A month and a half ago I ventured to the island of Hispaniola...specifically the Dominican Republic.
Honestly, words can not give this trip justice. I could never explain to you everything that happened to me both emotionally and spiritually.... I don't have the vocabulary to tell you exactly...I am not sure if it exists.
Here is a segment of my support letter I sent out to everyone who contributed to make my trip possible:
"As I think about the drive to Los Angeles on March 21st and all the flights that preceded my arrival in the DR, I remember how I had no idea what was to come. Not only did I not know exactly what I would be doing there, I had no idea how much my life would be changed. I had no idea I would be falling in love with a country, a language, a culture, and a community. I had no clue that my site leader would be from Cambria, CA and would influence my life immensely. I had no idea that this trip would break me down, mix me up, and rebuild me.
Life in the Dominican Republic is beautiful. It is simple and it is loving. Doors are always open to those who wish to enter. Time is not of the essence. Personal relationships and family take priority in their lives. People don’t have much but what they do have they offer it to you freely and with joy. I never felt stressed, pressed for time, or anxious the whole time I was there. For those of you who know me, that is not a normal thing in my life! I think they have their priorities straight in the DR.
We woke up around 6:30 every morning either by an alarm, a rooster that had been crowing since three in the morning, or the piercing of raindrops on the tin roof above our heads. At 6:45 we met in the chapel for worship/speaker time. It was lead by a different local Dominican each morning. From about 7:30 to 8:15 we all went off by ourselves and reflected on the speaker, and prepared ourselves for the day ahead of us. Breakfast at 8:15 was always glorious and never failed to be delicious. Dominican food is unreal, it is so amazing. I had so much incredible fresh fruit: the best pineapple, cantaloupe, and bananas. After breakfast we loaded up into these trucks that had benches lining the bed of the truck. They dropped us off at our sites for the day. Four people from my group from San Luis Obispo and one student from Taylor University headed to the art site. They had moved locations just a few days before so our first task was to set up the new art school. We unpacked boxes and made the studio feel comfortable and were introduced to Amy and Francisco. Amy was our site leader and Francisco is an incredible local artist who teaches art at the escuela de arte. We would work in the mornings and eat lunch at twelve. Siesta time is from twelve to two everyday. Stores close, students leave school. It is a time of rest and to build relationships. One day we took a walk around the neighborhood. It was shocking to see such extreme poverty across the street from a house bought by someone in America used to vacation in.
Our big project of the week was to create two identical signs for the new special education school called Centro Especial Genesis. We combined all of our ideas stemmed from the inspiration of a painting that was in the studio. Together we created a beautiful design with bright colors and lots of life to represent the amazing children at the school. It was a big project because we had to do a lot of coats of paint so it would be able to endure the elements outside.
One morning we were privileged enough to go to the community of El Callejon, an incredibly impoverished community but one that bursts with love and joyfulness. We took our face paints to the social work site that is set up in the neighborhood and the local children began to fill the small room. Many of the boys got their faces painted like tigers and proceeded to prowl around the grounds like little tigers for the rest of the day. We had as much fun painting their faces as they did painting ours. It was truly a blessing being able to spend time with those children. On Friday we did art in the park. We took paper, crayons, pens, and markers to the park located in the heart of downtown Jarabacoa. We sat in the gazebo and drew whatever came to mind. This park is a place for local street kids and shoeshine boys to spend their days. It was lovely just hanging out in the park and talking with the kids.
The language barrier wasn’t too bad in the sense that we almost always had a translator with us. However, I found and still find myself frustrated that there is this amazing culture that I am absolutely unable to communicate with. I was unable to communicate my unending gratitude, my emotions, and my thoughts. I fell in love with the language and have made it my new passion to become fluent.
The people I met in the Dominican Republic are unforgettable. Francisco, the talented artist, sat with us every morning and talked about life and all that it entails. He taught me so much. He taught me to have faith in the small things in life. He taught me to be unique and to love who I am. He taught me to appreciate life and everything it has to offer: both the good and the bad. He has three amazing and unique children: Yil Ysmayar, Priscila Isabella, Rembrandt Natanael and a wonderful wife Yeimi. His love for his family is infinite and I loved watching their interactions. He is a crazy, wild, unique person. He does not live for acceptance of others. He lives for God, he lives for the small things in life, for the things that bring him joy like his family, art, and community. His lifestyle is unique for his culture. You don’t find many like Francisco in the Dominican Republic. He inspired me to be unique in my own culture. Who I am I living for? Amy was our site leader who has been living in Jarabacoa for almost eight months. We hit it off from the very beginning. She spoke a lot of truth into my life that week. She has a passion and a drive that was so refreshing to be around. We had some amazing times dancing, singing, and laughing together.
I am sorry this is so long but I can’t fit my experience in just a few paragraphs. It would take a lifetime to explain everything that happened to me that week. When I was in the DR I had an overwhelming sense that it was not my last time there. I truly fell in love with the country and I know that I will return one day. It might be as soon as this fall, perhaps when I graduate, or later in my life, I don’t know. All I know is that I never would have discovered this amazing place if it weren’t for each and every one of you."
