The rain drips and lightly patters the tin roofs all day long. The large tropical leaves hold a permanent glaze as droplets of water peal off their waxy tops. I sit in this paradise that is my back yard and marvel at the shades of vibrant green. Massive vines stretch towards the heavens and golden colored mangos droop from spidery limbs as if they were Christmas ornaments adorning every patio. Sometimes I forget so much is going on in the 10 foot radius from where I sit. Leaves are breathing; trunks are expanding; larva is multiplying; beetles are nibbling; roots are drinking, mangos are ripening, mangos are decomposing. It’s ever changing and forever unique. I happily make these observations from the kiosk behind my house… the place I call home.
Not so far away on the other side of the mountains there is a desert; a dry flat landscape where vibrant greens are only seen the land is generously irrigated. I spent a week this past month in the southern part of the island surrounded by fields of towering sugar cane. I was learning Creole through a special Peace Corps language course that took volunteers to the communities where the Creole speakers in this country live. Batey 9 was home for 5 days; immersed in a community of some of the poorest families in the Dominican Republic. “Poor,” not because they are helpless or weak people. “Poor,” because they live in an intentional sugar cane community that has denied them an identity. The consortiums, or large sugar cane companies, imported cheap labor from Haiti over a century ago when slave labor was an acceptable practice. As servants to the land, the Haitian men lived in barrack like facilities directly next to the large fields of sugar cane. Over the years they had families adapted their cultural upbringing to the new situation. A version of Voodoo was celebrated, they sang their own songs, made instruments from bamboo, cooked their style food, and spoke their own language, Creole.
However, this cultural identity brought from Haiti, rooted in the West African lifestyle, was greatly compromised by the labor intensive job these men were required to perform. They made almost no money hacking down large stocks of sugar cane with their machetes as the cane husk was lit a flame in front of their eyes. They were required to work 12 days straight on 12 hour shifts and then the 13th day was 24 hours straight before they received one day off and repeated the cycle again. They were isolated in a lifestyle that was not just. When the sugar industry fell in the mid 20th century these men and their families were left without an income source. At least during the time of their indentured servitude they were paid a living stipend.
Today, multiple generations later and the current situation in 2011 is much more complex and difficult. These people own no land, not even their house, as these Bateys are still privately owned by the sugar cane companies. They are not recognized as Dominican citizens, and thus cannot legally attend high school or college, they have very few job opportunities, cannot vote, cannot travel outside their community without being harassed at military checkpoints along the highway, nor are they accepted across the Haitian border because they were not born there. These people are marginalized from society. They belong to no nation. The same story could be played out in the farming rich San Joaquin Valley of California where hard working Mexican farm workers have been imported and accepted as cheap labor to maintain the strong agricultural economy. However, you can imagine that conditions and opportunities are magnified to even a greater level of discomfort on the Dominican-Haitian border where the standard of living is much lower.
So no one has ever accused me of being an immigrant lawyer, but I constantly have to peal back the lens of privilege through which I was born into the world and understand the multiple layers to inequality. I went to Batey 9 to learn Creole and walked away with a brief understanding of a history and reality that is not just. The developing world is changing rapidly, just as the trunks of trees and vibrant green leaves in my back yard are expanding with each new drop of rain. I am hopeful that maybe the bright smiles of the children in Batey 9 that I shared every afternoon playing soccer with will one day claim their rights to be active, participating citizens in this world. They deserve an identity just like you and me.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
To the PICO Again!
It was the wash of wind that covered the mountain side pines, flew through my sweaty hair, and spoke peace to my spirit. No motors racing by, turning up dust, blistering the silence. No blaring bodega speakers rattling the tin roofs of the neighborhood houses. It was fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Peter, his cousin Jeremiah, and myself enjoying a 4 day trek to the top of Pico Duarte. I did this same hike a little less than a year ago with my college buddy Dan and his parents. This second time with fewer hikers and more time to reflect and relax, I thoroughly enjoyed a dose of the peace present in God’s natural world.
Even though I live in the “campo” I some times forget about the quiet backyard I have yet to really explore. The hills slowly roll up to the Caribbean’s highest peak, Pico Duarte (10,000 ft). Perhaps it’s not so majestic as maybe the snow capped, saw-toothed Sierra Nevada mountains of home, but it’s a world removed from everything that is loud and in your face about Dominican culture. Here the steams trickle with delight and cold fresh springs. The palm, pine, fruit, and deciduous trees cohabitate on the same slope. The birds chirp freely without fear of being pegged by a pebble from a kids sling shot. The wind whispers secrets that only the deep valleys can comprehend. And the tree feathered horizon gives way to flaming sunrises and sunsets that wake up and put to bed this Caribbean island.
I will do this hike again before I part from the Dominican Republic… perhaps 2 more times. Not only because it is a welcomed challenge, but because it represents the purity that can be found on any piece of land we choose to protect. I work to mitigate trash, create compost bins, protect clean water sources, and play with kids in my site... all because… why?? Well, every time I return to the purity of our world’s protected areas I answer that question. I reunite with nature and my roots. I am grateful for every encounter with beauty in its un-manipulated state and I wish to offer the kids in my community the chance to connect with that not so far away wild. Perhaps the winds and water and trees brushing the top of Pico Duarte will wash upon their spirit and ignite an appreciation for the sacred natural world that can be lost in the “bulla” of a culture so vibrant and all up in your face.
Take a walk, take a hike, and then go on a trek. It’ll reconnect you to where you come from and what you’re part of.
The Roots run deep,
Jared
Even though I live in the “campo” I some times forget about the quiet backyard I have yet to really explore. The hills slowly roll up to the Caribbean’s highest peak, Pico Duarte (10,000 ft). Perhaps it’s not so majestic as maybe the snow capped, saw-toothed Sierra Nevada mountains of home, but it’s a world removed from everything that is loud and in your face about Dominican culture. Here the steams trickle with delight and cold fresh springs. The palm, pine, fruit, and deciduous trees cohabitate on the same slope. The birds chirp freely without fear of being pegged by a pebble from a kids sling shot. The wind whispers secrets that only the deep valleys can comprehend. And the tree feathered horizon gives way to flaming sunrises and sunsets that wake up and put to bed this Caribbean island.
I will do this hike again before I part from the Dominican Republic… perhaps 2 more times. Not only because it is a welcomed challenge, but because it represents the purity that can be found on any piece of land we choose to protect. I work to mitigate trash, create compost bins, protect clean water sources, and play with kids in my site... all because… why?? Well, every time I return to the purity of our world’s protected areas I answer that question. I reunite with nature and my roots. I am grateful for every encounter with beauty in its un-manipulated state and I wish to offer the kids in my community the chance to connect with that not so far away wild. Perhaps the winds and water and trees brushing the top of Pico Duarte will wash upon their spirit and ignite an appreciation for the sacred natural world that can be lost in the “bulla” of a culture so vibrant and all up in your face.
Take a walk, take a hike, and then go on a trek. It’ll reconnect you to where you come from and what you’re part of.
The Roots run deep,
Jared
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Reflection: Learning Sustainability is the Process
Four good friends came to visit from college. My first real visitors to the island and they were unable to make it up to my site. So I tried to tell them what I do... what I have learned from all this Peace Corps Volunteer business. This is what I came up with.
“I wanted the sour oranges from the top of the tree to make juice for our youth group. Luisito wanted to climb the tree just so that he could escape from his grandmother’s house for at least one moment. I wanted to finish collecting the oranges within an hour. Luisito wanted to sleep under the tree and wake up to the rising sun. I wanted to plant more fruit trees in our community. Luisito wanted to teach me how to save the seeds, dry them, and then plant them.
Sometimes the solution to a task takes longer than expected. The orange juice would come; however, not until many small, basic steps would make us appreciate the final product.”
My last two years in the Peace Corps have introduced me to a lifestyle that requires patience. However, not a dull and boring kind of patience, particularly when one has to wait to get oranges from neighbors’ trees. Rather, it is an opportunity to learn something new with every task. My job as a Community Environment Development Promoter, in the small, rural Dominican town of Ojo de Agua, is to develop projects that help the community focus on local environmental issues. Our youth group, “Defenders of the Environment,” dedicates two hours every week discussing and developing plans to resolve community environmental issues.
With lots of trash cluttering the creek that runs through our cozy neighborhood of 55 houses, we’ve learned that residents need a system to dispose of waste. Trash in the creek has had a negative impact on the health of people, plants and animals. Several kids have suffered from dengue--- a viral disease of the tropics that causes sudden fever and pain in the joints. This disease is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. They use the standing water in the plastic bottles and plastic wraps in the creek as a place to produce new life.
We have constructed compost bins in order to dispose of organic food scraps that make up over half of our total solid waste. In addition, food scraps have brought an abundance of flies and gnats to the creek bed.
The collection of food scraps and leaves from neighbors’ yards have provided us with an opportunity to create rich, black soil. We’ve used the soil in our community gardens and tree nursery. Future enjoyable orange juice will come from trees planted by Luisito and nourished by the ingredients in our rich, black soil.
The story is one of sustainability. A chain of accomplishments by the youth group that improves not only the trash situation in Ojo de Agua, but turns that trash into a rich soil that the kids refer to as “Black Gold.” Even more important, they’re proud of it. The new Mayor has recognized the need for a healthier community, especially with the introduction of Cholera to the island. He has appreciated our lead to cut in half the amount of waste we produce and has recently improved the collection of our non-organic materials.
As a student of environmental science, I have always wanted to live in a sustainable environment. In college I learned about the systems of waste disposal and why trash and contamination destroy our water systems and contribute to bad health. However, never have I been able to put into practice these sustainable concepts until arriving in the Dominican Republic as a Peace Corps volunteer in the small rural community of Ojo de Agua.
The youths in my community have had little or no exposure to environmental education. They have spent most of their lives in areas filled with trash. How should they know what a healthy environment looks like? Through my service I have realized that opportunity and balance go hand in hand. If someone is not presented with the opportunity to receive a decent education then they are not likely to understand why or how certain issues affect their existence. The Dominican Republic’s education system is not well supported and has done an injustice to it students. I see a need to highlight the fact that human beings need a clean and healthy natural world. So what is the sustainable plan for the community of Ojo de Agua? How are we going to rid ourselves of this trash problem?
Instead of preaching: “don’t litter and pick up after yourselves!!!” My goal has been to introduce youth to the reality of the world outside Ojo de Agua. I took them to conferences where they met youths from other communities in their own country, who share many of the same challenges. They talked with others and saw examples of how they could compost, create worm bins, plant gardens on the sides of hills, recycle, and reuse trash. It was encouraging to see their faces light up as they walked through green gardens sprouting fresh organic vegetables and realized they could use their own hands to design purses, flower vases, picture frames, dolls, bracelets and other art, all made from disposable trash.
If we want to improve communities we must be willing to expose those communities to new and healthy opportunities. Good ideas and successful models must be made accessible to all.
Just as the youth of Ojo de Agua became involved in real and practical solutions to properly dispose of solid waste, so too must the developed world become stewards of the environement though it may not see trash strewn across the streets. Where does the incredible quantities of pastic packaging go that seems to be included in every purshase we make.
Just as eleven-year-old Luisito did not have the opportunity to learn something new outside the boundaries of his grandmother’s yard; neither would I have understood what it means to live humbly in the rural hills of the Dominican Republic, if I had never left the comfort of a wealthier lifestyle in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am trying to improve the environmental health of Ojo de Agua through the lives of one youth at a time. However, I also have a duty to show my community in California that excessive consumption can also lead to ugly environmental conditions. The reoccurring California energy crises and water shortages are consequences of lifestyles that have not reached a balance between needs and wants. I feel that my experiences in the Dominican Republic have taught me much about making decisions that lead to a sustainable lifestyle.
The community of Ojo de Agua is not litter free, nor do many of the youths with whom I worked understand what sustainability is. Yet, we at least did challenge the idea that throwing our trash in the creek was unacceptable. We worked to understand that if we changed, we had a chance to empower the community to change.
Just as Luisito taught me patience in the making of the orange juice, so too, I must be patient with the friends and family whom I will return to in the states; friends and family who are thirsty for the freshly squeezed orange juice. However, together we will learn that it’s not about the great orange juice, but rather, about the learning process with its successes and failures, that might ultimately resemble a quenching sip.
Make some fresh juice and share it with someone you spend a lot of time with. You'll be humbled and satisfied.
Love from the island,
Jared
“I wanted the sour oranges from the top of the tree to make juice for our youth group. Luisito wanted to climb the tree just so that he could escape from his grandmother’s house for at least one moment. I wanted to finish collecting the oranges within an hour. Luisito wanted to sleep under the tree and wake up to the rising sun. I wanted to plant more fruit trees in our community. Luisito wanted to teach me how to save the seeds, dry them, and then plant them.
Sometimes the solution to a task takes longer than expected. The orange juice would come; however, not until many small, basic steps would make us appreciate the final product.”
My last two years in the Peace Corps have introduced me to a lifestyle that requires patience. However, not a dull and boring kind of patience, particularly when one has to wait to get oranges from neighbors’ trees. Rather, it is an opportunity to learn something new with every task. My job as a Community Environment Development Promoter, in the small, rural Dominican town of Ojo de Agua, is to develop projects that help the community focus on local environmental issues. Our youth group, “Defenders of the Environment,” dedicates two hours every week discussing and developing plans to resolve community environmental issues.
With lots of trash cluttering the creek that runs through our cozy neighborhood of 55 houses, we’ve learned that residents need a system to dispose of waste. Trash in the creek has had a negative impact on the health of people, plants and animals. Several kids have suffered from dengue--- a viral disease of the tropics that causes sudden fever and pain in the joints. This disease is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. They use the standing water in the plastic bottles and plastic wraps in the creek as a place to produce new life.
We have constructed compost bins in order to dispose of organic food scraps that make up over half of our total solid waste. In addition, food scraps have brought an abundance of flies and gnats to the creek bed.
The collection of food scraps and leaves from neighbors’ yards have provided us with an opportunity to create rich, black soil. We’ve used the soil in our community gardens and tree nursery. Future enjoyable orange juice will come from trees planted by Luisito and nourished by the ingredients in our rich, black soil.
The story is one of sustainability. A chain of accomplishments by the youth group that improves not only the trash situation in Ojo de Agua, but turns that trash into a rich soil that the kids refer to as “Black Gold.” Even more important, they’re proud of it. The new Mayor has recognized the need for a healthier community, especially with the introduction of Cholera to the island. He has appreciated our lead to cut in half the amount of waste we produce and has recently improved the collection of our non-organic materials.
As a student of environmental science, I have always wanted to live in a sustainable environment. In college I learned about the systems of waste disposal and why trash and contamination destroy our water systems and contribute to bad health. However, never have I been able to put into practice these sustainable concepts until arriving in the Dominican Republic as a Peace Corps volunteer in the small rural community of Ojo de Agua.
The youths in my community have had little or no exposure to environmental education. They have spent most of their lives in areas filled with trash. How should they know what a healthy environment looks like? Through my service I have realized that opportunity and balance go hand in hand. If someone is not presented with the opportunity to receive a decent education then they are not likely to understand why or how certain issues affect their existence. The Dominican Republic’s education system is not well supported and has done an injustice to it students. I see a need to highlight the fact that human beings need a clean and healthy natural world. So what is the sustainable plan for the community of Ojo de Agua? How are we going to rid ourselves of this trash problem?
Instead of preaching: “don’t litter and pick up after yourselves!!!” My goal has been to introduce youth to the reality of the world outside Ojo de Agua. I took them to conferences where they met youths from other communities in their own country, who share many of the same challenges. They talked with others and saw examples of how they could compost, create worm bins, plant gardens on the sides of hills, recycle, and reuse trash. It was encouraging to see their faces light up as they walked through green gardens sprouting fresh organic vegetables and realized they could use their own hands to design purses, flower vases, picture frames, dolls, bracelets and other art, all made from disposable trash.
If we want to improve communities we must be willing to expose those communities to new and healthy opportunities. Good ideas and successful models must be made accessible to all.
Just as the youth of Ojo de Agua became involved in real and practical solutions to properly dispose of solid waste, so too must the developed world become stewards of the environement though it may not see trash strewn across the streets. Where does the incredible quantities of pastic packaging go that seems to be included in every purshase we make.
Just as eleven-year-old Luisito did not have the opportunity to learn something new outside the boundaries of his grandmother’s yard; neither would I have understood what it means to live humbly in the rural hills of the Dominican Republic, if I had never left the comfort of a wealthier lifestyle in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am trying to improve the environmental health of Ojo de Agua through the lives of one youth at a time. However, I also have a duty to show my community in California that excessive consumption can also lead to ugly environmental conditions. The reoccurring California energy crises and water shortages are consequences of lifestyles that have not reached a balance between needs and wants. I feel that my experiences in the Dominican Republic have taught me much about making decisions that lead to a sustainable lifestyle.
The community of Ojo de Agua is not litter free, nor do many of the youths with whom I worked understand what sustainability is. Yet, we at least did challenge the idea that throwing our trash in the creek was unacceptable. We worked to understand that if we changed, we had a chance to empower the community to change.
Just as Luisito taught me patience in the making of the orange juice, so too, I must be patient with the friends and family whom I will return to in the states; friends and family who are thirsty for the freshly squeezed orange juice. However, together we will learn that it’s not about the great orange juice, but rather, about the learning process with its successes and failures, that might ultimately resemble a quenching sip.
Make some fresh juice and share it with someone you spend a lot of time with. You'll be humbled and satisfied.
Love from the island,
Jared
Friday, February 25, 2011
The seeds are planted
The seeds are planted. February is coming to a close. All eyes are on the Spring that is soon to blossom into brilliance. And Jared is blessing God for gorgeous winter weather that feels much like late spring in California. I live here in a country that has filled me up with so much pleasant weather and good food. Those are two constants I think I could live with in life. Other such things as building solid relationships with others, environmental activism, being in good shape, understanding technology, etc. are all variables that we must work to understand and sustain. Living in a developing nation provides certain intangibles that can make life more difficult or easier depending on your perspective.
Here are a few examples of those intangibles:
- It can take me upwards of a day and a half to wash and dry my clothes, however, that day and a half can be rather relaxed as I will only dip my hands in and out of water, enjoy work outside in the fresh air, and best of all see street traffic as neighbors stop by and chat for a moment.
-I’m on foot or on my bicycle to arrive at any destination within 20 minutes of my home. I may have to give myself more time to get where I’m going, but it’s great exercise and you see the people in your community face to face. You can’t ignore them if you pass by walking. Also you tend to look for a ride more often from others if you need to carry something heavy or large. Those with means of automated transport do favors for those without and thus not every Dominican has need for a car…(nor would I wish to see all of them driving with the already current state of street chaos). By choosing to walk you’re making a conscious decision to throw less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the streets traffic flow actually flows, and are more pedestrian friendly (if you look oncoming drivers in the eye before crossing the street = mutual agreement that you may not be slowing down, but at least you’re not going to hit me).
-I eat food that is sold in town, fresh, local, and simple. Seafood isn’t found in the mountains, nor might I find specialty Ghirardelli chocolate at the local colmado (corner market), but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy what is on the plate. Rice, beans, and chicken and salad are not a bad diet unless you think it is. They say 3 billion people around the world depend on rice as a dietary staple. What’s to keep that from being 7 billion people? Proteins, carbohydrates, fats all come in different forms yet they get broken down into the same simple nutrients that run our body. When I leave this country I will miss eating rice every day, or maybe it will just become an adapted habit. At least I know it is cheap, fills my bottomless stomach up, can be eaten with almost any food, and is not hard to cook.
-Yeah it rains here a lot more than most places in the states. And yes rain can get you wet. But who is to say you don’t just stop what you are doing, take some cover, and enjoy a cup of coffee at a strangers house instead of trying to continue rushing through the day with bad weather.
As you can see this lifestyle is growing on me. The Dominican Republic is on the verge of becoming a developed nation. Great external influences from “Nueva Yol” and Europe have influenced its economy greatly, the greatest of which are remittances and tourism. I don’t know what life is better. All I know is that if Good Weather and Good Food are a constant in my life then I can work to excel in the rest.
Think about what you try and manipulate and then see if you can live without manipulating it!
Peace,
Jared
Here are a few examples of those intangibles:
- It can take me upwards of a day and a half to wash and dry my clothes, however, that day and a half can be rather relaxed as I will only dip my hands in and out of water, enjoy work outside in the fresh air, and best of all see street traffic as neighbors stop by and chat for a moment.
-I’m on foot or on my bicycle to arrive at any destination within 20 minutes of my home. I may have to give myself more time to get where I’m going, but it’s great exercise and you see the people in your community face to face. You can’t ignore them if you pass by walking. Also you tend to look for a ride more often from others if you need to carry something heavy or large. Those with means of automated transport do favors for those without and thus not every Dominican has need for a car…(nor would I wish to see all of them driving with the already current state of street chaos). By choosing to walk you’re making a conscious decision to throw less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the streets traffic flow actually flows, and are more pedestrian friendly (if you look oncoming drivers in the eye before crossing the street = mutual agreement that you may not be slowing down, but at least you’re not going to hit me).
-I eat food that is sold in town, fresh, local, and simple. Seafood isn’t found in the mountains, nor might I find specialty Ghirardelli chocolate at the local colmado (corner market), but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy what is on the plate. Rice, beans, and chicken and salad are not a bad diet unless you think it is. They say 3 billion people around the world depend on rice as a dietary staple. What’s to keep that from being 7 billion people? Proteins, carbohydrates, fats all come in different forms yet they get broken down into the same simple nutrients that run our body. When I leave this country I will miss eating rice every day, or maybe it will just become an adapted habit. At least I know it is cheap, fills my bottomless stomach up, can be eaten with almost any food, and is not hard to cook.
-Yeah it rains here a lot more than most places in the states. And yes rain can get you wet. But who is to say you don’t just stop what you are doing, take some cover, and enjoy a cup of coffee at a strangers house instead of trying to continue rushing through the day with bad weather.
As you can see this lifestyle is growing on me. The Dominican Republic is on the verge of becoming a developed nation. Great external influences from “Nueva Yol” and Europe have influenced its economy greatly, the greatest of which are remittances and tourism. I don’t know what life is better. All I know is that if Good Weather and Good Food are a constant in my life then I can work to excel in the rest.
Think about what you try and manipulate and then see if you can live without manipulating it!
Peace,
Jared
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A Good Start to a Good Year
The New Year is here! The New Decade is here! We think about resolutions, we think about change. We think about sacrifices that need to be made so that we can make this would a better place. Yeah sounds like an optimistic Peace Corps Volunteer talking. I just finished two weeks of invigorating work with some medical students from the University of Southern Maine. I was translating Spanish to English and English to Spanish for the humble farming families in the rural mountain region of Puerto Plata. It was like being back in college, but only moved from the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts to the isolated villages on a Caribbean island where cars don’t easily travel. Churches and small two room school houses were turned into general health clinics. Pews and extra small desks became the seats for 90 year old great-great grand mothers, pregnant teenagers and dedicated tobacco farmers. Their stories each unique, health issues fairly common, and smiles certainly penetrating.
I remember the 50 year old cock fighter, Pedro Martinez, from Arroyo Ancho. He walked into the clinic with a golden tooth smile after having finished cultivating acres of land, picking the soil so that he could plant corn and plantains when the rain came again. As Kaley and John, the Southern Maine medical students, checked his heart, lungs, and general health we discovered he was a strong man with few needs… until he told his story. Ten years ago he was riding back of a pick up truck when it hit a deep rut on an eroded road and flipped on its side throwing him off the back and the truck landing on his left leg. He had worked though pain for the last decade, though from the content expressions of his shinning smile and great laugh you would have never thought any such incident had occurred. This is how many of the many rural campo patients were. They came looking for help; we had a few pain killers, some special exercises or posture advice, but really I think we were there to share a cultural experience and some smiles that could themselves probably cure all ills.
This same medical mission returns every six months to these rural communities to check in on these patients. They are a demographic that does not receive many funds from the federal government, even though their needs for a basic health clinic would not be of great cost. One community we arrived at after two hours on foot because not even the 4x4 trucks could traverse the mud and steep slopes. That was a day to remember. The mayor of the community even hiked us out of the site 2 hours in his dress shoes and nice slacks, only to turn around and head back home 2 hours.
So not only did I enjoy the individual histories of these sturdy Dominicans, but the fellow Americans from Maine were pretty awesome people themselves. Their open hearts and desire to put together this trip on funds they raised themselves while studying and working made for a special exchange. I’m back in my site refreshed with hope for this new year, for this new decade.
Find time to volunteer within your job or your studies. Everyone benefits as a result.
Peace,
Jared
I remember the 50 year old cock fighter, Pedro Martinez, from Arroyo Ancho. He walked into the clinic with a golden tooth smile after having finished cultivating acres of land, picking the soil so that he could plant corn and plantains when the rain came again. As Kaley and John, the Southern Maine medical students, checked his heart, lungs, and general health we discovered he was a strong man with few needs… until he told his story. Ten years ago he was riding back of a pick up truck when it hit a deep rut on an eroded road and flipped on its side throwing him off the back and the truck landing on his left leg. He had worked though pain for the last decade, though from the content expressions of his shinning smile and great laugh you would have never thought any such incident had occurred. This is how many of the many rural campo patients were. They came looking for help; we had a few pain killers, some special exercises or posture advice, but really I think we were there to share a cultural experience and some smiles that could themselves probably cure all ills.
This same medical mission returns every six months to these rural communities to check in on these patients. They are a demographic that does not receive many funds from the federal government, even though their needs for a basic health clinic would not be of great cost. One community we arrived at after two hours on foot because not even the 4x4 trucks could traverse the mud and steep slopes. That was a day to remember. The mayor of the community even hiked us out of the site 2 hours in his dress shoes and nice slacks, only to turn around and head back home 2 hours.
So not only did I enjoy the individual histories of these sturdy Dominicans, but the fellow Americans from Maine were pretty awesome people themselves. Their open hearts and desire to put together this trip on funds they raised themselves while studying and working made for a special exchange. I’m back in my site refreshed with hope for this new year, for this new decade.
Find time to volunteer within your job or your studies. Everyone benefits as a result.
Peace,
Jared
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
What is Comfortable?
Who would like to face off again in a game of middle school b-ball? I want to remain young through my 40s so I can always think about these situations and then actually live them out. What a joy to be part of the world of imagination. I feel privileged and free to dream of such opportunities. The world really is an amazing place to discover through your own thoughts. It is me imagining a world where there is no electricity that got me here to rural Dominican Republic. However, living with those who are impoverished sometimes makes me feel a little guilty for having lived so many years of my life in a relatively wealthy atmosphere, or as my grandfather exclaims `` Living high on the hog!`` One day I´m bathing on a concrete floor with a chilly bucket of rain water, while the next day I find myself at a resort under a pressurized shower head with hot water massaging my back. What makes one situation better than the other… well I guess it´s all perspective. Comfort can sometimes be what you are most used to. Have I become accustomed to cold showers enough to where I think they are comfortable because they simply clean my dirty body? My recent trip to a resort (also know as Peace Corps evacuation plan upon news of Hurricane Tomas´ potential arrival to the island) had me exposed to the wonders of hot water again. And I`m not sure if I necessarily needed that hot water to put me happy. For just the fact that I could clean myself in a private bathroom with running water was enough to exclaim ``Luxury!`` My lifestyle has certainly been of relaxation in terms of what it means to work for what you get. I mean my host family feeds me hot meals twice a day, I nap usually for 1 hour after lunch, and when the yawn appears a more often I tend to take an extended rest.
Then I think about a weekend like this past one, a three day conference at a center called ``Vacation La Romana.`` We played baseball, basketball, volleyball, frisbee, tag in the pool, ate pork chops, and danced, all the while colaborating with young Dominicans about the importance of protecting our environment. They say it was my job to attend the conference with my two brilliant host sisters, Lisanna and Lizbet, but I say it was yet another weekend vacation. Peace Corps here in the Dominican Republic offers so many opportunities to each and every of its 200 volunteers to get involved with high quality programs. Programs that make your job feel fun and always new. I know there is something to be said for being close at home in your site for consecutive months at a time without leaving, but I have certainly enjoyed witnessing the personal growth and pure curiosity of my youth group members as we get to travel around the country. They get to share their lives with other youth from far away who are equally excited about sharing their lives. As youth we inspire each other to not use plastic bags, organize creek clean ups, and speak directly about the kind of environment we want to grow up in.
So my life is moving about from one conference to another. Sometimes I think I´m a trips counselor at some long extended summer camp in the Caribbean. I guess you have to enjoy what you do… so I´ve made a job out of being a kid again. This weekend brings movie watching to town. The movie is ``Maria full of Grace.`` You should check it out if you haven’t seen it.
Think about what really makes you comfortable, then orient your life around that.
Signing out from a whole lot of mind boggling, poverty-freeing paradise.
Jared
Then I think about a weekend like this past one, a three day conference at a center called ``Vacation La Romana.`` We played baseball, basketball, volleyball, frisbee, tag in the pool, ate pork chops, and danced, all the while colaborating with young Dominicans about the importance of protecting our environment. They say it was my job to attend the conference with my two brilliant host sisters, Lisanna and Lizbet, but I say it was yet another weekend vacation. Peace Corps here in the Dominican Republic offers so many opportunities to each and every of its 200 volunteers to get involved with high quality programs. Programs that make your job feel fun and always new. I know there is something to be said for being close at home in your site for consecutive months at a time without leaving, but I have certainly enjoyed witnessing the personal growth and pure curiosity of my youth group members as we get to travel around the country. They get to share their lives with other youth from far away who are equally excited about sharing their lives. As youth we inspire each other to not use plastic bags, organize creek clean ups, and speak directly about the kind of environment we want to grow up in.
So my life is moving about from one conference to another. Sometimes I think I´m a trips counselor at some long extended summer camp in the Caribbean. I guess you have to enjoy what you do… so I´ve made a job out of being a kid again. This weekend brings movie watching to town. The movie is ``Maria full of Grace.`` You should check it out if you haven’t seen it.
Think about what really makes you comfortable, then orient your life around that.
Signing out from a whole lot of mind boggling, poverty-freeing paradise.
Jared
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Summer Camp in October
There are some moments when you play with kids that just feel so pure. This past weekend was shared with one of my best friends, Dan Golub, and 19 Dominican muchachos. I was brought back to memories of summer camp in Michigan and Bowen Island, Canada. Singing on the bus, tag in the river, climbing hills so that we could unite on the top and have a meaningful discussion. We talked about HIV/AIDS; why mother Earth is so precious and unique; and how to build a sleek paper air plane. I think my favorite activity of the weekend was seeing the 11-14 year muchachos build boats from cardboard and duct tape and then test them to see if they could ride down the river with a munchacho on board. What ensued was ultimate hilarity. In fact, the two boats that won the competition appeared to be the most poorly put together. It just happened that the muchachos that captained them weighed less than the amount of rice and beans I eat in one day, so they made a successful passage without their cardboard masterpiece sinking.
So without a doubt I have found a niche here in Peace Corps Dominican Republic and that is introducing creative and curious Dominicans to other creative and curious Dominicans… not such a difficult task if you´re working with creative and curious crowds. On average of about once a month I´m on the road to some ``distant destination`` on the island to enjoy a long weekend of summer camp style play and experiential education. Everything we try to teach is hands on. We learn about the history of slavery on Hispanola (the island of Haiti and the DR) or try to tackle topics of machismo or why this society consistently litters their trash across the beautiful green land. I find that Dominican kids, especially boys ages 12-18, desire adventure and learning through a mechanism I call ``getting dirty.`` What is taught in school rarely interests them or the teachers do nothing more than lecture straight out of a text book and then assign kids to copy definitions until they can no longer grip their pencil. No wonder reading comprehension and being able to analyze a story is often difficult for most muchachos. Almost none of the muchachos 15 and under in my barrio can read aloud ``Curious George`` front to back in less than 45 minutes. So they become drop outs in pursuit of a job to support their family or a chance to create their own daily schedule of adventure. I think they are well intentioned, just have not been fed enough good plates of DISCIPLINE. If nothing else than the demand of daily ON-TIME attendance to school in a clean blue collared shirt and kaki pants uniform, the muchachos at the very least are developing a routine… and good routine is something that a life in poverty can lack.
So I try to take the kids who are studying and consistently attending school on these long weekend excursions. We play like its summer camp, but put into practice the fundamentals of disciplined living; like using ``Please & Thank You`` or washing your own dish after eating good food, or writing a note to someone saying you care about them, or learning to be completely silent for 15 straight seconds to reflect upon the good that has happened to you that day. Ever so slowly I am learning how to be straight up with kids when they need a little 1-2 punch. In this last conference titled ``Soy Ingeniero`` (I´m an Engineer) 14 zear olds Christopher, Jackson, and Kelvin from my community of ojo de Agua decided they needed to be singing at the top of their lungs at 2:30 in the morning while the farmers of Roblegal and the rest of the PC volunteers tried to sleep in out tents. I have to remember what it means to be 13. If the Dominican Republic summer camp lifestyle is teaching me anything, it is how to be a responsible father. It shall certainly be a joy and a piece of work when I someday have a wild teenage kid of my own.
Signing out after a day of rest and recuperation.
Play something today. It´ll make you youthful.
Jared
So without a doubt I have found a niche here in Peace Corps Dominican Republic and that is introducing creative and curious Dominicans to other creative and curious Dominicans… not such a difficult task if you´re working with creative and curious crowds. On average of about once a month I´m on the road to some ``distant destination`` on the island to enjoy a long weekend of summer camp style play and experiential education. Everything we try to teach is hands on. We learn about the history of slavery on Hispanola (the island of Haiti and the DR) or try to tackle topics of machismo or why this society consistently litters their trash across the beautiful green land. I find that Dominican kids, especially boys ages 12-18, desire adventure and learning through a mechanism I call ``getting dirty.`` What is taught in school rarely interests them or the teachers do nothing more than lecture straight out of a text book and then assign kids to copy definitions until they can no longer grip their pencil. No wonder reading comprehension and being able to analyze a story is often difficult for most muchachos. Almost none of the muchachos 15 and under in my barrio can read aloud ``Curious George`` front to back in less than 45 minutes. So they become drop outs in pursuit of a job to support their family or a chance to create their own daily schedule of adventure. I think they are well intentioned, just have not been fed enough good plates of DISCIPLINE. If nothing else than the demand of daily ON-TIME attendance to school in a clean blue collared shirt and kaki pants uniform, the muchachos at the very least are developing a routine… and good routine is something that a life in poverty can lack.
So I try to take the kids who are studying and consistently attending school on these long weekend excursions. We play like its summer camp, but put into practice the fundamentals of disciplined living; like using ``Please & Thank You`` or washing your own dish after eating good food, or writing a note to someone saying you care about them, or learning to be completely silent for 15 straight seconds to reflect upon the good that has happened to you that day. Ever so slowly I am learning how to be straight up with kids when they need a little 1-2 punch. In this last conference titled ``Soy Ingeniero`` (I´m an Engineer) 14 zear olds Christopher, Jackson, and Kelvin from my community of ojo de Agua decided they needed to be singing at the top of their lungs at 2:30 in the morning while the farmers of Roblegal and the rest of the PC volunteers tried to sleep in out tents. I have to remember what it means to be 13. If the Dominican Republic summer camp lifestyle is teaching me anything, it is how to be a responsible father. It shall certainly be a joy and a piece of work when I someday have a wild teenage kid of my own.
Signing out after a day of rest and recuperation.
Play something today. It´ll make you youthful.
Jared
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