I've Been Away, pt. 2

Meaning is subjective. There are certain circumstances which hint at particular or common meanings, but ultimately, the meaning (or lack thereof) that we draw from any given _______ is pretty up to us. Because of its subjectivity, meaning can be found in just about anything. Even in cases where it might not inherently be present, the simple act of exploring possible meaning can reveal valuable insights and perspectives. I like to look for meaning in things. In my trip to the Dominican Republic, I did things. I chose to look for meaning therein, and this is what I found:

Education/Helping

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” To an uneducated mind, referring to education as a weapon might be confusing. “edjikashun ain’t no sword” might go the refrain. True, uneducated person, but the pen is mightier than the sword, and pens are educational. Sometimes uneducated people don’t learn similes or metaphors. However, educated people learn things, and learned things become a weapon in the arsenal of learned people. Metaphorically. Hopefully not literally.

I ‘recently’ took a class on the wide variety of cultures in America. An eye-opening theme that was discussed at length was that of poverty and educational inequality. Educational opportunities can literally make a world of difference for their recipient. It was this realization that made we want to get involved in the DREAM Project in the first place. Their aim is essentially to provide these opportunities to youth and communities who wouldn’t receive them otherwise. This, to me, is meaningful, and something that I wanted to be a part of. It was inspiring to be able to interact with these kids and hope to influence their attitudes towards and capacity for educational progression. It also helped instill within me a new appreciation for something that sometimes seems like a burden. It is not uncommon for us to under-appreciate something until it’s gone, or, perhaps more accurately, until we witness the circumstance created by its absence. Witness I did, and appreciate I do.

New Relationships

Relationships are pretty cool, and are sufficiently valuable. While on my trip, I met people. Throughout the whole experience, I was able to establish relationships with these people. They all taught me and made my time there incoherently enjoyable. I couldn’t have asked to have been put with a better group of co-counselors, and the kids were the best. Although I was basically in a position as a teaching assistant, I feel like so much more of my time was spent learning, and much of that came from my interactions with others.

Old Relationships

Pop quiz:

I have been to the Dominican Republic:

a.) before

b.) , not

c.) .

If you guessed/asserted a and/or c, you are correct. For the purpose of this section, a is more accurate, and more telling. Before this summer, I had been to the Dominican Republic. Several years ago, I was called to the Dominican Republic as a missionary for my church. 

I spent two years there, getting to know people, serving them, and sharing a message I find of utmost importance. Just as it did this time around, spending that time working towards something meaningful resulted in some treasured relationships. Once I found out I would be returning, I contacted many of these people and was able to arrange to meet up with them after DREAM was over. Seeing them again resulted in some of the happier moments I've ever had. I also was able to go back and revisit a number of significant places from my past. Even if it was for a short while, these places were my home. I was able to walk the same streets, see the same sights, and feel similar feelings. 

It literally was a dream come true, and I’ll discuss why a bit more in the following section.

Revisiting the past

Sometimes, balance is difficult to find. Recently, for me, this has been a matter of learning from and appreciating the past while not living in it. However, while in the DR this summer, and especially after camp was over, I had no problem re-living the past.

Ever since having returned from the Dominican Republic the first time, I’ve wanted to go back. Badly. My first trip there has been the most influential period in my life to this point. When I touched down in Puerto Plata, I couldn’t believe I was back. As I rode to my hotel, passing so many familiar sights and sounds, it started to dawn on me. After spending a couple of weeks there, it felt like I hadn’t really ever left. In a lot of ways, returning physically allowed me to mentally and emotionally return to a time and mindset that were invaluable to me. As proposed above, sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone. In this instance, I didn’t know what I had until I was gone. After having left the first time, I was able to more fully realize what this place truly meant to me, because of and in addition to what I had experienced there. Experiencing all of those same sights and sounds meant so much more this time around, as it was accompanied by an appreciation and gratitude that set what might seem plain apart as something special--something meaningful. And that’s what made my visit great: time travel. A lot of people say that they would love to live certain periods of their lives over again if they could do so knowing what they know now. And I got the chance to do that. Maybe not exactly, when it comes to the details, but in a way that was probably a bit more meaningful considering the stage of life that I’m currently at. Because of that, I have a bit of new experience to add to the old, and together they form something that makes me pero muy feliz.