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Thursday, November 25, 2004

We are back on the mainland after a great 5 weeks in the D.R. This being our third visit, Panama City is now both comfortable and familiar. Well, at least familiar. We still haven’t gotten used to the humidity here. It is brutal.

Raegan and I just got a CD of our pictures from Panama and The D.R. made and we’re really excited to share them. Other excitement: we just ate turkey at a café (and washed it down with our first Dr.Pepper in months). It wasn’t quite like home (what is?) but is somehow better than the chicken and stovetop stuffing we were planning on eating. Happy Thanksgiving to all (who celebrate it).

Now I have the challenge of trying to take several weeks in the D.R and try and share them with you without going on and on and on and….

--I can start by saying that in the last 10 months we’ve had some terrific experiences and our time in the mountains of the D.R. rank very well among them. Because of the time that we had, we got to really know the people living around us. But more broadly, we gained an understanding of poor, rural life in Latin America that we couldn’t have gained otherwise. Nearly everyone we met in the mountains (and don’t balk at the term, there are none higher east of the Mississippi) here was very welcoming and generous. All cultural and socio-economic divides were bridged quickly over a cup of coffee or a game of dominoes.

--We did our best to accomplish things for the farm and community and had some results. We helped Julie in the library, finished a composting project and dug a trash hole. A real deep one. We started a canuco (or terrace), a real big one, but didn’t finish. We tried to help the community reforest a hillside near their water source, but the donated trees were down the hill and there needed to be a town meeting, and …. At least we got to walk around the mountains for an afternoon with Palolo, a man who holds the distinction of having the hardest-to-understand Spanish of any man on earth. Oh and he has a real big machete which he uses to emphasize points. But we were pretty used to hanging out with folks with big knives by then. After our walk we were invited into his home for a chat with his family. I smiled and nodded a lot. So did Raegan.

--We didn’t always love the rural life. As Raegan mentioned we had our fair share of rain and it was a drag. At times I was so bored I was praying for the rain to cease to allow me to resume digging enormous terraces or ditches. I started to dislike the pleasing sounds of Bachata music because the local station had a 5 song playlist and (like many stations south of Mexico) put a good 5 minutes of radio personalities screaming at one another between songs. I couldn’t play baseball again. This was especially tough, because I had finally figured out the complicated betting scheme. With the landslides, the guagua trips we did (foolishly) take in the rain provided our only excitement after days of reading, playing cards and dominoes and banging our heads against the wall. Our record was 25 passengers plus the driver (15 in the short flat-bed, me on the roof, and 11 inside). This may sound doable to you until you consider the luggage, tin roofing, 40lb bags of corn and rice, live chickens , etc, etc.

--Another thing that grated on us was the xeno/racism in the D.R. We generally found the Dominicans to be very friendly and hospitable, but unfortunately this doesn’t extend to everyone that lives among them. From our experience it is obvious that the Hatians living and working in the D.R., and there are many, are second-class citizens. This situation is further complicated by race. Most Hatians have near 100% African heritage, whereas Dominicans are more likely to have some Spanish blood. At times there are only subtle differences, but nearly always Hatians are darker and are thus easy to pick out. There is so much history here on this island with two peoples. I could write a book on this subject, but understand that this xeno/racism is sometimes blatant and sometimes subtle, but it is always present and ugly.

--I’m eager to learn more about the long and complicated history of this island when we get back, but we’ve already learned a lot by walking the streets of Santo Domingo. For several days earlier this week we walked by the first cathedral, university, and hospital in the new world. We were astounded at how little time it took these folks to throw up these permanent structures. All of this including a city wall and a big mansion for Christopher Columbus’ family were completed less than 8 years after he ran aground in the new world. (Other historical stuff of interest is Napolean’s grand plan for Samana, Haiti, the first free-black nation, the several overt U.S., Spanish, French, and British interventions, and our covert support of Trujillo who renamed the capital Ciudade Trujillo and organized the massacre of 40,000 Hatians less than 70 years ago. But we didn’t see any of that in Santo Domingo).

--There are nice beaches here. But everyone knows that.

Also, there are more pictures of the DR on Julie's site.


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