Initially, the Dominican Republic was not part of this trip. Rather, I was to spend two weeks in Jamaica with a community health non profit I had a loose connection to in Denver. Through a turn of events and the realization that I could probably have a cheaper time in the DR, I changed the plans with little thought or trouble. Honestly, the DR had never even crossed my mind, and I definitely never assumed I'd love it enough to extend my trip twice to enjoy it as long as I possibly could. However, that is the case and I have fallen in love with this beautiful little country.
We first arrived by boat after a very creaky, swaying night spend stretched out in various positions on the floor of a large room filled with extremely uncomfortable impostor recliners. The previous night as we were enjoying some live music on the deck, we happened to meet a very nice Puerto Rican couple named Bobbi and Ben. Bobbi and Ben love the DR as well and have been visiting for years now, long enough to build a relationship with a girls' orphanage outside of Santo Domingo. Upon hearing this we were obviously very interested and inquired about possible volunteer opportunities. They were thrilled to hear this and quickly encouraged us to go to the school with them the following morning to meet the girls and the directors. Sure enough, Ben found us the next morning, insisted on taking us to the ship's restaurant for breakfast and then as soon as we made it through the customs line at the port we were whisked off in a rented car to Boca Chica. Boca Chica is a suburb of Santo Domingo and situated on the coast just east of the city. The orphanage sits in the middle of the community, across the street from a concrete park, and is home to 26 girls age 7 to 22. We learned that previously, when donations were more frequent, the home was able to provide shelter to nearly 50 girls in need. We were greeted at first with shy curiosity, and then exuberant laughter. The girls were sweet, patient with each other, very well mannered and acted as sisters. It was easy to see there was no division between ages, and very little clique behavior, everyone was simply family. We learned many of the girls had been abandoned by family or sold into the sex trade. The orphanage has also initiated a campaign to end the sex trade in the Dominican Republic, and raise awareness about the plight of young girls forced into the business. Although we were able to spend less than a week with the girls, we made some wonderful connections. Several of the older girls were excited at the opportunity to practice their surprisingly impressive English on us, and we were able to talk about their lives in the home, what they wanted their futures to look like, and why you don't want to date Chris Brown. Leaving was hard. It's not often I get emotionally involved in volunteerism, but this time I did. They were so free and open with their love, it was hard not to get attached. Beth and I both decided we would visit again before our time in the country is up, and I know we will. It would be impossible to break a promise to all those smiling, expectant girls. The sadness they showed upon our leaving will definitely hold us to our word.
Although this sort of volunteering is not the kind I intended to do while traveling, I could see so many ways it paralleled my work in Denver. Although we don't directly serve women involve in human trafficking, the sex trade is all around us. Generally, we never see victims so young in the states, but North Americans and Europeans travel in droves to the DR simply to experience sex tourism. I recently read there are several towns along the north coast of the country in which the trade was so intense and so dangerous that the government intervened and closed all bars and hotels in one fell swoop. Eliminating the tourism in these areas did much to end the sex trade, for awhile. In the first few days of our trip, it was evident there is still much to be done to protect both children and adults from becoming victims. I would have loved to have spoken about HIV and AIDS services for girls and women, and asked about other services available specifically to women and girls, but I found myself being called simply to spend time with them and research later. I knew my time was brief, and probably best spent nurturing the short, but hopefully meaningful, relationships I was building with the girls and staff. Before we left we were encouraged not to forget about them, I replied that it would be impossible.
During this time we were also able to explore a bit of Santo Domingo, and meet our second couchsurfing host of the trip, Erick. Erick was fresh to the couchsurfing world, and we were very excited to be his very first guests. He seemed a bit hesitant, but ended up being very generous and welcoming. Within an hour of our arrival we had been invited to join him and some friends at a soccer tournament hosted by a local hotel. Our stay only lasted two days, but Erick was nice enough to take us on a tour of the Zona Colonial and even arranged for a group of friends to go out dancing with us. That night is probably on of the best we've had thus far in the trip. I love Dominican night clubs! This one was particularly exciting, all open air, beer is served in 40 oz bottles with plastic cups to share, the music is loud, everyone is sweaty, and everyone is expected to dance. I have to admit, sometimes I enjoy the novelty of being a gringa in a Latin country. I enjoy it even more when men realize I can dance, and dance well. There is not much in my life that I feel comfortable bragging about, but I have always known I can move. I found myself spinning around the crowded floor with dancers of all shapes, sizes and abilities, and loving every second. Due to an ankle injury in late summer, I hadn't danced in several months and could feel the itch. Thank goodness I found some men who can bachata and merengue! Two hours later we tumbled into Erick's friend's car and shot off into the night back home. I couldn't help but think how wonderful it is when everyday is an adventure, and how unexpected this night was.
Santo Domingo is big and slightly overwhelming, and we still have much to discover. However, Beth and I are much more interested in the small towns and tucked away gems. The city couldn't hold our interest for long and we were longing for exotic experiences in places like Samana and Puerto Plata. After five days, we were off for the next round of this Dominican adventure. Can't wait to tell you all about in my next entry!
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