This will simply be my overall impression of the trip, 4 months after the trip: Amazing, to say the least. But I never say the least. Not on the internet.
One thing that I really enjoyed was getting to know a different part of the country. My first visit saw me spend the vast majority of my time in the capital of Santo Domingo, which is in the south-central Dominican Republic. This time I was stationed in the north. When people hear I’ve been to the DR, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the beaches–they ask me how they were. For the longest time, I’ve had to tell people I didn’t know; beaches do not line the entire island, and there aren’t many nice beaches close to my side of the capital. But this time, si. The north is where some of the most beautiful beaches in the country are located, and I got to go see them with my very own eyeballs–I’ve never been one to borrow eyeballs. My eyeballs tell me that they look just as nice as the postcards in real life, if not better. The north also boasts many mountainous regions–which are also quite beautiful–, and a much more laid-back approach to life. All of these things dieron gusto.
Another thing I found to my interest was getting to know different aspects of the country and culture–specifically education. My first trip was fairly focused in purpose, and the education system was not on the ledger. This time, my trip was also focused. But education was on the ledger. It made up the entirety of the ledger, being the ledger. I’m going to look up the definition of ledger to make sure I’m using it correctly. Yup. It was interesting to see the role that education played in the lives of many of the people I came in contact with, and to see the ways in which its administration was failing or helping them. Growing up, I was immersed in an education system. I was not, however, savvy to its structure or mechanics. As I grew, I did not become much more aware. But going somewhere where something you grew up with is completely different makes you think about it. So I thought more about educational systems in general: what makes them, what makes them effective, inefficiencies, etc. All of this helped me to understand the people and culture more, as well as my own. All of this dio gusto.
Another aspect of the country that I got my first real taste for/of was that of tourism. Being with the beaches made for a much different experience. Living in Cabarete was very different from living in Santo Domingo. Suffice it to say that, although I was not a tourist, I felt very much like one. And that got me thinking about tourism and its effects on… well, lots of things. Tourism can be good in the sense that it tends to help the economy of a country or area. Tourism can be bad in the sense that it can harm the culture of a country or area. When one’s economic livelihood is dependent on a particular demographic, one caters to said demographic–this is a concept that is at the very heart of capitalism. Industries like tourism tend to be focused on economic and not sociological factors. Sociological factors, however, continue to exist and be affected, whether they be taken into consideration or not. It was interesting to me to consider the ways in which local tourism affected specific aspects of the life and culture there. Having experienced Dominican life outside of a tourist hotspot, it wasn’t difficult to recognize the differences.
I guess having new and swell experiences was the major theme of and takeaway from this trip. Again, living in Cabarete was different than living in Santo Domingo. In some ways, this made me a little bit sad. But mostly because my time in Santo Domingo was so great. I don’t know if I was expecting or even wanting it to be a very similar experience, but it differed in a lot of ways. However, the difference gives me reason to love and be thankful for both. In Santo Domingo, I got to live the life of a Dominican: I lived in typical Dominican neighborhoods, among typical Dominican folk. I would have an apartment that was of the same quality and on the same streets as the Dominicans that lived there. We shopped at the same places, used the same transport, ate the same stuff, walked the same roads, lived with them in their circumstance. Naturally there were some differences, but for most intents and purposes, I was integrated. I loved that, because it gave me a pure and unadulterated look into these people’s lives. Coupled with the fact that we would go and speak and eat with them in their homes, etc., I feel like that was living the life of a Dominican–that was getting a true taste of the culture. At least as much as an American pelirojo can. In Cabarete, I got to relax and explore a little bit more. I spent a month in one of the windsurfing capitals of the world. I stayed in a relatively nice hotel. Most days, there was hot water. I got to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the country. I worked with students and teachers in their schools and learned about the educational system that governed their early lives. I got to haggle and explore and seek more personal and intellectual pursuits. I got to adventure. In both places, I worked towards something that was extremely meaningful to me. I met some of the best people. I got to know new places and new things about a new culture. I got frustrated and I learned and I grew.
The DREAM Project is a cute acronym for a non-profit organization. At first, I thought it to be a little cheesy. But after having participated, it truly was a dream come true. It really does help and capacitate these kids to rise above what can seem like a difficult and insurmountable circumstance. And even from a purely personal and self-centered perspective, it was a beautiful and surreal experience–one that, in ways, can help me to rise above difficult circumstances all my own. Dream on, you crazy dreamers.
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