[I've been meaning to document more of our travels. When Rich and I talk about our lives to date, we realize that we've received so many blessings, many in the form of travels. Recalling these times fosters in us a spirit of gratitude. Lately, we've been sleeping in our living room, which we'll do until the plaster ceiling in our bedroom is replaced. It's annoying, but a laughable complaint when compared to the living conditions in the Dominican Republic and Haiti (and, arguably, also a laughable complaint to our contractor, who is from El Salvador). Recalling this trip makes me so grateful!]
One of the better experiences of my life was that of visiting a poor country. While a junior in college, a generous donor supplied funding for students to spend their spring breaks doing mission work in the Caribbean and South America. I applied for the Dominican Republic trip. This trip cost me only $200. We were told to bring an open heart and a willingness to work hard. It was my first time in a "third world" country and an experience that changed my outlook on life.
When we arrived in Santo Domingo, we were given vodka straight. I'd never heard of such a thing, but the airport personnel appeared to be doing this for everyone.
I had a roommate, Maria, who is a true woman of God. It was a blessing to be matched up with her for this trip. She made me laugh, helped me find bathrooms, and helped me to smile while at the dinner table. (It is considered very rude not to finish everything on your plate, which is piled high by someone else.) Most nights our host mama made us big dishes of things she thought we'd like and sat on the couch and watched us eat them. On our first night, we learned to say very quickly, "no mas, gracias!" before a second massive helping was piled onto our plates.
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| Holding toys and supplies for the Dominicans. (Yes, I am a happy drinker.) |
Here is our host home, which was one of the nicer homes in Banica. We took a bus along very bumpy roads for hours before reaching this town, which is just across the river from Haiti.
This is our host mama, Minerva, and her granddaughter. I practiced my Spanish with them. They were so kind and patient. These are strong women. One afternoon, Minerva took a knife into her back yard. A few moments later we heard a chicken squawking in distress. I said to Maria, "Oh no! Is that dinner?" When we returned to eat, chicken was on our plates.
During the day, our lunches were beans and rice. I've come to truly appreciate the simple foods in life. Beans and rice really helped replenish us for more manual labor. This is what we did while we were there. You can read all about the diocese's work
here:
It was really hot. One of the paler girls on our mission received second degree burns while we were there. We had bottles of sunblock on hand at all times.
We brought toys to give to the "mountain children." These families live in homes made of packed-down dirt and sticks. Their floors were made entirely of dirt. This little girl stared at us. She didn't seem to know what to think, but she let me give her this doll. Her brother was very cheerful while we visited. Needless to say, I cry if I think about these living conditions.
To give us even more perspective, we drove across a bridge into Haiti one day. The border guards were carrying massive guns. Needless to say, no one batted an eyelash while we passed the guards. And I had a much greater appreciation for the work of our priests there after that.
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| School in Haiti. |
It's probably hard to tell from the picture above, but there was a stark contrast between the foliage in the Dominican Republic and that in Haiti. There is literally nothing of foliage in Haiti. All of the leaves and wood have been harvested for food or for shelter (and, of course, there is now the devastating damage of the earthquake that happened a few years ago). Nevertheless, these Haitians were so happy to see us. Whenever missionaries stopped at a place, dozens and dozens of Haitians came from heaven knows where and crowded around. Few of them said anything. Most watched.
We had a break one afternoon and cooled off in the river dividing Haiti and the Dominican Republic:
Easter Sunday 2004 with our whole group:
Our last day was spent in Santo Domingo. We were completely exhausted.
I really hope that our children have the opportunity to serve those in poorer countries, too. It was a wonderful trip for me. I think I received much more than I gave.
