The brother’s of Gamma Pi wish to thank all those who have supported the 3rd Annual Trip to the Dominican Republic. The following are reflections of three questions the brother’s were given upon their return. Without the generous support of so many this trip and the impact of it would not have been possible. While we hoped to build more laterine’s it became impossible because of logistical reasons. The end result was being able to paint the homes of some 10 families. These homes were in complete disrepair. It is not a stretch of the imagination to say that a paint brush caused the wall to move and the wood to crumble. They had never been painted. Our work provided not only some relief from the elements but also gave the homeowners a sense of identity and pride. Additionally, we spent two days painting a world map on a school wall. Many of the children (and adults) had never seen an atlas and had little to no understanding of countries around the world. The experience was highlighted by not only the learning and work but in many ways the interaction between brother’s and our host families (where we stayed) and the neighbors who came out to volunteer with us each day!
Again, many thanks for your support!
Fr. Brian Cool
Greg McKay
Jonathan Fricke
Tim Felong
Dave Abplanalp
Vinny Alleluia
1) What was one or two memorable experiences/encounters or learning experiences you had in the Dominican Republic?
2) How do you see yourself or the brother’s you went with differently?
3) What impact do you think your service/presence made in the lives of those you served?
Jonathan Fricke:
1)
While in the Dominican Republic, we stayed in a small town that we thought was pretty impoverished. We walked about a mile down a rocky dirt road that is notoriously dangerous at night to a village called, "La Guasumita" to paint some houses. I will never forget the first time that I saw that village. There will little children with nothing but rags for shorts running around, teenage boys and girls not more that 14 performing duties that mothers and fathers would usually do, and lots of people simply sitting around passing time. These people live the simplest lives yet still manage to survive. They do not solely live for pleasure, but still are intact with the basic principles of survival.
2)
I see myself in a different sort of light after returning from this trip. I have a better understanding for how the majority of the world lives, an understanding that one cannot understand unless first hand involved in such an experience. My brothers that went on the trip with me share this bond of knowledge, simply having the exposure to the lifestyle of these people.
3)
I distinctly remember that one of the people whose house we painted said, "I used to have to tell people that my house was the one with no color, but now I can tell them, my house is the blue and white house." Even just painting their houses meant the world to them and more so, our presence there meant even more. Showing these people that others do, in fact, care about them and they are not forgotten by any means.
Timothy Felong:
1)
My host family was awesome; Greg and I were both fortunate to live with them for a week. Roseangela – funny, outgoing, and larger-than-life – was the mother to toddlers Beba and Chi-Chi. Beba was a ball of energy with therapeutic laughter, while Chi-Chi was timid but compassionate all the same. Chi-Chi and Beba have different fathers, neither of which come around more than once a week. Roseangela, who was unemployed at the time we were there, basically has to provide for her children on her own. Roseangela’s familial composition was not unique; mother and children under a roof with little or no presence of a father was commonplace in the villages where we stayed and worked. One experience really brought the consequences of this societal issue to life for Greg and I. On the night before we left, as Beba and Chi-Chi were sleeping, Greg and I brought parting gifts to Roseangela. After she thanked us, she broke down into tears. Knowing some Spanish, I was able to comprehend that Roseangela really appreciated our presence in their home and was sad to see us go. She said how grateful she was for the gifts we gave to her children on Three Kings’ Day. But, more importantly, she said that it meant a lot for them to have positive, male, adult role models in the house. And then she discussed concerns about Beba and Chi-Chi growing up without a father. It was during this moment – when Roseangela opened up to Greg and I – that I became aware of how serious a problem their living situation was. Although Roseangela is strong-willed, independent and has a kind heart, I could not help but be worried about Beba and Chi-Chi’s future without a father to teach them so many things about life. This invaluable moment of human interaction, across language and culture, really allowed me to reflect on how blessed my life has been. Not only can I live comfortably, without having to worry about enough food or water, and have access to an education, but I have a strong family whose love and support has molded me into the person I am today. And, from this trip and that moment, I learned that a strong and complete family must never be taken for granted.
2)
When I took the time to think about why I wanted to go on this trip, I realized that it was because I wanted to go out of my comfort zone and experience a different culture firsthand. I wanted to go to a developing country, see some of its problems with my own eyes, and do what I could to help fix those problems. And that’s exactly what I did. In a discussion about poverty or different cultures, I no longer have to reference statistics or a text book, I can tell stories from this trip. I think that there’s a huge difference between reading or hearing about and experiencing different things in this world. And after this trip I can now say that I have immersed myself within and fully experienced another culture. This trip has allowed me to bear witness to the fact that American culture, with its unique issues, is only one of a seemingly countless number of cultures on this planet. I can only hope to experience more cultures in my future. Because my brothers who went on this trip also left their comfortable homes in favor of this unbelievable experience, I can say that I have gained much respect for them. But also, I can say that, after constant interaction with one another over this week, I know them so much better than I did before the trip. We undoubtedly bolstered the elevated friendship that we learned about when we joined a fraternity.
Church is a big deal in the Dominican Republic. This is not only due to the fact that the people there are very pious (which they are), but also because they are very community-oriented. In a society without the technology or privacy that oftentimes secludes families from neighbors, the people in Don Juan pass the time by opening their doors and engaging in conversation, thus truly getting to know others in their community. So, for them, Church is a place to not only worship but is also a place to be with their friends in the community. Needless to say, many people go to Church. When we went to Sunday Church in Don Juan, we were shocked by the volume of people listening to the service from outside in addition to the amount in the packed building. Amidst our attempts to take-in our surroundings and understand the priest’s passionate lecture, we were told by Alycia – the local Peace Corps worker – that we had to go to the front of the church. Facing the congregation while a nun briefly discussed our work, we recognized a lot of faces in the crowd: people we helped, neighbors of those whom we helped, and people we simply interacted with or said ‘hola’ to. When the nun stopped speaking, their faces lit-up as they gave us a warm round of applause. For the brothers and I, this meant a great deal to us. Because the people there could not speak English, that was probably the most direct way that the community could have said ‘thank you.’ From that simple act of appreciation, we got the impression that the community truly valued our presence there and the work we did. That picture-in-my-head will forever be synonymous with the impact that we had on the lives of those whom we served. And, in convincing brothers to go to Don Juan in the future, I will do my best to describe this moment to prove how important the work we do there really is.
Vincent:
1)
Our service trip to the Dominican Republic proved memorable in many ways and experiences. One thing that stood out in particular to me was how excited the kids were to see us. Just being there for the kids, even though I was unable to actually communicate with these kids, was a great experience. They were ecstatic to involve us in all of their activities and games. Important to note is that most of the children's fathers have left when the children were young, so it was amazing for us to be there as role models for the children. The most memorable of my interactions with the kids was when I was walking to begin the workday, one of the kids I haven't seen before ran up to me and held my hand. Even with my rusty Spanish, I was able to connect with this child and he ended up hanging out with us the whole day.
2)
This trip proved as a great bonding experience with my brothers. Interacting with them in an academic environment is one thing, but when we pull together to achieve a common goal in a foreign environment, it really proved as an intense bonding experience. I got to know my brothers on a much deeper level as we shared this experience. It was also nice to see how well we were able to organize as a team, and effectively accomplish our objectives.
3)
From the moment we arrived at the village, we were greeted with great hospitality and appreciation. We did not even begin our service work, but they were appreciative that an outside group was visiting them. When we began painting houses and we saw the faces of the owners after we were done, we could tell that the work we had done will stick with the families throughout their lives. The owners could now take pride in their houses, instead of being ashamed to dub their house as the "unpainted house on the corner." Every year we will continue to make this trip, and the villagers truly look forward to that. The thought that our fraternity can make an impact a large group of people in such a way is truly amazing.
Greg McKay:
1)
The most memorable part of the trip happened on our last night. Tim and I decided that we would give some of our left over Dominican Pesos to our host mother. In my broken Spanish, we explained to Rosangela that we were very grateful for her hospitality, and we wanted to help her and her kids as much as possible. We gave her 1000 Pesos (the equivalent of a approximately $25) and a hug, and she burst into tears. To me it was a powerful moment. To us we had given her a relatively small amount of money, but to her it meant so much. She explained to us how hard it was to be a single mother of two, and how she really appreciated having good male role models in her home, even if it were for only one week.
2)
As the only Junior on the trip, I had not spent a ton of time with the other brothers on the trip. Though we were only together for a week, we quickly became great friends. We shared personal stories and had the deepest of philosophical debates, as if we had been best friends for years. By the end of the week, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for the brothers on the trip, and I felt that I had almost another mini pledge class.
3)
At the beginning of the trip, I felt that painting houses served only for aesthetic purposes, and I thought we should be building more necessary utilities such as latrines. There were a couple of things that showed me I was wrong. From a physical standpoint, we learned that painting the brittle wood that comprised their homes serves to seal the wood and protect it to last longer. So, our service was definitely helpful in that it will help their homes stay standing through harsh weather longer. Also, in our trip we painted a mural of the world on the side of their school. An alarming number of kids there were under the impression that the entire United States consisted only of New York, and that the Dominican Republic was larger than ‘New York’. Our mural was a source of enlightenment for the community, and we were glad to help spread education. Besides the painting we did, we were told just our presence in the community made a difference. In the village of El’Elmo, we did no painting, but showed up one day to offer clothing, candy, and play a game of baseball. Though it is kind of hard for me to understand, and I wish we had done more for them, we were told that our presence in the town and the simple acknowledgement of their existence meant a lot to them. Another example of our presence making a difference was the story I previously told of having positive male role models for the children to look up to. It is difficult for me to know exactly how our presence made a difference, but I know we did good in the world for a week, and we are all better for it.
David Abplanalp:
1).
My favorite experience while serving in the Dominican was the opportunity to play with the young children and see how happy they are to have visitors come and just interact with them. Also the opportunity to live with a local family and experience how they live was a very eye opening experience and forced me to think about how much I take for granted.
2).
This trip really forced me to reevaluate how I manage my time and what kind of everyday luxuries I take for grated. I realized that I live a very privileged life to be able to go and take a hot shower or microwave a hot meal whenever I want. Going on this trip has helped me to realize what parts of life are truly important and hold meaning.
3).
I think that the biggest impact out trip had was to show the families we assisted that there are people out there that care about the well being of those less fortunate and are willing to help improve this situation in any way they can. One of the best parts of the trip for me was seeing all of the young children's faces light up whenever we played with them. Thus I feel that although the service provided helped to improve the standard of living, the fact that we were down their and interacting with them provided a more profound societal service and was a very large part of the impact we had.
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