Week Four & Five: Working in the Global Economy

The fourth week finally began and we started our "Working in the Global Economy" class with Dr. Dale Wimberley, a sociology professor at Virginia Tech. The objective of the course was to sociologically understand the nature of people's work in the Dominican
Republic and other countries of the "Global South," in the context of a global division of labor.

The order in which the class was taught:
I. The sociological perspective
II. Globalization
III. Class, race, and gender inequalities in the global division of labor
IV. The sociological study of work
V. Export manufacturing in the Global South
VI. The Global South's tourism industry
VII. Farming for export to the rich countries
VIII. Conclusion: Alternatives to globalization as we know it

I found this class to be quite interesting. I really found a passion in studying labor and the international labor solidarity movement. We traveled to Santo Domingo to see sugar cane plantations, sweat shops, and also to talk to some sweat shop workers. Dale really focused on getting a "hands on" education while we were ther, so he really wanted us to talk to workers and see what is really going on in the world.

It's an amazing experience to actually talk to the workers and see how globalization is affecting everyone. I have learned more on this trip by seeing and interacting with the people of the global economy, instead of just watching from the States or reading some random text book.

Week Three Continued: Welcome to the Jungle

The Veron playground project was definitely the highlight of the week. I made some great friends with the kids there, so I hope that we will be able to go visit them throughout our stay. Our time with Stacey was coming to an end. Two days after the Veron project, we went to visit the local clinic which is sponsored by the Virginia Medical College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Punta Cana Hotel Group. It was just a small clinic, full of a few medical students from Virginia, and some Dominican doctors. We were given a tour by the head doctor of the clinic. There wasn't really exciting here, but it definitely pertained to our study of medical geography.

After our trip to the clinic, we went back to the foundation and had class. Before class started Heydey, the Dominican VT representative who practically runs the study abroad program here, told us that she was moving to Santo Domingo because she found another job. CHAOS!!! This came as a shock to all of us because we were all becoming quite close to her and she was pretty much was in charge of everything. She made sure we had water, hot water for showers, food in the kitchen, transportation, etc. I don't think we saw this coming so the rest of the evening was full of dealing with the shock of losing one of our friends. This is why it has been quite stressful and chaotic around here. But we decided to turn this sad occasion into a happy one, so we decided to have a pool party on Thursday. Life is good down here. I'm almost done with catching up to week four. Feel free to Skype me whenever I'm on or send me an email.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!! Ciao.

Week Three: Painting Friendships

It’s amazing how fast time is going by. This past week the internet was down in our building so I felt so distant form the world. In some ways it was nice to be closed off from the real world, but then again it would have been better if I was able to communicate with everyone. So the week began as stressful as ever. No internet and the reading I needed to do was piling up. For medical geography we had to a presentation for class on a particular tropical disease. The disease that I chose was Chagas. Luckily, Chagas disease is not found in the Dominican Republic but I was still frightened of mosquitoes for a solid week. I was able to email Shannon Lemrow for some information on where to find the best information. It definitely helps to know an epidemiologist.

Monday was just a normal day. We had class in the morning with a break for lunch and the beach. After hanging out at the beach, we had class for another two hours before dinner. Almost every night consisted of watching a movie for class. The movies that we watched all pertained to health and development, so luckily there were not as boring as they could have been. Out of all the movies that we watched for this class, “The Agronomist” was my favorite. If you have a chance to watch, please do. It’s amazing. It’s a documentary about a man who ran Haiti’s free press radio station. It’s probably one of the most amazing documentaries I have ever seen.

Anyways, Tuesday was probably my favorite and most rewarding day of this Caribbean adventure. It’s going to be hard to put into words my thoughts and feelings of what we did and the relationships that we created in a singe day. I have never been so touched and so apart of the Christiana barrio in Veron (a small town outside Punta Cana). For once I felt that I was a part of the solution instead of an observer. From what I have learned throughout my time in the Dominican Republic and studying development, I believe that one must become part of the solution by working with your hands and being there is the only way to create change. I witnessed this with my own eyes. I saw how working, hand in hand, with people is the only way to help one another. These few paragraphs are only some of my thoughts of how I became transformed from an idealist to an actual believer in the reality of progress in just the short span of one day.

The day began as if it were any ordinary day. I was tired at the beginning of day break, but I knew that this would be a good day. The sun was out to its fullest and the soft tropical air hung over us as we walked to the bus. We drove through the town of Veron, and it looked as it did every other day, sad and poor. I cannot help but think that there are better days ahead for this town, but then reality sets in and I realize that this is what it can only be, just dust and trash. The sun began to hide behind the clouds and our day seemed like another victim of Dominican weather, unpredictable. This is exactly what our day became, unpredictable but more rewarding than ever.

When I saw the barrio for the first time, I was worried. I did not think that it was possible at all for a bunch of rich Westerners to assimilate to these conditions. The streets were unpaved. Potholes were infested with mosquito larva water and trash was littered everywhere. The putrid smell of rotting meat and feces lingered in the air. When one breathed, it was like breathing in the heavy smells noxious gas from a rotting stomach but without anywhere to hide so it followed you as you moved. I felt surrounded by filth. I felt trapped. I had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. This is a barrio. It is a place where outsiders never go and the inhabitants can dream of nothing but escaping. This is poverty at its purest.

We met up with Colleen, a Peace Corps Volunteer who lived and worked in this particular Barrio. We met some great people who were so happy to see us. I wanted to give them everything I had. I wanted them to experience or at least glimpse what it is like outside the barrio; however, we had to use what resources we had to make this dream a semi-reality. We needed to turn this barrio into something hopeful and gentle. We had to turn a trash infected plot of land into a safe playground for the children I thought we might be able to accomplish something but I could not conceptualize what exactly we could do. Whenever I picked up more trash, there was more under it. Whenever I cut the grass with my machete, there was more grass to cut.

We had to think of ways to turn tires, wood, and cement into a safe, fun playground environment. We had to think outside of the box. I really wanted to create some sort of tire maze or snake like formation. I began to dig into the soil, in order to set the tires securely in the ground, but I ran into rock. Luckily Todd had the idea to chisel away into the coral underneath the grass. This part of Dominican Republic is nothing but petrified coral. So unlike Virginia where you dig and find clay, we find coral. In the end, after hours of sheer muscle strength and sweat, we were able to dig enough holes to fit the tires in. It looked amazing. What was once a haven for mosquito larva was now a toy for kids, and what was once the area of trash was now a play ground. Throughout this whole time we were able to use the kids to help us. This is when I began to see the benefits of teamwork between two different cultures and languages. We were able to share our experiences and knowledge to make something great. Although the language barrier created some tough situations, we were able to come through in the end with a finished product that looked amazing. We did it. The process was long and hard but we did it.

The work process showed me that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you believe in to have progress. The simple act of working together, in a tough environment, allowed us to overcome our surroundings. The kids were excited to see their work turn into something tangible. They were able to feel apart of the project. They also taught me the value of teamwork. I was able to come closer with my fellow students and I also made some new friends amidst all this poverty and destitution.

We were able to make something out of nothing. We were able to help the kids of this particular barrio. It was a collaborate effort that sparked progress and it is my joy to be a part of it.

Guárdese de araña

I found this guy outside our room.

Week Two: Higuey Shmiguey

The second week down here was very different than the first. First of all, we began a different class with a different teacher which was well received because we all wanted a change in pace. During the second week, we began medical geography which examines the geographic distribution of disease and provision of health services. This area of study is definitely important to the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean because of all the different tropical diseases that affect the different countries in the Caribbean. Stacey Boyer, a health professional with the commonwealth of Virginia, was our professor of this class. She was fantastic. Each class was basically an open discussion of what we were learning. She really wanted us to think critically into why the Dominican Republic and its fellow Caribbean countries are facing so many development and health problems.

Our big trip this week was to Higuey, a small city in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. Higuey, along with most other Dominican cities, is held together by a few forms of industry that keep the city and its townspeople alive. Since we were visiting the city for class purposes, I had to keep a watchful eye, examining the city from a health perspective instead of a tourist perspective. With this in mind, I was not able to fully appreciate Higuey for what it was so I was kind of let down. But I still enjoyed my time in Higuey because it was definitely a bustling city with a fascinating culture.

The most fascinating experience in Higuey was their market. The market was a full of curvy streets, people, vendors, and shops. It had the stench of rotting food and polluted water. Whenever I looked down I saw a stream like formation of blood and water, rolling down the street. Trash was everywhere to be seen and right next to the trash was food. I passed butcher shops with dead chickens hanging from the ceilings. It was great. Whenever I travel, I like to make sure that I fit in somehow and am not just some American. However, during this market experience, I was an American taking in every smell and every sight.

Higuey is mostly famous for its Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia. The Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Altagracia was built in the seventies to replace the old decrepit church in Higuey and also so that the Dominicans could have something grand to dedicate to the Virgin Mary. When we arrived in Higuey, one could see the arches of the Basilica, which like praying hands, come into view from a very far distance. We were surrounded by buildings but we could see the looming arches above us. I felt as if I was in the presence of something great, something truly Dominican.

There was not much inside the Basilica, except for a painting of the Virgin Mary and some pews for worship. After visiting the Basilica we went to a local fast food restaurant because no other place in Higuey was up to code. Lunch was good but nothing too special. We began our trip back to Punta Cana with full stomachs but still with the mental image of blood and dead chickens branded into our minds. This trip helped us see the true Dominican Republic, from outside our comfort zone, in the heart of a city, with the people. The rest of the week consisted of class and random adventures.

I feel that I am learning a lot since I've been down here. My Spanish is slowly getting better, and I'm getting hands on experience in my area of study. I'm having a great time and have made many new friends. I have no complaints because the food is great and we have HOT WATER!!!! Next week looks promising....

Public Announcement

Sorry for the very brief and non descriptive writing style. It's very hectic down here for reasons that I will explain later. I hope that my next entries will have more substance so that you can know what is going on down here. I love you all.

Week One: Finding Coconuts and Hammocks

I stayed up the whole night before I left for the Dominican Republic. The combination of nervousness and excited created a strange feeling that prevented me from falling asleep. So I decided to stay up and watch a movie. Every so often I kept on double checking to make sure that I had everything I needed. I made sure I had the right amount of socks, bottles of sunscreen, and every last piece of clothing I needed. Luckily the night passed quickly and it came time to depart. I picked up all my bags (each bag weighing fifty pounds) and headed out the door. The world was in front of me and three months in the Dominican Republic was at my finger tips. I had to walk half a mile in five degree weather with all my bags and just a long sleeve shirt on. I have never been so cold in my life, but I knew that 80 degree weather and a white, sandy beach waited for me.

We arrived in Punta Cana after a very smooth plane ride. The longest layover was only two hours. I was asleep most of the trip, so I could not tell you how the food was or anything. After we stepped of the plane, I began to sweat and my hair began to poof up into a fro. It was so humid!!!! I had to take off all shirt and change because I began to sweat profusely, but after a few adjustments I became quite comfortable with the temperature and humidity. We took a bus from the airport to our dormitory which was only a few minutes away. The image to the right is the Ecological Foundation, sponsored by the Punta Cana Hotel and resort, which funds environmental projects around this area. The lower level has labs and classrooms for students and scientists to use, while the upstairs contains dorm rooms and a large area with tables and couches. The living area is very comfortable and feels like an ordinary dorm. We did not have hot water for the first week but after a while I got used to it.

During the first week, we had our Spanish class with Senora Lopez. I've had her before at Virginia Tech. We had class in the morning, which consisted of writing papers in Spanish and practicing grammar, and participating in activities around the hotel area to practice Spanish. After class the whole group would head down to the beach to catch some rays. We had a lot of beach time the first week. I was pretty much sailing, snorkeling, bathing in the sun, and relaxing on the beach after each class. Life was hard. At night we would head to the Punta Cana Village (a town that the hotel created with shops and restaurants) for dinner at restaurants that were designated by Virginia Tech. We have a menu for each restaurant that has a list of dishes that we can eat at each restaurant. They then check off the card after the meal. The first week consisted of getting to know the area. We took short bus trips to nearby towns and interacted with the local people. We stayed up late talking at the beach. I fell asleep in hammocks at night. I searched for coconuts throughout the day. I was living the tropical life. It was not until the second week until we were really able to see the real Dominican Republic and finally understand why we were here and what were going to accomplish.

Study Abroad in the Dominican Republic

For the next two and half months I will be studying abroad in the wonderful country of the Dominican Republic. Yes, it is a developing country and as a result of that, I cannot drink the water out of the faucet, but even without these comforts, I have experienced and learned many things in my short stay here. I hope that this blog will help you follow my stay here and all the great things that we are trying to do. I really miss you all, especially Meredith, and I cannot wait to tell you some great stories when I get home. Adios.