While life in the campo was "easy" in the sense that there weren't any of my normal stressors present, it was definitely challenging in many aspects. I enjoyed my time in the DR immensely, but it was not without struggles. The thing that challenged me far more than anything on this trip was the language barrier. 3 years ago when I graduated from high school I considered myself relatively proficient in Spanish. As I quickly found out, the saying "use it or lose it" is entirely too true. It was incredibly frustrating for me to not be able to communicate adequately with people. The hardest part was that my ability to understand was still there--unless a Dominican was speaking. I found that whenever more fluent members of my group would speak, I would understand about 95% of what they were saying. However, when a Dominican tried to talk with me I would swear they weren't even speaking Spanish. Dominicans talk extremely fast and they also use words and phrases that are not common things taught in the US. It was a miracle if I could actually figure out what they were saying and then formulate a coherent response. It was most troublesome with my family because I really wanted to be able to have a conversation with them, but with 2 Americans who speak little Spanish and no Dominican kids around to help re-phrase things, I was at a loss. My padre was pretty good about slowing down and rephrasing things, but my madre would simply repeat things louder and louder until she was practically screaming...and I still had to say "no entiendo" (I don't understand). Being unable to properly communicate was a large barrier in my experience. I am hoping to re-learn Spanish in the near future, although I have yet to decide which way I want to go about it.
Another thing that I surprisingly found challenging was the amount of free time. At home, I'm so used to being busy all the time and never really having a break. In the DR, there was nothing but time. Sometimes the afternoons and weekends when we did not have clinic seemed to last an eternity. It also didn't help that my role at clinic wasn't very time consuming, so I also had abundant free time then. Time is sort of relative in the DR; we call it "Dominican time" because there is no hurry to get anywhere, and if you're late, it really doesn't matter. At some points this was nice, but at others I was just itching to get going and start whatever it was we were going to do. It was during these long periods of not doing much that I would get most homesick, which just made things more difficult. I eventually adapted to the more relaxed lifestyle of the campo and I learned to enjoy the time to just sit and think or spend time with other people.
As expected, not having all of the comforts of home presented a challenge. This was more difficult in the first few days, but I adjusted quickly because I had to. As I mentioned earlier, food was different. I didn't realize how much I would miss American food, but I spent a good 15% of my time imagining all the food I was going to eat when I got home. When you're in a completely different environment it's nice to have a little reminder of home, so things like peanut butter or candy that people brought was always a nice treat. I'm not trying to be whiny, but here's the things that bothered me in the campo:
-Bugs (mosquitos, cockroaches, huge spiders, etc.)
-Heat (man was it hot...although not quite as hot as it was in the Midwest I hear)
-Poop (seriously, there was animal poop everywhere and whenever the wind blew you got a nice whiff of it)
-Roosters (quickly became my least favorite animal ever because they do not in fact only crow at dawn, they crow all night long)
Anyway, those are my complaints and challenges of the campo. I tried not to focus on these while I was there, but they were a part of my experience and I wanted to share with everyone my triumphs and my struggles.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
¡Vamos a la playa!
(July 6-July 8, 2012)
After 2 weeks in the campo we had a short break in Santiago to recharge for the 2nd session and repack supplies. That Friday night each campo group went out for dinner downtown. I don't quite remember the name, but we went to an amazing Brazilian steak restaurant. I loved eating red meat again! After dinner everyone met up to hit the bars together. A large portion of the group eventually ended up at a dance club called Ahi. I don't have much to say other than it was incredibly fun! Here are some pics:
Saturday morning we arose early (much to my dismay, we were out dancing pretty late) and hopped on a bus to go to the beach! After a truly miserable 2+ hours on the bus, we made it to the beach which was gorgeous. It was shallow for a very long time, so you could just walk and walk and still keep your head above the water. Unfortunately there were quite a few jellyfish and several people got stung. As many of you know, I am terrified of all things that sting, so I did not spend an excessive amount of time in the water. I laid on the beach napping/reading and catching up with my friends who were in other campos. I only managed to get the teensiest bit burnt which was a huge accomplishment! (Although I didn't really get tan either, so...) It was nice to have a relaxing day after 2 weeks of hard work.
I used my time on Sunday to Skype with my parents, Jennifer, and Colin, although that turned out to be a very frustrating experience because internet at ILAC is not always reliable, especially with every other participant trying to Skype at the same time. I eventually got to talk to everyone. I also went downtown to the market one more time and stopped by Papa John's on the way back. At that point, best pizza I had ever tasted. I had to get some American food before I headed back to the campo! The weekend off was a wonderful break, but by the end of Sunday I was ready to go back to the campo and start clinic again.
After 2 weeks in the campo we had a short break in Santiago to recharge for the 2nd session and repack supplies. That Friday night each campo group went out for dinner downtown. I don't quite remember the name, but we went to an amazing Brazilian steak restaurant. I loved eating red meat again! After dinner everyone met up to hit the bars together. A large portion of the group eventually ended up at a dance club called Ahi. I don't have much to say other than it was incredibly fun! Here are some pics:
Saturday morning we arose early (much to my dismay, we were out dancing pretty late) and hopped on a bus to go to the beach! After a truly miserable 2+ hours on the bus, we made it to the beach which was gorgeous. It was shallow for a very long time, so you could just walk and walk and still keep your head above the water. Unfortunately there were quite a few jellyfish and several people got stung. As many of you know, I am terrified of all things that sting, so I did not spend an excessive amount of time in the water. I laid on the beach napping/reading and catching up with my friends who were in other campos. I only managed to get the teensiest bit burnt which was a huge accomplishment! (Although I didn't really get tan either, so...) It was nice to have a relaxing day after 2 weeks of hard work.
 |
| My good friend and fellow nursing student, Maddie |
I used my time on Sunday to Skype with my parents, Jennifer, and Colin, although that turned out to be a very frustrating experience because internet at ILAC is not always reliable, especially with every other participant trying to Skype at the same time. I eventually got to talk to everyone. I also went downtown to the market one more time and stopped by Papa John's on the way back. At that point, best pizza I had ever tasted. I had to get some American food before I headed back to the campo! The weekend off was a wonderful break, but by the end of Sunday I was ready to go back to the campo and start clinic again.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Dajabón
(July 16, 2012)
Due to our location, we were able to take a special "field trip" that other groups did not. Our last Monday after clinic the group hopped on a guagua and headed to Dajabón, the border city between the DR and Haiti (see the map in one of my earlier posts). Mondays and Fridays are market days, which means that both Dominicans and Hatians come to the border to city to sell and buy goods. From what I've heard from people who have visited in the past, market days are crowded and crazy. We weren't able to go until closing time on a rainy day, so it was not as busy as expected, but there was still a fair amount of people left of the market.
Two months ago, the UN opened a building that now serves as the primary location for the market. Prior to this building, the market was outdoors and covered a vast amount of space. A good portion of the market is still outside and is continuing to expand, though there seems to be more order since the UN took control. The market was very dirty; there was trash everywhere. It seemed there was some sense of order, but I really had no idea what. Inside and outside of the building there are stalls that people can rent to sell their goods. Some are tiny, only 5 feet by 5 feet, while some are larger and have doors with locks on them. People sell a variety of things, anything from food to used clothing to toys. From what I could see, much of what people sell comes from donation sent from the US or elsewhere. There were people who just had large piles of clothes that obviously came from some type of collection in the US.
Overall, it was a very eye opening experience. Although it might sound silly, I have never felt so white before in my life. There were 11 of us Americans walking around in a market that was entirely Hatian and Dominican. My skin color suddenly seemed very apparent. It was sad to realize that this market is how many people make their livelihood. Selling their pile of donated clothes means food for their family for the week. I had been living in poverty for the past 3 weeks, yes, but the poverty among the Hatians was much greater. I do not know what kind of homes they would return to at the end of the day, but I am sure they are much simpler than what I was living in.
After visiting the market, we took a quick trip to the border. We did not cross it, of course, but we walked up to the gate on one of the bridges that connects the 2 countries (there is a river in between). Before the market moved into the UN building, many Hatians used to cross the border via the river. There is a toll bridge that people are supposed to use, but not everyone could afford to pay the toll. At the time we were there, there were only a few Hatians bathing in the river, but no one crossing. A little ways down the river we could see the toll bridge, which was full of people crossing between the countries.
As soon as we walked onto the bridge, Hatian children starting appearing on the other side of the gate. We would watch them run across the field and up onto the bridge. All of them were too thin, and many of them were without shoes. They would hop the gate and approach us, asking for money, until a Dominican guard of barely 18 would usher them back to their side of the border. I could not see much of Haiti, but seeing the kids alone made me realize that the poverty in the country just next to us is far greater than what I can imagine. It also became apparent how real white privilege is; we were able to approach the border and leave with no question simply because of our skin color.
Due to our location, we were able to take a special "field trip" that other groups did not. Our last Monday after clinic the group hopped on a guagua and headed to Dajabón, the border city between the DR and Haiti (see the map in one of my earlier posts). Mondays and Fridays are market days, which means that both Dominicans and Hatians come to the border to city to sell and buy goods. From what I've heard from people who have visited in the past, market days are crowded and crazy. We weren't able to go until closing time on a rainy day, so it was not as busy as expected, but there was still a fair amount of people left of the market.
Two months ago, the UN opened a building that now serves as the primary location for the market. Prior to this building, the market was outdoors and covered a vast amount of space. A good portion of the market is still outside and is continuing to expand, though there seems to be more order since the UN took control. The market was very dirty; there was trash everywhere. It seemed there was some sense of order, but I really had no idea what. Inside and outside of the building there are stalls that people can rent to sell their goods. Some are tiny, only 5 feet by 5 feet, while some are larger and have doors with locks on them. People sell a variety of things, anything from food to used clothing to toys. From what I could see, much of what people sell comes from donation sent from the US or elsewhere. There were people who just had large piles of clothes that obviously came from some type of collection in the US.
 |
| Inside the UN building |
Overall, it was a very eye opening experience. Although it might sound silly, I have never felt so white before in my life. There were 11 of us Americans walking around in a market that was entirely Hatian and Dominican. My skin color suddenly seemed very apparent. It was sad to realize that this market is how many people make their livelihood. Selling their pile of donated clothes means food for their family for the week. I had been living in poverty for the past 3 weeks, yes, but the poverty among the Hatians was much greater. I do not know what kind of homes they would return to at the end of the day, but I am sure they are much simpler than what I was living in.
After visiting the market, we took a quick trip to the border. We did not cross it, of course, but we walked up to the gate on one of the bridges that connects the 2 countries (there is a river in between). Before the market moved into the UN building, many Hatians used to cross the border via the river. There is a toll bridge that people are supposed to use, but not everyone could afford to pay the toll. At the time we were there, there were only a few Hatians bathing in the river, but no one crossing. A little ways down the river we could see the toll bridge, which was full of people crossing between the countries.
As soon as we walked onto the bridge, Hatian children starting appearing on the other side of the gate. We would watch them run across the field and up onto the bridge. All of them were too thin, and many of them were without shoes. They would hop the gate and approach us, asking for money, until a Dominican guard of barely 18 would usher them back to their side of the border. I could not see much of Haiti, but seeing the kids alone made me realize that the poverty in the country just next to us is far greater than what I can imagine. It also became apparent how real white privilege is; we were able to approach the border and leave with no question simply because of our skin color.
 |
| ...and that's Haiti in the background |
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