Monday, March 24, 2014
In Newark
We have just landed in Newark. Ms. Hedgspeth will go ahead through customs with our student headed to Chicago since that connection is a little tight. Ms. Barlow will wait for the rest of the group to deplane and then go to customs. See you in Cleveland!
Sunday, March 23, 2014
One last post from the DR
Ashleigh, Madeline, Christina, Bianca, Lynn, Haiyun, Kimmy, Kendall, Brendan, Emily, Salma, and Anna, you have touched the lives of many people this week and we hope in return have taken valuable lessons and experiences away from our time in the DR. As your chaperones we feel so fortunate to have shared in this meaningful and life changing trip with all of you and are so proud of the great work you have completed.
We look forward to seeing many parents tomorrow night in Cleveland. We will update again once we have arrived in Newark. Hasta manana!
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| Group shot at Juan Dolio |
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| Group shot in the Colonial Zone |
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| Chaperones (from L-R): Kate, Carlos, Connor, Ms. Barlow, Ms. Hedgspeth, and Jackson |
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Our final night in the bateyes
It is hard to believe, but we have reached our last night in
the bateyes and everyone is in the midst of packing up before we head out
tomorrow for a day of fun and sightseeing. We will spend tomorrow morning at
the beach before driving to our hotel to freshen up and then venture in to
Santo Domingo for an afternoon of seeing the sights in the Colonial Zone and
enjoying a final dinner out as a group.
Our last day in the bateyes was an emotional one for the
group. It began at the volunteer center where we were able to witness a
community meeting. This meeting was focused on the movement to improve the
conditions in the bateyes as well as ways in which to secure proper
documentation and identification for children of migrant workers (many of whom
do not qualify for Dominican birth certificates according to the law). We then returned
to Bateye Montecoca to reconnect with Lucy and Ramon and to see the final
product of our cement work. These interactions were powerful for the students
and provided for moving final moments in this bateye (for greater detail, read the post written by Connor and Kate, our RP guides, below).
We then drove further
into the cane fields to tour Bateye Punta Fuera. It is important to note that
bateyes are scattered throughout the cane fields and those that are closest to
the main roads are often “nicer” than those set further in to the fields. Bateye
Punta Fuera was difficult, yet so important to see and it is hard to really put
into words all that we saw and experienced there. We met one family comprised
of a mother, father, and six children (ranging in age from 15-25) all of whom
work in the cane fields. As a family, they barely make 300 pesos a day (approximately $8). Each family member works for 8 hours a day and will work
anywhere from 6-7 days per week. The father showed us a recent receipt he had
for wages and he was paid 86 pesos ($2.50) for three days of work. This is just
one of many difficult life stories we encountered today and is a representation of the atrocities that occur in this region on a daily basis. To see the living conditions, to hear the stories, and to bear witness to the abuses of these sugar cane companies creates an incredible, and in some ways, overwhelming emotional response. It was amazing to see the poise, composure, and compassion of our students throughout today and to hear their reflections this evening during dinner.
After lunch, we ventured to Bateye Margarita for a quick
tour of the community. There, we met Carlos’ family, including his two adorable
children. On the way back, the group had a chance to try freshly cut sugar cane
and when we returned to the center, enjoyed meeting with a
local social worker named Rosa who is currently in law school. A passionate activist for
the rights of migrant workers in the bateyes, she was an inspiration to
everyone.
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| Community meeting at the volunteer center. Idalina, the nun who runs the volunteer center is a determined advocate for the rights of migrant workers. She is the woman speaking to the group in this picture. |
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| Group shot with Ramon on his new cement floor! |
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| Ms. Barlow and Ms. Hedgspeth with Ramon |
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| Carlos and his son, Carlitos |
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| Students walking through Bateye Margarita |
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| Haiyun, Kendall, Madeline, and Lynn enjoying sugar cane |
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| Emily taking a big bite out of the cane |
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| Anna fully enjoying her sugar cane |
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| Final meeting with Rosa |
Belief is a powerful tool. It can make you scared of ghosts, look
forward to a visit from the Tooth Fairy, or leave a plate of cookies
for Santa Claus with anticipation of Christmas morning. Belief is what
gives you confidence in yourself and your abilities to push forward
and grow as an individual. Belief can also give you the conviction to
find joy, meaning, and peace in the life that you're living. And today
a man named Ramon reminded me to believe in the impact of a moment and
the power of human hearts connecting, if only for a moment.
Ramon is an 81-year old man from Haiti. His wife passed away, he
doesn't have any children, and he lives in a community in the
Dominican Republic named Monte Coca. Even at his age, Ramon still goes
into the sugar cane fields to do the backbreaking work of harvesting.
As he will tell you, or as much as I can gather through my abysmal
Spanish but expert understanding of international pantomime, "no work,
no eat". He does not have family to help him in his old age, there is
no support from the government or the sugar cane companies after
decades of employment, and his community is barely floating above
water to support themselves and their families. Like many others that
live in the Bateyes, he lives without many options or opportunity for
things to improve his life.
Two days ago I met Ramon as he welcomed our group to his house. While
we don't speak the same language, there is no way to miscommunicate
his giant smile and shining eyes. He showed us to his home; A
framework of long sticks from nearby trees, whatever scraps of metal
he could find to piece together four walls, a completely missing roof,
and a floor of jagged rocks and uneven ground. The group pulled
together wonderfully that morning and after a couple of hours, eight
bags of cement, and a heap load of sand, we had created a beautiful
floor for Ramon's home free from Earthly blemishes and giving him a
sense of pride for the place that he lives.
This afternoon we revisited Ramon's home to check out the
solidified, completed project and were met with that same giant smile
and those same shining eyes. Everyone walked into his home atop the
newly completed floor and we chatted with Ramon for one final visit
before leaving Monte Coca. He thanked myself, my coworkers, and the
students profusely for our work in completing the project. This was
more than just cement and sand for Ramon, he described it as
life-changing to himself and a dream that he never thought would be
realized.
I do not consider myself old at 27, but I do consider myself wiser
than days of yesteryear. If there is one thing that I've learned in my
personal journey it's that the best way to find happiness in life is
to ask others that exude happiness for their secret. Ramon has faced
many obstacles and challenges in his life, but the spark of happiness
can touch anyone and it's never more visible than in a man like Ramon.
So I asked him, "What makes you smile? What makes you sing? Dance?
Laugh? Where do you find happiness"? My question was translated for
Ramon. Pause. After a moment of comprehending the question, Ramon
begins to sing a song in Creole. He makes it through the first line of
a song and then gets hit with emotion. Pause. He begins to sing again,
but this time he can't even make it through the second line before
those shining eyes begin to well up with tears. I then learn that
Ramon's tears are equally as infectious as his smiles.
He apologizes to us. He tells us that he always felt that nobody
cared about him and he could never imagine so many people would be
willing to help him. He can't sing the song because he just can't
believe that these people are standing in front of him, on a brand new
floor for his home. He then describes to us that while he may not
remember all of our names and over the years he may forget some of our
faces, he will never forget this group of people that came to help
him. He prayed for something to go right in his life and he knew that
as we stood in his house that we were the answer to his request. He
has gone 81 years without children, but today he said, we were all his
children.
It was then that I asked Ramon another incredibly important
question, if I could have a hug.
I embraced Ramon, this sweet elderly man who has lived such a
different life than my own. It was in that moment that I realized
Ramon had given me something to believe in- we all have the power to
change someone for the better and there is always something you can
give. Sometimes we give our children a dollar for a lost tooth,
sometimes we give a donation to our favorite charity, sometimes we
give someone in need the floor they never thought would come,
sometimes we give someone a smile, or a hug, and sometimes we just
give each other love and compassion. Today a man named Ramon taught me
to believe.
Belief is a powerful tool. And it's amazing to believe that we can
all make a difference.
- Connor, Rustic Pathways guide
Over two days our students contributed to cementing floors of three houses. This work alone is amazing and gives the families living in these houses a sense of dignity and pride, but the way today developed was the highlight of my entire week. Today was all about connecting and learning, rather than strictly community service work, which has been the primary focus of the past several days. One of my favorite things about the work I do is the ability to connect with people, and my goal is for students to be able to connect with the people in the bateyes as I’ve had the privilege of doing.
We returned to Montecoca this morning to visit the families whose houses we worked on. Each family we spoke with was so pleased with the results of the project and seemed genuinely thrilled to see the students again. We visited Ramon’s home last, and our group’s interaction with him was one of the most impactful experiences of the entire trip. Ramon was so happy to have a cement floor, but I think he was even happier to have people around who cared for him. Ramon lives alone and has no family in the Dominican Republic. He said he’s never had so many people in his house before, and that we like a new family for him. Over the course of what was probably close to an hour that we spent talking with Ramon, at least four of us, including Ramon and myself, started crying. Being able to feel so close to someone each of us has only known for a span of a few days is something I’ve yet to understand. Days like today are so valuable to me because these are the experiences and feelings that stay with us, and keep us all connected.
Today I was so impressed by this group of students’ compassion, respect for, and desire to help the people of the bateyes we visited. I really can’t say enough about these kids, and their passion and dedication is incredibly inspiring.
- Kate, Rustic Pathways guide
Buenas noches for the last time from ASCALA. We'll post a quick entry tomorrow night and look forward to seeing many of you in Cleveland on Monday.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Bateye Montecoca and Carlos
Today brought us back to Bateye Montecoca for more work cementing floors. By day's end, we had successfully improved two houses, both inhabited by women in the community. The first house we worked in is inhabited by a woman named Lucy who has lived in Bateye Montecoca for the better part of twenty years. Lucy does not work and is supported by her four oldest children (she has eight in total). In the afternoon, we worked in a three room house that is inhabited by eight people, including a 72 year old woman who sadly went blind 16 years ago. In her lifetime, she has had 14 children but sadly, only 5 are living. She is completely reliant on her children for support and one of her sons lives next door and cuts cane day in and day out to provide for them. These stories were both difficult to hear, yet inspired us in the work that we completed today. Tomorrow promises to be an equally powerful experience as we will venture to Bateye Punta Fuerte and Bateye Margarita to tour each respective community and gain further insight into life in this region.
As we continue to work in the bateyes, we are constantly moved by the many life stories we are told. Our Rustic Pathways guides include two men who are from the Dominican Republic, Jackson who hails from the northeast part of the country and Carlos, who was born in Haiti and moved to the DR with his family at a young age. Both are incredible guides who have been vital to making our trip so amazing. They are our translators and navigators throughout this country and we had the opportunity last night to learn a bit more about Carlos' life. Kimmy and Emily had this to share about that experience:
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| Lucy |
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| Lucy's house - she lives here with four of her children |
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| Inside the house as the project gets started |
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| Finished project |
Last night we had the pleasure of hearing our friend Carlos
tell us his story. Carlos is not that much older than most of us on this trip.
At eighteen, he has lived a life that we cannot even fathom. Carlos’ family
moved to the Dominican Republic from Haiti when he was four years old. His
father came to work in the sugarcane fields with the hopes of a prosperous
future for his family. Unfortunately, while working in the cane fields he
suffered from an injury that permanently blinded him. As the oldest of his
three siblings, Carlos was next in line for the burdensome role of family
breadwinner. At age twelve, he dropped out of the fifth grade to cut sugarcane.
Carlos has trouble reflecting on the time he spent in the fields. He described cutting
cane as “work for animals.” His daily schedule consisted of rising at three in
the morning when the air was cool to work for the next eight hours, cutting as
much as he could before the sun began to beat down upon him. Carlos continued
to cut for the next two years until he was diagnosed with a heart condition
that prohibited him from performing hard labor. Devastated, Carlos needed to
figure out a new way to support his parents and pay for his two younger
brothers’ schooling. He then stumbled upon the Volunteer Center in Consuelo and
began to do odd jobs around the facility. Here, Rustic Pathways found him and
hired him to be a translator and local expert for the groups of volunteers
working in the DR. As volunteers, we all thought Carlos to be a man much older
than he really is. In fact, we were shocked to realize that he is young enough
to be a senior at Western Reserve Academy. Wise and mature, Carlos possesses
natural leadership skills which led us to believe that his age might fall
somewhere around thirty, not eighteen. Carlos has a wife and two children and
has had to grow up much faster than the average kid in America. He has a fifth
grade education, but with his natural persistence he has managed to learn two
new languages (English and Italian) along with the three other languages he
grew up speaking: French, Spanish, and Creole. Carlos’s story touched our heart
and has inspired us to help him pursue a higher education. Because it is so
unlike anything we have encountered in our privileged lives, the honest and
emotional tale of his past left us deeply humbled. The plan of visiting his
bateye in Margarita tomorrow fills us with excitement. We eagerly await the
chance to meet his family and get to know this courageous young man even
better. Until next time…
Kimmy and Emily, '15
Kendall also wanted to share his thoughts about the past few days.
I had always taken my hardwood floors and carpeted areas
around my house for granted, and I never truly felt as though they matter that
much. When people mention the idea of comfort I think of pillows, something to
drink, and the warmth all around my house. I never thought though, that the
cement underneath the carpet matter just as much if not more. After seeing some
of the homes in Bateye Montecoca I saw that it’s not only a lack of food or the
backbreaking labor that is a general issue, but the value of a being able to
walk into your home and not have the entire place covered in mud or ants! This
comfort that we feel in every grain of carpeting or the smooth touch of a tile
is something many of these homes don’t have and I am proud to have helped these
three homes today make one step closer to that comfort.
Kendall, ‘16
It is also worth noting that Kendall, along with many other students, have been doing their best to communicate in Spanish with community members. Kendall connected with one young man in particular, striking up a nice friendship over the course of the past two days:
We will welcome additional guest bloggers tomorrow night, including a few of our Rustic Pathways guides who want to share their perspective on this past week. It is hard to believe that our trip is starting to near the end but I know the group will continue to relish every minute of our last two days here in the DR. In closing, I wanted to leave everyone with a few pictures from Bateye Montecoca and the surrounding sugar cane fields. Buenas noches!
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| Clothes drying on a fence in Montecoca |
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| Life in Montecoca |
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| Montecoca with the sugar cane fields in the background |
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| Sugar cane as far as the eye can see |
Thursday, March 20, 2014
The Bateyes
The group arrived here safely yesterday in time for lunch before immediately beginning service. We began by making the trek across a neighboring field to Barrio St George, a community in which we worked last year breaking ground on a community garden. When we arrived, we met with Cilelo, the community member who is in charge of the garden. Returning members were excited to see the great progress that had been made and we all anxiously got to work clearing rocks and weeds from the area of land that will extend the garden even further. The community garden is being used to sell affordable vegetables to community members in Barrio St. George and is a project that has been well received by all. It was exciting and gratifying for returning members to see that their hard work from last year had contributed to a successful end result and though it was very hot, everyone worked hard for several hours tediously creating piles of rocks and pulling out weeds. We returned to the volunteer center tired, yet energized by the day.
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| Group walking to Barrio St. George |
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| Community garden: progress made and more work to be done |
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| Cilelo |
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| Everyone working hard |
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| Rocks, rocks, everywhere
Throughout our trip, we have had opportunities to come together as a group and reflect, not only on our own personal experiences, but also on the bigger issues at play here in the sugar cane fields. The challenges facing this area are significant, extremely complex, and at times, difficult to comprehend. We are currently staying in the heart of the Dominican sugar industry, surrounded by over 250 small communities (bateyes) scattered throughout the cane fields which are inhabited by migrant Haitian workers. To see a bateye is unlike anything many of us have every seen before and this morning we set off to work in Bateye Montecoca. Once there, we met Ramon, an 81 year old Haitin migrant who has lived in Bateye Montecoca for over twenty years. Ramon is currently living in a metal shack while he works to complete his house. He informed us that because he has no other source of income, he still goes out into the fields to cut cane so that he is able to feed himself. Ramon's wife passed away several years ago, and his children still live in Haiti. He has not seen them since 1998. Needless to say, we were instantly inspired by his story and eagerly began work to cement the floor of his house.
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| Bateye Montecoca |
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| Ramon |
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| Where Ramon currently lives |
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| His house that is under construction
The group divided into two, with some students beginning the process of mixing cement and others venturing into the house to begin clearing and leveling the floor. Community members also took part in the project and by midday, much progress had been made. The group returned to the volunteer center for lunch and to rest during the hottest part of the day before heading back to the bateye for a game of baseball with local children. Before leaving at the end of the day, I stopped by Ramon's house just as the finishing touches were being put on his new front stoop. The cement should be dry by now and though there is still much work to be done on Ramon's house and elsewhere in the community, it was a nice feeling of accomplishment to see the final product.
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| Preparing to mix the cement |
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| Mixing sand and cement |
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| Just add water... |
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| Kimmy helping to level the floor using old pieces of rock/concrete |
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| Anna and community members leveling the floor |
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| Brendan dumping freshly mixed cement as the floor takes shape |
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| Floor is finished |
We have also had great opportunity to engage with children living in the bateyes and it is wonderful to see how open and engaged our students are with them. Today included an impromptu beauty salon as well as a rousing baseball game.
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| Haiyun getting a flower in her hair |
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| Ashleigh and her new friends |
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| Lynn at bat |
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| Kendall just before he hit a ball far in to left field |
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| Group shot at the end of the game |
After doing some work yesterday in the volunteer center’s
community garden, we headed out to a Bateye Montecoca. Both of us acknowledged
the poverty level of the bateyes, but experiencing the atmosphere of the sugar
cane workers resonated with our awareness.
We saw horrible living conditions, under nourished people, and poor
hygiene. Regardless, we felt the sense of community throughout the bateye. Not
only were all the residents extremely enthusiastic to help, they were vocal
about how excited they were for our aid. We spent our morning mixing dry cement
with sand and water to create a mixture for a secure floor in Ramon’s house.
Ramon, an 81-year-old Haitian, continues to tediously cut sugar cane because he
needs to feed himself. Even with the severity
of his situation, his smile was undeniably contagious.
When taking a break from the strenuous work, many of the children
approached us warmly. They established a mini hair salon with most of us girls
on the service trip and we received silly hairstyles with flowers in our hair.
Joana, a 10-year-old girl, labeled me (Bianca) as her best friend and said “te
amo mucho” which means “I love you a lot.” Seeing the
children genuinely happy with the biggest smiles on their faces pushed us more
to work harder and continue our service work. Working in the bateyes, we
definitely want to return to the Dominican Republic to see further progress and
discover other ways to help the bateye communities.
-Bianca, ‘15 and Christina, ‘16
And on that note, buenas noches! Look for the next update either tomorrow or Saturday night.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Our last day in Jarabacoa
It is hard to believe, but the first four days of our trip have passed and we are preparing to depart Jarabacoa for San Pedro de Macoris bright and early tomorrow morning for the second phase of our trip. We had a fantastic last day working up in Hatillo and are proud to say that the water project is complete. Today brought with it much sun and hotter temperatures, but it did not hold the group back. The students worked just as hard, taking frequent breaks to hydrate and reapply sunscreen. Part-way through the morning, we were joined again by local students and community members who pitched in to help, speeding up the pace of the work and allowing for great fellowship and fun. We officially finished the project right around lunch time and headed back to Rancho Baiguate where we all refueled and relaxed a little bit before setting off on a hike to Salto Baiguate (a local waterfall). Though it was hot, the hike was well worth it as the waterfall is absolutely spectacular. Students enjoyed wading in the water and taking many photos before we then headed back to the ranch for a late afternoon swim and more fishing in the pond.
I think it is safe to say that we finished the water project much faster than perhaps our guides had initially expected, which is why we've had so much relative down time. That is likely to change as we are scheduled for full days of service work in the bateyes. Tomorrow, we will spend all morning travelling to San Pedro de Macoris before spending the afternoon working in a community garden in Barrio St. George. Beginning on Thursday, we will be working directly in the bateyes (the communities scattered throughout the sugar cane fields inhabited by workers and their families) completing various construction projects. This next phase of the trip promises to be a thought-provoking and eye-opening experience, one that will be a stark contrast to what we have experienced thus far. Though the group is sad to be leaving Jarabacoa, there is a palpable feeling of excitement to begin this next part of our journey through the Dominican Republic.
Over the coming days, our access to the internet will be more limited, but we expect to be able to post every other day. We will have our cell phones, so we will not be totally out of reach. Stay tuned for updates from the bateyes!
We will leave you with reflections from two students and wish you all buenas noches from Jarabacoa!
After starting to dig yesterday, I was excited to work hard
today to complete the pipe line. We arrived at the work site and began to lay
the pipe in the trench that we dug yesterday. Then we began gluing the pipes
together and filling the long ditch back with dirt to cover the pipe. On top of
working very hard, it happened to be an extremely hot day (don’t worry mom and
dad, I was wearing sunscreen). With the help of some local students, between
the ages of twelve and fourteen, we were able to complete the project before
lunch! It was so rewarding to work alongside the children and see our efforts
complete. I feel beyond accomplished to see my hard work pay off from start to
finish. For a little break, we taught the children to play ninja. Although some
of the rules were lost in translation, we were all laughing by the end of the
game. Throughout the day we even discovered a type of seed enclosed in a pod
that can be used as paint. When the seed is smashed, it becomes an orange
paste. Our group and the children all began painting each other’s faces. I
loved the “painting” part of the day because it shows that we can use our
resources (and nature) to have fun and bond. Since we worked so hard in the
morning, we were able to hike to a waterfall in the afternoon. It was a
peaceful journey and a time to take in our beautiful surroundings. I am so
happy to be able to return to the Dominican Republic. While observing the picturesque
mountains and perfectly clear sky, I knew that I will return to the Dominican
once again someday. Overall, we had a wonderful day: a mixture of
accomplishment and complete serenity.
-Madeline ‘15
Being able to experience the trip to the Dominican Republic
once is one thing, but being able to return is an entirely different story. On
our first full day, we were given the opportunity to revisit the community of
La Jagua (the town where we had worked last year) to reconnect with the
community members and to see what our past work had accomplished. We watched
pride and joy cover a woman’s face as she excitedly twisted the faucet of her
sink to show us her recently acquired running water. Words do not have the
capability to capture the pure intensity and magic of this moment, nor do photographs
do it the justice that it deserves. It is pretty easy to say that this was the
best possible start that could have begun my second trip to the Dominican. I
was instantly motivated and reassured that the work our group is doing here is
truly making a difference. Each of the past two days we ended up finishing what
we had planned to get done early leaving us with time to enjoy the beautiful
country and spend time conversing with local children. Tomorrow we will be
heading off to El Barrio St. George and the Bateyes for our next couple
projects. I am positive that we will continue to accomplish unexpected amounts
of work and will keep forming close bonds with the people of the Dominican. I
am overjoyed to be back and extremely grateful for my parents giving me the
opportunity to return. I have learned countless life lessons that will never
leave me for the rest of my days. Gracias mis parientes, se amo.
-Ashleigh ‘14
Kimmy and one of our guides, Kate putting the pipeline together
Lynn securing the pipe
Bianca taking a turn at securing the pipe
Pipe in the trench
Finished!
WRA students and students from Hatillo pose together as we finish the last bit of the aquaduct
Group shot at the work site
Hiking to Salto Baiguate
Ms. Hedgspeth posing by the park sign
Salto Baiguate - beautiful!
Ms. Hedgspeth and Ms. Barlow in front of the waterfall
Group shot in front of the waterfall
One last shot of the students in beautiful Jarabacoa
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