Thank you from Siyani Fullerton

     As our time in the Dominican Republic has now come to and end and we return to

the states for the start of classes, I have been reflecting on everything that has happened

here and the impact it has had on my life and the lives of those who we have helped.

Coming back for the second time, it was amazing to find that the people I met last year

still vividly remembered who I was, as if I was just one of the people in town. Having

that type of connection to the people we were helping made me forget that I was even in

a foreign country, and the people were welcoming everywhere that we went. It was also

reminder of just how lucky were all are and the luxuries we have.

     The families we were building latrines for were the poorest of the poor in the

community, many who had 7-9 people living in a room equivalent in size to a standard

American living room in a middle class house. Keep in mind that for these families,

this was all they had in terms of living space, so having a building dedicated solely as

a bathroom is something of a luxury. The work was very taxing on us and there wasn’t

a day that went by when we weren’t sore and exhausted by lunchtime, only half way

through our day. Our temporary pain was worth the end result though.

     Now that you are able to see the end result of your contribution to this great

cause, we hope that you feel the same way that we do about what we have done for a

community where you are considered well off if you have running water. If more people

in the world were as generous and caring as you, imagine how much change we could

bring to the world and the people who struggle with basic necessities on a daily basis.

     Again, I would like to personally thank you for your contribution to our trip. You truly

have made an impact on so many people that will now have a better life just by having a

sanitary and stable place to use as a bathroom. The brothers of Sigma Chi and the people

of Don Juan are eternally grateful for your dedication to service.

Thank you from Michael Carson

My trip to the Dominican Republic brought me to a type of place I never thought I

would live. Between the lack of running water and the wandering livestock that would

regularly cross my path (not to mention the dreadful cry of a pig being slaughtered right

outside my window each morning) I felt like I was also living in another time, one to which

a kid like myself from the comfortable East Coast of the US was unaccustomed.

To live and work for a week in such an impoverished community definitely

broadened my own perspective and made me realize the things I take for granted. We were

digging outhouses for people in the poorest part of town, where homes had dirt floors and

where garbage littered the ground almost anywhere you walked. Yet, the people didn’t

seem unhappy, and we often interacted and fooled around with the kids our age and

younger, despite the language barrier.

In this way we were able to alleviate some of the culture shock by sharing the things

we had in common. For example, we had the strongest in our group engage in a push-up

contest with one of the Dominicans our age who seemed to be the strongest that we

encountered. This same kid had built a bench out of wood and a barbell out of metal and

cement, and we each took turns showing off our strength to a gathering crowd. It was also

fun going out each night and drinking (moderately, of course) with the locals. We even

made a few friends that hold a dear place in our hearts.

I am extremely grateful for the hospitality that our host family showed us. It makes it

easier living in a strange country when they show you such universal kindness and serve

you such delicious food. Furthermore, this experience would have been impossible without

the donations from our friends, family, and brothers. We are indebted to them for their

support, and we are thankful for the great experience they allowed us to have.

Thank you From Donato Borello

I can't imagine anyone not wanting to go on this trip. 

My favorite memory will probably be when I was swordfighting a kid in his backyard, using two sticks shaved clean with a machete. Another kid brings over a ball and mimes to us "baseball." A few minutes later the kids from the neighboring 3-4 houses were all running around setting up bases, homeplate was a piece of cardboard and third base was a crumpled water bottle. Boys and girls who ranged from around 6 to 13 took turns smacking a broken dented whiffle ball with a stick, and having a ton of fun doing it.

The work wasn't too bad, the first few days were the worst, we were digging the holes for the latrines. Two holes in particular gave us trouble, nicknamed "the quarry" because we were chipping away at rock for 4 feet of it, and "the claypit" which was slow hard work. The people of Don Juan would always help with the work, whether they were jumping in the pit to dig, or chopping open a coconut for us to drink from (the coffee was great too). The culture I experienced there was one of optimism in the face of poverty and daily disappointments. Thank you for the opportunity to learn from them!

-Donato

Thoughts from David Levy

Donors,

Because of your generous support, I was able to return to the Dominican Republic.  As in last year, it provided an invaluable life experience for me in understanding poverty, as well as reminding me of how blessed I am in the US.  For me, the best experiences were interacting with the local kids.  Many of them are abused, beat, neglected, or do not go to school.  They were thrilled to be around us, and showed us their enthusiasm by helping us with our work.  The kids worked as hard as us, and did so in ripped t-shirts and bare feet.

  Living without electricity, running water, or internet would seem like abhorrent conditions to us, though the Dominicans take it in stride.  They have TV's, and they know how Americans live.  Yet, they do not despair at their lamentable condition.  They are the hardest workers I have met, and are eager to prove their value.  Through no fault of their own, their government is corrupted and there are almost no jobs to be had in the town we stayed in.  This is obviously extremely depressing, and it leads many into the temptations of alcoholism.

   While building some latrines may seem like a small act, it provides the families a measure of hygiene, and means they no longer go squat in the woods.  Whether it will make a true difference, I do not know.  But I do know that they truly appreciate our hard work, which could only have been accomplished through your donations.  I do not plan to return again next  year, as I would like to allow younger members of the Fraternity to experience the developing world.  I hope you will continue to support our efforts in the Dominican.

Very Sincerely,

David Levy

Reflection from Aasheesh Paliwal

This winter my brothers and I embarked on a trip to the Dominican Republic to build Latrines for impoverished families in the small village of Don Juan.  To say that it was a life-changing endeavor for the families we helped would be a big understatement; to say that it was life-changing in another way for each one of us, and even bigger one.  Aside from the tangible personal satisfaction that each one of us garnered from physically building these latrines one shovel swing or mortar paste at a time, the experience of immersing ourselves into such a different culture and connecting with the people of that culture was what I found to be the most valuable and impactful encounter of all.

            Going straight from the privileged lives in which we live to a third world country where the stable consistencies of daily food and running water are question marks rather than givens for the average family was truly an eye-opening experience.  That fact that these people, who often belong to households that earn the equivalent of $2 per day, are so happy with what they have and so accepting of foreigners who are obviously immensely more privileged than they are, really gave me some perspective on what to be thankful for.  I learned through personal experience what is very easy to read in a book or preach to others: that the value found in aesthetic pleasures and luxuries cannot compare with that of strong family, friends, and appreciation for simply being alive everyday; the people of Don Juan showed me this firsthand, and its effect on me was profound.

            I can name a laundry list of “culture shock” experiences: taking bucket showers, witnessing a live cock fight, going to a Dominican discotech and laughably dancing the meringue, bachata, and reggaeton with the immensely more coordinated locals, and eating fresh, home-cooked fried plantains made by my host mother.  All of these experiences opened up my eyes to the cultural magnificence of Don Juan; its beauty is in its simplicity.  The residents of the village are so happy with so little, and seeing it firsthand really puts my life, spanning from my problems to my belongings to what truly makes me happy, in perspective.  All in all, this was an incredibly powerful trip from a personal standpoint, and I encourage all who can to join myself and my brothers on it again next year.

Reflection and Thank You from Peter Dierkes

My trip the Dominican was an experience on several levels. The abject, relative poverty is shocking.
Families live in small, poorly constructed shacks; often without running water, a stove, or any sort of
bathroom. Children run shoeless and unattended. Animals rummage among the strewn trash, looking
for food. The conditions for an American seem completely obscene and unthinkable.

However the people are happy. Children laugh, and entertain themselves in this simplest of ways. In
America a child requires the latest, most advanced electronic gaming systems to entertain themselves.
In the Dominican children use a cracked and worn plastic ball – bouncing it against a tree and
chasing it in pure joy. In American adults obsess about achieving their next goal on an endless list of
increasingly prestigious goals. In the Dominican, grown men sit on a log and play dominoes, enjoying
life and each other.

In the end, the most valuable lesson I learned was not an appreciation for what I own. Granted, I
do have a greater appreciation for my comparably vast possession, and my comparably wealthy and
privileged life. However the greatest lesson learned was an increased understanding that happiness has
little or nothing to do with possessions, and everything to do with your appreciation for what you truly
have – family, friends, and maybe even a cracked plastic ball and some dominoes.