Cultural Experience

My cultural experience in the Dominican Republic was extremely an amazing trip. The Dominicans way of life differ from ours in many different ways such as, gender roles, economy, relationships, education, dynamics of the family, and much more. Although their culture is different, it doesn’t mean they develop a wrong way to live; however, they were able to seek out a simpler and more benefiting way to support and contribute to their daily needs. Because of these differences, we were able to get the opportunity to visit a country of poverty with so many people looking for a helping hand. These people needed someone to hear their stories, to show compassion and love towards them. As you begin to open up your hearts and minds to deepen your understanding of the Dominican culture, you will be able to also learn about the way they live, their perspective of things, and as well as the history behind the Dominican people

The Dominican Republic reminded me so much of America in various ways. From the different stores, malls, and markets of Santo Domingo to the way they communicate on phones and by the way they dress. It almost seems as if we all fitted right in. They were so up to date with so many things, yet they are considered poor. Even from the many cities and towns we traveled to, I couldn’t help but notice how truly beautiful the Dominican Republic was. Just to observe the beautiful sunlit sky shine over the oceans and the rivers made my heart warm inside. Noticing the beautiful palm trees and grasslands in its richness made me yearn for growth. I was also able to observe how the people work so hard and seek ways to provide for their families. They didn’t worry about time; they just lived for the moment by taking out time just to enjoy one another which made my soul glad.

Although these things made me proud and more comfortable to adjust to, there were also some things that took me by surprise as well—such as their economic views. In the Dominican Republic there are only two kinds of people—the rich and the poor. You can either be one or the other; however, there is said that a middle class was starting to develop among the people. There was a place within the first week of our visit that I could not imagine a lifestyle for anyone. That place was known as the Batey. Even though it was emotional to be there, it was also an enlightening experience. The Batey is where the underprivileged lived. However, at this particular place, it was set aside for the Haitian/ Dominican people. At the time when we first got there, I never knew why they separated the Haitians from the Dominicans, for I thought they allies. Our goal for this day was to go and see how they lived and to spend time with the children. On our way heading to the Batey, I really didn’t know what to expect. Yet I had to have some idea, right? Maybe the children would be like the children you see in the commercials where they donate seventy cents a day to sponsor children. You know the ones that appear to be dirty with wild hair, have sores and scars all over them, with barely anything to wear. Somehow it wasn’t almost that way at all. I felt that the children were fairly clean and well taken care of. All the girls had their hair done in braids with cute hair ties and barrettes. Even some of the boys had haircuts and were dress fairly nice. The kids were so beautiful and adorable; I wish we could have spent more time with them.

Another thing that surprised me in the Batey was the joy the children had when we arrived. All you could hear was “Americana, Americana!” My heart got so excited that I couldn’t wait to love on each and every one of them. Who would have thought that these kids who have absolutely nothing could have so much more joy than any person that I could ever know. These kids didn’t even want us to blow up and make balloons for them; instead, they wanted to help us blow them up themselves to give to us. They wanted to show us that they had so much to offer not just to us but to the world. I even saw some of the guys open up to the girls on our softball team. These boys were playing baseball with rocks and sticks, yet they were perfectly content. It was almost like there was no other way to play baseball other than with rocks and sticks. They were able to take something out of nothing and make it worthwhile to enjoy. Also, the little kids were just excited to hold onto our hands or even hold them. It was crazy to see these young kids not want anything but just our time and attention. They accepted us. It didn’t even take a lot to make them happy. When we were playing with them, the kids just wanted to be spin around in circles, and wanted for us to carry them on our backs to race.

Although, kids in America would not be content with this, these children were more than thrilled that we wanted to spend time with them. Just by spending time with these kids, I learned what true joy is and not having a care in the world, for I lived in that moment. We eventually took a small break to look around the Batey, and observed the living conditions of each family. Their houses were tiny little shacks, and many had families of six or more living with them. In America, we take great pride in having a nice house because it means that you are well provided for and gives others a sense of how much income is received. These kids have nothing, yet I have everything that I could ever want. Somehow, what I thought was joy doesn’t even compare to what these kids had because their joy was pure and genuine. I am yearning and do desire to achieve to have this level of joy in my life. I also pray that others could experience this joy too.

Another difference I noticed was the roles of the family. From what I was taught (I believe this applies to all Americans) the parents are the initial sponsors of the family. The parents work hard to bring in the money, and the children are strongly encouraged to attend school; however, it’s somewhat the total opposite in the Dominican. The children are not really encouraged to go to school; instead they are encouraged to get jobs so that they can help provide for the family. When learning this it definitely threw me way off guard due to the fact that I couldn’t imagine wanting to ever put my children through this. So, we were invited to a school for boys who are known as “shoe-shiners”. At this school, they too believe that these kids deserve the proper education to know how to provide for their families and also be able to do it the right way. These boys were shining shoes so that they can bring money back for their families, and there have been many times where they weren’t allowed to come home until they have made a certain amount of money. However, these boys proved to be extremely amazing and inspirational. They actually wanted to strive to learn and yearn for a better education. I know that sometimes as Americans we can take school for granted, and be so willing to just throw our education away because we see it as a waste of time. There have been a few studies that show that not even more than half of all those who graduate even attend college.

Surprisingly, in the Dominican, education is not something that it readily available to children; therefore, the excitement of learning is with these kids. I was so impressed at how well these boys were able to learn. Jose was one of the boys who taught me a little Spanish, and even showed me how to read the words in Spanish as I helped him translate the words into English. It was fascinating to see him work at his station. He worked out of various booklet—math, science, reading, and social studies. When a page was finished, he would put up a flag and have the teacher check over his work and sign his booklet. Then he would get a new assignment, or he would switch to a different subject. I was not used to this way of education because I have always been told what and when something is due. Also, everyone does the same work, and it is all due at the same time. This school was nice because the assignments and due dates were specified differently for each individual.

I loved their way of teaching the students because that meant that each child can be considered, and be able to learn at his own pace. It was really encouraging to see that these kids did not want to shine shoes for the rest of their lives because they were striving for so much more. It’s crazy to see how many people are perfectly content with selling merchandise of all kinds. However, if they put just as much effort as they do selling into getting an education, they would definitely be able to provide as much as they can for their families by obtaining better jobs.

Another school we went to go visit was Duolos. I really enjoyed being at this school because the kids are first taught in their native tongue, however, when they get older all core classes are taught in a different language such as English and French. I thought it was intriguing that the children had classes for a semester and then are promoted to the next level grade. The children were taught at a pace that was beneficial for them, and the teachers were able to help them on a personal level. Each child is taught in a way that is specific to him/her, which is a concept that I believe to be absolutely brilliant. In the American education system, the teachers only target the really smart, ambitious students or either students who are simply lazy or not as intelligent as they know they are able to be. Because this way of American teaching it causes the smart and ambitious students to become bored with the content and curriculum, while on the other hand, the lazy and undetermined students become lost and are forced to drop out for there is no middle ground. This is school is not like any other especially due to the fact with all the opportunities it provides it is still affordable for all students. Duolos is a school that targets the rich and the poor, and you don’t find many schools like this especially in the Dominican.

Although there are schools available to the youth, there are still some families who refuse to allow their children to attend school. Some of these families involve single mothers who would rather for their children to work more and play less. There are various reasons why these children do go out to help their families. One main reason is due to the fact that a lot of the time the father is not present or if he is, he is not a very good role model for the children. Most times the father is not involved in the family, or he could be present but not invested in the family. Because of this, it is very common for men to have relations with multiple women and potentially have many more children than in the original family. I noticed that men really objectify women in the culture, and I think it is because when the men were young boys they watched their fathers are with multiple women, and have many siblings from a different mother. Some of the men were even taught at a young age that women are a possession to enjoy when they want, and faithfulness is not something that one should take pride in. Instead, they take pride in how many women they have had as well as the variety of women over the years. Even as we walked around town or even traveling in the bus that when walking by or being stopped, the men would whistle and stop what they were doing to watch women go by. They would also blow kisses toward a young lady and say things like, “I love you”. Although it may be flattering at first to receive so much attention, it also became very annoying and disturbing to see men with their significant others do such things.

On the contrary, the role of women is quite different. Women are the ones who are the caregivers and nurturers of the family. They stay home with the children and do the traditional things that most wives are known to do: cook, clean, do the laundry, have children, and etc. Because of this, women are not common in the work force and somehow the children are. The children appeared to be the sole providers for their family. It definitely became apparent to us the role of the family by talking to the shoe shine boys, for it was interesting to hear that some of them could not come home until they made a certain amount of money. You would think that if the child were the one providing for the family they would be the one to decide when they come home; however, most times the parent decides if the child has earned enough money to come home for the night.

Since money is definitely a primary issue in the Dominican, I would like to share some insight on the government, yet from a different perspective. Before I discuss the type of government that they have today, I will give you a little history about the dictatorship of Trujillo and how the government has so much control over the citizens of the Dominican Republic. Trujillo was a malicious man who executed over 30,000 people. It almost seem like no one could defeat him or even come close to bringing him down. However, that all was beginning to change for the Maribal sisters. These three sisters took a stand against Trujillo, and the one who initiated the revolt was granted Trujillo’s permission to attend law school; however, she could not graduate and practice law because at this point in time she had started to resist him and he did not agree with her ways. So a revolution began against Trujillo. The three sisters got involved and they did serve jail time; however, were later set free. Their husbands were also arrested and tortured. One day, Trujillo granted the wives permission to go visit their husbands. On their way back home, Trujillo sent his men out to capture the women in the car along with their driver to have them executed. They took the sisters and the driver and forced them to walk into the woods a little ways. They were beaten to death right there on the side of the road for standing up to an immoral man. Shortly after this happened, Trujillo was assassinated.

Now, there is a museum about the Maribal family and the youngest sister (who was not a part of the revolution) is still alive. I was so happy we got the honor and privilege to meet her. She does not talk to people often and it was exciting to hear that she would let us come and meet her. We got to tell her how we respected her family and everything they stood for. It took so much courage to stand up to Trujillo and die for what they believed in. I couldn’t even imagine knowing what it felt to find out her sisters have been beaten to death. I am sorry that her sisters had to die before Trujillo was assassinated, and I’m even sorrier that a man so evil was allowed to reign over these people. I will always remember her and her family for what they stood for and what they did to end the regime of Trujillo. They were a courageous family, and I hope that one day I can be just as brave as them whether it is against a dictator or an attack on my faith. They are a true representation of what it means to fight for what you believe in.

Somehow, I guess that’s why I find it so hard to believe that their government today is so messed up. The citizen’s perspective and worldviews are not like what they used to be. They care so much more about their appearance than the necessities that they need. They say it is part of their “tradition to do so many things. It makes me wonder everyday who comes up with these ideas. Where are the people’s morals? Where is their common sense? The government plays a huge part in stealing the money from the citizens and distributing the money improperly causing the poor to remain poor and be force to beg and sell things off the streets in order to provide a living for themselves. The people have become too comfortable with their lifestyle. It’s either conform to the ways of living or die trying to make it out. It’s like the people have lost hope for their future.

LETTER TO FUTURE TRAVELERS:

Dear Future Travelers,

My advice to you is that you take the time to realize that the people in the Dominican Republic are not ones to do things on time and that it is okay; you will develop the gift of patience. I would advise you to take your time and soak up as much culture as you can because that is the only way you will truly begin to understand the culture there. In America, we are very task oriented; however, the Dominican Republic is not so please keep that in mind. Every day is a new experience, so don’t be in such of a hurry; instead, just go with the flow. It will make the trip more enjoyable for you and those around you. There is never a sense in complaining; good things comes to those who wait (believe me, we all figured that out the hard way). This is a time to go outside your comfort zone. Always be free to try new and exciting things. I did it, and I made friends that I never would have made, and also be able to do things I could never imagine to do in America.

The people I met changed my life, and in some ways I was able to change theirs. I know it’s scary, but trust me it’ll all be good and you will be so glad you did. Be sure to live every day like it’s your last, and always make the most out of every experience.