Sarah + blog update = this
that didn't really make sense, did it?
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Another mass email, hope you guys enjoy. Conn kids, I just found out that I will be getting back to the east coast the Wednesday before school starts (I know, I’m cutting it really close), so I will see you all then if I don’t talk to you before.
Hola a todos y todas
These past few weeks have been getting busier and busier as the end approaches and the amount of work that needs to get done increases. It seems that we always have five million things to juggle, both small and large. Besides being almost completely in charge of this preschool project, I’m helping to get everything ready for the program’s second house build, which will take place the last week of July (also the last week I am here). It sort of brings this summer here full circle for me: I spent my first week in the Dominican Republic participating in the first house build, and will spend my last week participating in the second house build.
The house build will especially be a nice way to end my stay here because my family is coming down to participate. While my parents have traveled a lot—mostly in Western and Eastern Europe—they, nor my brother, have ever been to a country south of the border, and, as far as I know, have never been to, or spent much time in, a third world country. I’m excited to show them a place that I keep coming back to, hoping, I guess, that maybe they’ll understand a bit more why I keep coming back to Latin America. It probably will be weird at some points—I’m not sure what they will think of the life and culture here—but hopefully it will be a good experience for all. Besides, I haven’t seen my parents since March and my brother since January, so the reunion is long overdue. I wish they were able to meet my Nicaraguan host family instead of my Dominican one, but maybe they can meet my boss’s family, who has become my second host family here, and, at times, more like a family to me than the one I’m staying with.
As the preschool program won’t start until after I leave, I oftentimes wish I could be here to see it start up—to know that the work that I’ve done here this summer has been worth it. But last week, during a meeting with community leaders to discuss both the upcoming house build and the preschool program, I was able to see some of the long term results of what we’ve been working on this summer—and foreshadowing of more sustainable long term results to come.
Last Thursday, José and I headed out to the community to have a meeting with the community leaders to talk about getting ready for this second house build: the dates, how it will run, how the leaders should show up this time to show that they really are interested in the project, etc. We’ve had two of these meetings before, and most of the time the community leaders just listen and agree to what we tell them. This meeting started out this way, although we could tell that these meetings were improving, since at this meeting the attendance rate was the highest it’s been at any meeting we’ve had. The discussion slowly shifted from the house build to the preschool program, and from there to talk of the lack of parent participation in the schools. One of the school teachers was there, and told us a story about how a mother came to visit him to see if her children had past their exams, and she didn’t even know which grade they were in! Other leaders started to share their stories, and the conversation took a new turn. Apparently there is a clothing factory in the community, but it was so poorly run that the community decided to shut it down. After venting about the irresponsible leadership, the leaders started to talk about re-opening it, starting it all over again, to boost the community’s economy. Someone then remembered about a bakery in the community, where a similar situation had occurred, and there was talk about opening that up again, using the bread for the breakfast at the preschool, and selling the excess to benefit the community. When we ended the meeting, all the leaders were talking excitedly about next week going to take inventory of what was still at the clothing factory and inviting other community members—even those who had mismanaged the factory before—to join them in re-opening it. I have to say, I have never seen these leaders so excited about a project before. And I realized that, without us having a meeting to talk about the house build, these leaders would probably have never met otherwise. And with a community-operated factory and bakery, the leaders will continue to meet and generate more ideas to boost their own community’s economy—without needing anyone to come in to organize a meeting. I left the meeting beaming, just as excited as these leaders were. It may have taken many other meetings and many months to get to this point, but to be part of this meeting was worth the wait!
And then on Sunday, for a change of pace, I went to Haiti.
San Juan is about an hour from the border town of Elías Piña, where many people cross over from Haiti to sell various items on the weekdays at the market there. Because I went on a Sunday, the market was empty, but I was able to drive around and see that there really isn’t much to Elías Piña. The people I was with told me that the town had improved drastically in recent years, which made me wonder what the town used to look like. Actually, you wouldn’t know you were leaving the country just to look around. There is a custom office, but there’s not much to it. There are military officers, but as there are military checkpoints all over the country, that’s nothing out of the ordinary. All there was separating the two countries was an open gate, around which people—Dominicans? Haitians?—sat around talking, some playing dominos. I got out of the car and walked towards the gate, expecting to be stopped by the soldiers, but they didn’t even give me a second glance. And, just to say that I did, I crossed the gate and went into Haiti. I wanted to take a picture, but as a white female, I was attracting enough unwanted attention, so I decided against solidifying my status as a tourist. I asked why the guards didn’t even want to see any form of identification from anyone passing the gate—it’s obvious that I am neither Dominican or Haitian—and I was told that Haiti is so dangerous now that the guards’ attitude is, “cross at your own risk.” I suppose I have only scratched the surface of the differences between the two countries.
But I will have to learn more about that later. Tomorrow begins the construction of the second house and already I see the excitement building within the family who will receive the house and their friends who are helping to build it. So tomorrow I’ll have to put away the computer and get out the work boots and shovel (and tell you all about it after I go back home).
Sending amor y paz.
Always,
Sarah
------------------
Another mass email, hope you guys enjoy. Conn kids, I just found out that I will be getting back to the east coast the Wednesday before school starts (I know, I’m cutting it really close), so I will see you all then if I don’t talk to you before.
Hola a todos y todas
These past few weeks have been getting busier and busier as the end approaches and the amount of work that needs to get done increases. It seems that we always have five million things to juggle, both small and large. Besides being almost completely in charge of this preschool project, I’m helping to get everything ready for the program’s second house build, which will take place the last week of July (also the last week I am here). It sort of brings this summer here full circle for me: I spent my first week in the Dominican Republic participating in the first house build, and will spend my last week participating in the second house build.
The house build will especially be a nice way to end my stay here because my family is coming down to participate. While my parents have traveled a lot—mostly in Western and Eastern Europe—they, nor my brother, have ever been to a country south of the border, and, as far as I know, have never been to, or spent much time in, a third world country. I’m excited to show them a place that I keep coming back to, hoping, I guess, that maybe they’ll understand a bit more why I keep coming back to Latin America. It probably will be weird at some points—I’m not sure what they will think of the life and culture here—but hopefully it will be a good experience for all. Besides, I haven’t seen my parents since March and my brother since January, so the reunion is long overdue. I wish they were able to meet my Nicaraguan host family instead of my Dominican one, but maybe they can meet my boss’s family, who has become my second host family here, and, at times, more like a family to me than the one I’m staying with.
As the preschool program won’t start until after I leave, I oftentimes wish I could be here to see it start up—to know that the work that I’ve done here this summer has been worth it. But last week, during a meeting with community leaders to discuss both the upcoming house build and the preschool program, I was able to see some of the long term results of what we’ve been working on this summer—and foreshadowing of more sustainable long term results to come.
Last Thursday, José and I headed out to the community to have a meeting with the community leaders to talk about getting ready for this second house build: the dates, how it will run, how the leaders should show up this time to show that they really are interested in the project, etc. We’ve had two of these meetings before, and most of the time the community leaders just listen and agree to what we tell them. This meeting started out this way, although we could tell that these meetings were improving, since at this meeting the attendance rate was the highest it’s been at any meeting we’ve had. The discussion slowly shifted from the house build to the preschool program, and from there to talk of the lack of parent participation in the schools. One of the school teachers was there, and told us a story about how a mother came to visit him to see if her children had past their exams, and she didn’t even know which grade they were in! Other leaders started to share their stories, and the conversation took a new turn. Apparently there is a clothing factory in the community, but it was so poorly run that the community decided to shut it down. After venting about the irresponsible leadership, the leaders started to talk about re-opening it, starting it all over again, to boost the community’s economy. Someone then remembered about a bakery in the community, where a similar situation had occurred, and there was talk about opening that up again, using the bread for the breakfast at the preschool, and selling the excess to benefit the community. When we ended the meeting, all the leaders were talking excitedly about next week going to take inventory of what was still at the clothing factory and inviting other community members—even those who had mismanaged the factory before—to join them in re-opening it. I have to say, I have never seen these leaders so excited about a project before. And I realized that, without us having a meeting to talk about the house build, these leaders would probably have never met otherwise. And with a community-operated factory and bakery, the leaders will continue to meet and generate more ideas to boost their own community’s economy—without needing anyone to come in to organize a meeting. I left the meeting beaming, just as excited as these leaders were. It may have taken many other meetings and many months to get to this point, but to be part of this meeting was worth the wait!
And then on Sunday, for a change of pace, I went to Haiti.
San Juan is about an hour from the border town of Elías Piña, where many people cross over from Haiti to sell various items on the weekdays at the market there. Because I went on a Sunday, the market was empty, but I was able to drive around and see that there really isn’t much to Elías Piña. The people I was with told me that the town had improved drastically in recent years, which made me wonder what the town used to look like. Actually, you wouldn’t know you were leaving the country just to look around. There is a custom office, but there’s not much to it. There are military officers, but as there are military checkpoints all over the country, that’s nothing out of the ordinary. All there was separating the two countries was an open gate, around which people—Dominicans? Haitians?—sat around talking, some playing dominos. I got out of the car and walked towards the gate, expecting to be stopped by the soldiers, but they didn’t even give me a second glance. And, just to say that I did, I crossed the gate and went into Haiti. I wanted to take a picture, but as a white female, I was attracting enough unwanted attention, so I decided against solidifying my status as a tourist. I asked why the guards didn’t even want to see any form of identification from anyone passing the gate—it’s obvious that I am neither Dominican or Haitian—and I was told that Haiti is so dangerous now that the guards’ attitude is, “cross at your own risk.” I suppose I have only scratched the surface of the differences between the two countries.
But I will have to learn more about that later. Tomorrow begins the construction of the second house and already I see the excitement building within the family who will receive the house and their friends who are helping to build it. So tomorrow I’ll have to put away the computer and get out the work boots and shovel (and tell you all about it after I go back home).
Sending amor y paz.
Always,
Sarah
posted by Jake at 9:13 AM
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