Peter Zhang's Reaction

We read about poverty in the newspapers, see its effects through television and movies. However, to truly understand poverty, one must live among the impoverished. This service trip to the Dominican Republic provided us with precisely this opportunity. We have lived among the poor, saw their culture and witnessed their adversity.

         This trip undoubtedly helped us appreciate our own lives significantly more. It truly made me see just how blessed we are. Although these people led tremendously hard lives, they are some of the happiest people I have ever witnessed. This truly made me realize that happiness involves much less than what we expect in this society.

         I hope that we can take what we learned from this experience and develop ourselves in ways that would best serve the interest of this world. This trip demonstrated that help is always needed, regardless of the caliber. I feel that it is important for the capable to aid the less fortunate whenever opportunity arises.

Jeffery Anderson's Thanks

I was fairly apprehensive upon arriving in the Dominican Republic on the afternoon of January 2^nd.  After all, it was my first time visiting a country that embraced a culture that differed significantly from that of the United States.  Despite the piles of trash on the sides of the roads and the reckless and unorganized driving, center-city Santo Domingo (for the most part) resembled the modern and westernized cities I have already visited in the United States.  However, as we exited the city on our way to Don Juan, the small town in which we were going to stay, the scenery began to rapidly change.  Looking out from the windows of the van, I saw for the first time in my life what third-world poverty actually consisted of: houses (if one could even call them that) that looked like they would be blown over in a stiff breeze, fires on the side of the street for burning trash (for there was no waste service, or trash cans for that matter), and, most prominently, individuals who looked as though they had not eaten a healthy meal in days.  Little did I know at this point that seeing these things would appear second nature to me less than ten days later.
      Our arrival in Don Juan was one to be remembered.  After a long day of traveling and a two hour trip northwest of Santo Domingo, we had arrived in the small town in which we would be staying for the week.  Almost immediately upon arrival and without very little instruction, we were dropped off at different houses throughout the community.  My house consisted of a large two-room wooden building with cracks in the wall (I could literally see my family’s chickens outside from the main room).  There was no discernable privacy whatsoever, and my family spoke absolutely no English.  What I had thought of only ten hours earlier as my primitive Spanish language skills had now become a valuable life-line that I would need to utilize for the next week.  While this first night’s stay might have seemed a little scary at the time, I can honestly say that it was an absolutely wonderful experience.  My primitive Spanish skills actually proved incredibly useful as I was able to learn from my family a great deal about the Dominican culture while at the same time personally experiencing the living conditions in a small third-world town.
      Every day, at approximately 8:00 in the morning, all of the Americans (my Sigma Chi brothers) would walk from their houses to our “central location,” Father Ron’s residence.  From there, we would spend the next 30 minutes traveling through the Dominican countryside to the town of L’Elmo, the site of our project.  Over the course of the week, we performed a great deal of manual labor and were able finish the walls of the newest church in the Dominican Republic.  Our tasks included digging a foundation, mixing and laying cement, cutting rebar, carrying and laying cement blocks, and leveling the inside of the church.  After each day of intensive labor, we would climb into the pick-up truck and travel back to Don Juan for a relaxing evening.
      Although this account to this point has not encompassed even close to everything I have to say about the trip, it is all that I have written to this point.  Throughout this last semester of my college career, I will be adding a significant amount of material to this brief overview of my Dominican experience.  In doing so, I will be personally reflecting not only the state of this third-world country, but also on how this experience has changed my life for the better.  As I begin to pursue a career in medicine next year, I have begun to think about the many ways in which I can contribute to assuaging the conditions in third world communities similar to Don Juan and L’Elmo.  Although I will continue to consider my options as a physician, I am confident that a significant portion of my career will be dedicated to international medicine.  Why?  As a Catholic who is called to serve the poor communities of the world, what kind of person would I be if I spent the rest of my life pretending that this kind of suffering did not exist?  Although I know I cannot solve the problem of world poverty or world hunger, I know that with my particular skill set, I will be able to help alleviate the situation by giving individuals in the third-world a chance to live the life that I have been so lucky to live.
Thank you again to everyone who helped make this trip possible, especially to our financiers without whom such a journey would never have been possible!

Adam Harris' Reaction

"An awesome experience for my first time out of the US..."


When I was growing up, I never really traveled the world like many of my friends have -- but I've always wanted to. I've also always wanted to be a part of some kind of volunteering/service trip where help is given to people who really need it. This trip to the Dominican Republic accomplished both of those things and so much more.

Seeing the poverty that they must endure every single day was absolutely heartbreaking to me. Of course I've seen pictures just like everybody else, but I feel it really doesn't hit you until you're actually there and experiencing it yourself. I couldn't be happier after meeting all the great people there and seeing the smiles that were on the little kids faces. It really made the experience even more valuable to me.

After returning home, I really feel like I have a new perspective on life and I will continue to help those people of the world who really need it as much as I can. Obviously, we can't do it all at once -- but if we all can do something no matter how small, hopefully we really can make a difference to those who need it. For anyone out there who feels like they want to do something like this, please do -- not only well you be helping others live a better life, but also for yourself by doing something good for the world.

Once again, thank you to all the people who donated and made this trip a reality... it couldn't of been done without you!

Pictures

We have uploaded a few hundred pictures of our trip to photobucket, where you can view them at your convenience. 

Trip Photos

We are going to have additional entries soon.

Return

We have returned safely and successfully from our trip.  Our flight out of Santo Domingo beat the Haitian earthquake by about 20 minutes.  Pictures will be posted soon as well as a more detailed recap.  The building is nearly complete, and we are thankful to all our donors for their invaluable aid.  On a different note, please consider donating to relief efforts in Haiti, whose capital has been nearly demolished.  Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and the community of L'Elmo is more fortunate than many places in Haiti.  You can donate through the American Red Cross or other established charities.
Thank you again.

Father Cool's Thoughs

After reading David’s recent post, I too echo his reflection at the generosity of so many that has simply made this trip possible. In just over 2 months, this group of guys with about 100 family, friends, and brothers, has combined to raise just about $14,500 to make a difference in the lives of complete strangers. Why do people take such action? In many ways I believe wanting to make a difference is inherent in each of us. We know when there is injustice and we know that indeed, we have opportunity and responsibility to do what we can. Back in the second week of November we made the decision to move forward after raising just over $6,000. This amount bought us the plane tickets which we needed to secure. We took a chance and trusted in the continued generosity that got us to that point. In the next six weeks we raised the $7,000 necessary for the building materials for the project and the $1,000 in country expenses (housing and food). At times our plans were uncertain, but as each day passed and donations arrived almost on a daily basis and the student’s hard work in fundraising was accomplished, I became more and more confident and excited at the possibility that awaits us in country and within Gamma Pi! Please allow me to extend my personal thank you!!!!!!!!

A few other thoughts before the wheels lift off at JFK:

-Dealing with details like collecting medical reports from the participants so we are prepared for any medical needs

-Personally, these last few days have been spent getting immunizations (typhoid fever, tetanus and hepatitis A) and medications (anti-malaria pills and cipro), work boots, mosquito netting to name only a few. I am sure others are also pulling together.

-A significant issue that has taken a fair amount of time is the needs of one brother. His passport has not yet been returned by the Czech Republic consulate. In February, he is planning on studying abroad and had to submit it to get a visa. To make sure we don’t loose the money spent on a lost airline ticket we will be joined by a more recent Gamma Pi alumni, Kyle Struble to take his place. Should the passport arrive, we will purchase a new ticket for the brother who had to give up his spot as he waits.

-Finally, since the day before Christmas it has came to my attention that while I have traveled with many groups for numerous events and activities, this marks the first time the group I am going with is not a “church group”. Going with 10 fraternity guys is going to be a whole new experience!!!

Father Brian Cool

Final Thoughts

Well we are a few short days away from our departure and I can't help but think how miraculous it is that this trip is actually going forward. I am humbled by the massive outpouring of generosity that has accompanied the lead-up to this.  In an endeavor where every dollar counted, total strangers gave us large donations in good faith that we would put it to good use.  It is my full intention to make the best of this opportunity and use all 10 days to help make a difference in the lives of these people.  Too often we forget how fortunate we all are to live in the First World, where we bicker over petty issues that are unimaginable to people whose primary concern is getting a meal on the table for their children or shoes on their feet.  Hopefully I can return back with a greater sense of my life, and redouble my efforts to help those that cannot help themselves.
     Myself and Eric will be looking into a way to help these people generate sustainable electricity, as their electricity comes in intermittently and for a few short hours a day.  Perhaps this trip could become the first of an annual expedition we make to do little projects to make their lives easier.  Thank you again for all your generosity, it really means the world to all of us going and the people we plan to help.  We will be updating the blog with pictures and other commentary when we get to the town on Saturday evening.  Have a happy New Year.

David Levy