Micah Telegen's Thoughts

 My Experiences in the Dominican Republic
      Going into our trip to the Dominican Republic, I thought I knew what to expect.  I spent a summer in the poverty-stricken African nation of Ghana, and had had my eyes opened.  I knew how ugly the world is outside of our little bubble.  I knew about sustainability and about the inevitable awkward moments that would occur.  I knew about the culture shock and then reverse that accompany any trip that involves spending substantial time in the third world. And so I was amazed at how different everything was.
      One of the things that made the trip to Ghana a little more ‘sheltered’  was that my group had stayed in our own residence.  There was also a significant language barrier.  We were aware of the abject poverty and were exposed to the begging, but we could hide behind they “I don’t understand” barrier.  This was not the case in the Dominican.  While the conditions might have been a little better than in Africa, I was better able to understand their devastating effects on those who lived there because they could explain them to me.
      Lastly, I underestimated the effect that the trip would have on me.  I knew that I was helping the community by raising money and pitching in with the labor.  What I didn’t know was that I would get far more out of the trip than those that I helped did.  Being exposed to conditions like those in the Dominican helped me to put everything in perspective.  It is a lot easier to get over getting a C in a class if one understands that it could be a lot worse.  Going to the Dominican Republic allowed me to help people who needed it, but it also made me a better person.