Where have I been the past three months? Did I fall off the face of the earth?
The past three months have been a whirlwind. A lot has happened and I will try to briefly explain where I disappeared to.
Most Volunteers spend their entire two years of service in one community. Sometimes Volunteers are removed for security purposes or their projects aren't working out but either way, I was removed from my community in June for security purposes. I then spent some time in the capital visiting a few communities that were potential sites for the remainder of my service. I visited four different communities and after leaving Batey Cuchilla, I knew that is where I wanted to complete my service.
Batey Cuchilla is located in the SW region of the Dominican Republic. It is very different from my old community. A Batey is a community that was once centered around the sugar cane industry. In the past, Haitian workers (seasonal immigrants) would come into the area during sugar cane season and live in these communities. They consisted of barracks and a few homes. They would work hard days cropping the sugar cane. Over the years, the bateyes have grown into larger communities and since the sugar cane industry is no longer competitive, finding work is difficult for the people living in Bateyes.
Many people living in the Bateyes are of Haitian decent. Children of Haitian immigrants, although born and raised in the Dominican Republic, are often stateless and denied services as their parents are denied Dominican nationality due to their undocumented status. The lack of work, low wages and the education system make Bateyes some of the poorest communities in the Dominican Republic.
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| My buddies in the sugar cane fields. |
Batey Cuchilla is a small Batey located in an area that houses a large number of Bateyes. It is a dry, dusty area North of Barahona. There are close to 600 people and about 120 houses. There is a primary school that goes up to fifth grade and only has four teachers, one who also serves as the director of the school. Once you are beyond fifth grade, you go to a neighboring community. It is a trek. The kids get up early and walk to the side of the highway where they hitchhike and wait for someone who is nice enough to pick them up, if they are lucky. They do this everyday. There is a makeshift baseball field where they also play soccer. Electricity changes but usually is on for about half of the day. Twice per day, there are pumps that give water, once in the morning and once in the evening. These pumps are shared between two or three houses.
So here I am, living in Batey Cuchilla. I have almost 2 months under my belt here. I lived with another Doña for about two months, and this week, I moved into my own house.
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| The front of my house. |
I will be doing similar projects in Batey Cuchilla - Gender initiatives, sports teams, HIV/AIDS awareness, maybe/possibly building a basketball court and as a second project, working on documenting youth whom remain stateless.
So there you have it!
In other news:
I visited the United States for a week. It was short but sweet! It was a great time though and definitely bittersweet to be home, it almost felt as if I never left. I was able to see some of my friends, hang out with my family and play with my dogs. That being said, I think it was a successful trip and thanks to all of those who made it special.
When my mom picked me up from the airport, she told me I smelt like a "grandma" (whatever that means). The next few hours, both my mom and dad followed me around the house smelling everything I had brought with me - which wasn't much, just a book-bag with a change of clothes and my computer. They made me change and I believe washed my belongings more than twice. My dad washed my backpack three times, bleached it and it hung outside for the remainder of my trip. I would like to believe it is because my backpack has been through hell and back - tossed here & there, been through rain storms, thrown in dirt, stored under a bed, probably had rats and tarantulas crawling through it and sat on the floor of one too many over-crowded guagua rides. BUT, who knows, maybe it is my new scent - "grandma".
And last but not least, I have been in the Dominican Republic for one year. Happy one year anniversary to my blog as well (although I have been quite neglectful lately - I promise to shape up)!
There are some exciting things happening in September so I promise to write soon. It's good to be back!
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| Trouble! |
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| Hermanos. |
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| Out on an adventure. |
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| Batey Cuchilla! |
