dominican livestyles for 28 hours and stepped into a world of private beaches, fine dining, airconditioning, running water, unlimited food and drinks, Americans and Europeans, and simply put...luxury. It was a nice hiatus from reality I must admit; however, it was culture shock all over again. Going from one extreme to the other accentuated the lavishness and exorbitance that we North Americans and Europeans have come to depend on (myself included). It makes me wonder what the Dominican resort staff think of it all.

After living here for over two months, it was weird and oddly uncomfortable to be treated like a tourist. Many of the staff with which we conversed were often astounded when we told them we were only there one night because we had to return to work in Hato Mayor and El Seibo. I´m not sure what shocked them more, our Spanish speaking abilities or the fact that we actually knew of these two rural communities (not to mention live in them). I met a lot of staff that are from Hato Mayor but travel to the coast to work. Good, stable jobs are hard to come by here, so many work 12 days straight at the resorts and then return to their families for 3-day breaks. Despite my mixed feelings of the extravagant, foreign-owned resorts that line the coasts of this impoverished country, the economist in me can´t help but see it as a positive impact in the sense that it is creating jobs. Traveling through a community mid morning in the middle of the week often looks like people are enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon--men sitting in the shade playing a friendly game of dominos while sipping on an ice cold Presidente. At first I mistakenly dismissed it as laziness, but I was reminded that unemployment and underemployment are significant problems.

I had an amazing time at the Caribbean Club Princess, but 28 hours away from reality was sufficient for me. In my opinion, the best part of it all was being able to talk to the staff about their culture and relate to them in a way that most tourists cannot. The luxurious world was fun and rewarding because of my connection to the reality of local life.

happy birthday to me

It has been quite a while since I wrote...not sure if it´s because I´ve gotten busier, I´m into a routine, I no longer have internet at my house, or maybe a combination of all three. Despite my busy routine, I continue learning and trying to understand this foreign culture. The following are just some interesting observations and perhaps satirical comments on the Dominican culture:

1. I have a `niece´, Massiel, who is 7 years old and living with us during her vacaciones. That is what my family told me originally. I thought, oh vacation, that´ll be fun having her live at the house for the week or so. Well once 3 weeks passed, I asked again and realized that vacaciones really meant her entire summer vacation. Apparently the grandparents take on the role of the parents for a couple months, which isn´t uncommon here. The house dynamics have changed slightly with her around as there are always little neighbors running in an out of the house. They wait for me to come home from work and start cheering `Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey´ as soon as they see Beirut and me turn the corner onto our street. The other night they threw me a surprise birthday party despite the fact that none of them actually know when my birthday really is. Pretty smart idea actually because then I had to play with them. I mean, what kind of person would I be if I didn´t show up to my own birthday party?

2. The mosquitos continue to be a nuisance, but I have figured out a way to sleep without having to put up my mosquito net...turn the ceiling fan on high of course. This works most of the time except for when the electricity decides to shut off in the middle of the night. I have to frantically rush to put up the net in darkness before the mosquitos catch word of the fresh meat.

3. There is a joke here that says the Dominican Republic has two seasons...summer and hell. Well you would think that because it is hot here all the time (just different degrees of hot), the locals would be accustomed to it; however, every day I hear complaints like `ah que calor´ or `que fuerte el sol´. I just have to giggle every time. I don´t know if I should break the news to them, but I feel like telling them that they live on an island in the middle of the Caribbean and that the weather will probably be like this for the rest of their lives. Instead, I just smile and agree :)

4. I am finally feeling like I am making some friends, learning how to interact with my family, and feeling more independent. Of course now its almost time to leave. But I have met this amazing lady, Sofia, who, every time I visit her, makes me feel so welcome. I can never just stop by. The visits are always at least 2 hours long, filled with long conversation and good food. She has started her own school in an impoverished community in Hato Mayor and is always hosting large American groups for service projects in the area. It is through her that I have met other friends as well, Dominican and American.

PUERTO PLATA!

A week and a half ago (I know, long overdue) I had the privilege to travel up to Puerta Plata for 5 days and visit my friend and fellow intern, Travis. It was a great time to see where he is working and the programs that consume his time. The main event of the week was to see the conclusion of the program `40 Días de Propósito´ or `40 Days of Purpose´, based on the book by Rick Warren. The program was initiated by an intern who preceeded Travis, which then was his responsibility when she left. About 15 Haitian women were asked to participate in this program, all of whom work/worked in prostitution. Out of these 15 women, about half of them have HIV/AIDS. The group gathered every weekday for 40 days to hear a devotional from the book, presented by a local volunteer or pastor, as well as little health presentations. It was so encouraging to hear the women in deep discussion about the topic of the day despite the fact that I knew not one word of Criole. I just sat and watched intently, wondering what their lives were like outside of the little church sanctuary. Travis leaned over and told me that the one girl to my left, the one holding the baby, was 18. She had a 4-year-old son running around the church wreaking havoc and the 8-month-old baby boy that looked about 3 months old (pictured above, front center). He was so malnourished because she could rarely afford to feed it milk. Instead she often arrived to meetings feeding it juice or sugar water.

Friday afternoon into the evening we all celebrated-the women, their families, the volunteers, and the Esperanza staff. There was music, dancing, singing, food, pictures, sharing and laughter. Seeing how Travis had formed relationships with these women and got a glimpse into their lives was well worth the trip. The next step in the process is to get these women loans so that they may start businesses and provide for their families in a safe and healthy manner.



The energetic boys fighting for camera time and their angel counterparts. Riiiiight.

The trip didn´t stop there. After all, you can´t go to Puerto Plata, the biggest beach resort area in the country, and not go to the beach. Travis led a few of us girls to his favorite spot close to Sosua Beach where we spent most of the day enjoying the magnificent coastline and the chrystal clear water. After some snorkeling, reading, and sunburning (I just made that a verb), we called it quits.

Me and brother Travis. Everyone here thinks we´re related.

good times riverside

Julie and I have gotten together the past two weekends, the first at her place and then last weekend at mine. It´s been really nice having her close by. A 20 minute bus ride is the only thing separating us. Most people find it hard to believe we only met two days before coming to the DR. I guess after experiencing what we do on a daily basis, it is hard not to become friends instantly.

The following pictures are from the weekend in her town, El Seibo.

This is a crew of Esperanza workers from Julie´s town. We spent the day out in the `campo´ and did a little swimming in the river.

Julie´s `nephew´, Mimi. He´s so precious. He turns everything into a microphone and raps.

A little afternoon drink at the office. Nothing like some fresh coconut juice.

Milan´s Legacy

This update is long overdue, but things are getting a little busier
here lately. Work has picked up and I´m finally finding where some of my skills can be put to use.

Last Friday (6/20), Julie and I traveled along with a HOPE group to get a different perspective on the work that Esperanza is doing. It was refreshing to be with a group of Americans who were interested and eager to learn more about microfinance and the impact it has on individuals and communities. Being able to answer some of their questions and give my insight and opinion on the mulitfaceted industry made me realize how much I had learned already.

After showing the group what a biweekly bank meeting looks like, we went to another meeting that´s called a capacitación. Each new loan group goes through a process of five meetings where they are informed on the basics of a group loan and the repayment process: investment, savings, payments, interest, solidarity, attendance, etc. The picture below is from the capacitación of 15 new group members from a Haitian batey. A batey is a community usually owned by the government or sugarcane industry that houses the sugarcane field workers and their families. These communities, primarily Haitian, tend to be the poorest of the poor and are located in the middle of the fields in the middle of nowhere. It is encouraging to see these women have the desire to start a business or improve their existing one in order to better their lives and their families.

The afternoon was spent visiting one of HOPE and Esperanza´s biggest success stories--Milan´s school. To make a long story short...Milan had taken out several loans with Esperanza to grow her business making clothing and fabric for furniture. At the same time, she was being called to serve the street children in her community. She provided a refuge for these children in her home every day by caring, feeding, and teaching them. She gave them notebooks and pencils and made uniforms to emphasize an educational aspect of her ministry. Word spread among the street children to the point that she was squeezing 100 children into her tiny house every day. Esperanza noticed Milan´s passion for the children and looked to assist her any way possible. Esperanza and HOPE worked together to make Milan´s dream of building a real school a reality. They broke ground in November and had the opening ceremony in April of this year....

floods and craziness

Finally I got to go to the beach at Juan Dolio. We didn´t arrive until 4pm so as to avoid the sun, but I´m just happy to get out of the house and see a little bit of the country.

The water was extra rough and stirred up from the heavy rains and flooding we had the day before (see below).

These pictures are from my neighborhood.

Top: around the corner from my house.

Middle: my street. Bottom: the baseball park next to my house completely covered by water. It rained heavily for about 6-7 hours straight. Luckily my house was not affected at all. It did make for a long day in my room. What would you do for 7 hours and no electricity? I read for a while and then went for a little walk outside in the rain to see what all the action was about, but I could only think of so many things to do.

Kacie, Gabby, whatever

Hmmm where to start. Throughout the day I make so many mental notes of things to write down and share with you all that by the time I´m actually writing I can barely remember any. Here goes trying to recall them all...

You know you were 10 years old and you did everything with your family because that´s all you really knew? If mom goes to the grocery store, so do you. If dad runs out to Paul B. Zimmermans, so do you. If the family goes to church, so do you. No questions asked. Well that´s my life right now and, well, that´s the life of nearly every son or daughter that still lives at home in the DR whether your 5 or 35. Children live at home until they are married and do exactly what their parents order (this doesn´t necessarily end at marriage either). This applies especially to the girls. Mom says jump, daughter says how high (bad example, there isn´t a whole lot of moving going on, but you get my point). I try not to be too critical because I realize that it is a deeply-rooted cultural difference, but it is difficult sometimes when I´ve had so much freedom from high school and even middle school on up--more than my 34-year-old host sister has now. This freedom that I have experienced has been such a blessing and has stimulated infinite personal growth. Now I´m having a lot of difficulty discerning the boundaries between respecting my host family and their lifestyle and living my life as a young, free, and bold college student should (shhh I´m still in denial). I feel as though I´m missing out on a lot of cultural happenings and socializing. Then again, maybe I am living the real cultural happenings. I have yet to figure this out.


One cultural difference is obviously their food. Have you ever eaten a hotdog, cheese, and peanut butter sandwich? I have. Two nights in a row. And then tonight I had the sandwich with TUNA instead of a hotdog. It´s not the worst thing in the world, but I would not recommend it. So my question to you all is whether I tell my mom that I prefer not to have that sandwich or just continue to swollow my pride? I´m open to suggestions. I think she thinks I love it because I told her that peanut butter is my favorite food. I´m a little scared about what she might put it on next. Another interesting meal I´ve had here was cow intestines. That´s exactly what it looked like too. Let´s just say I didn´t make it past my second bite. Apparently chicken feet have flavor because they just throw the entire leg into soups. Luckily my mom has been considerate enough not to serve me the foot so far. I´m just waiting for the day. At one of the community meetings I observed a little girl, probably about 3-years-old, chewing on the chicken foot like it was a teething ring. Just thought I´d throw that out there. Looks scrumptious doesn´t it?


I have found a few of the everyday norms to be pleasant while some are just straight up odd. I love how everyone greets one another with a `buen día´ o `saludos´everytime somebody enters the room. I´m convinced that they would still say it even on the worst of días. Confession: sometimes I´m just too focused that I neglect to respond...I really hope they don´t resent me for that. I think they´ve already given up on me understanding their Spanish. Like I said before, it is REALLY hard to understand! I think they have trouble understanding me sometimes because I talk too slow. But Dominicans do this really funny thing when they don´t understand what I (or anyone else is saying). They scrunch up their nose two times really fast. I really don´t know how else to describe it other than maybe a snobbish rabbit. *I know you just tried doing it...caught you* Another interesting facial expression they have is to point with their lips. It really appears as though they´re doing a disformed kissy face. Until I was semi-used to it, I wondered why my married coworker was making such a face to a single `gringa´ like myself. It turns out that was his way of pointing to our loca dancing coworker. Everyone in the office is so nice and some particularly quirky. It isn´t a normal day without Audilín busting out some worship song or Ruth dancing to the rhythms in her head. Both of them can never remember my name. I now answer to Kacie and Gabby in addition to Lindsey. I never realized my name was that difficult.

Just as they are learning my name, I am learning to be more patient. Most times I don´t have a choice. On various occasions I have found myself in the middle of a Kiva entry when the electricity goes out (there is no saving kiva entries). I am officially a chronic saver whenever possible. Not a night goes by where I don´t find myself just laying on my bed in the candle light. Sometimes it´s for 2 minutes while other times it´s for 2 hours. The streets become pitch black except for the candle light on everyone´s porch and the occasional motorbike that passes. Everything seems to stop for that time. No loud tv or music coming from the neighbor´s house and certainly no blogging. It´s kinda nice to have to relax.

Another daily activity that has become quite tedious is bathing. Having to give myself a sponge bath from a bucket has made me realize how much I take showers for granted. We have had water about half the time I´ve been here, but even when we do have water the pressure gives me approximately 3 droplets from the showerhead. Believe me, the wash cloth and bucket is a quicker option. My dilemma come bath time is whether or not I feel like sacrificing my bare body to the starving mosquitos that enter the open window above the shower. Washing myself free of the repellent leaves me completely and utterly vulnerable to these heartless creatures. Is it possible to lose too much blood from excessive mosquito bites? As soon as I am done this laborious task, I layer on the repellent once again. It really is a vicious cycle that makes me wonder sometimes whether it´s even worth bathing at all. Just kidding...kind of :)

FYI- I posted links to Julie and Travis´ blogs (the other two interns in DR) on the side bar. I recommend reading some of their entries if you have time. It´s always interesting to hear their stories and perspectives! (Good idea Julie)