Getting Excited

Our flights have been purchased and we are currently in the process of several important steps, namely:
     -Immunizations and drugs (Anti-Malaria and Traveller's Diarrhea)
     -Setting up homestays in the Dominican Republic
     -Getting supplies like DEET bug-spray, mosquito nets, work gloves, etc.

We are very close to our fundraising goals and are confident that we will raise enough money to build our latrines.  Both those of us who have and have not been to the Dominican are getting excited for the impending trip, and we look forward to giving you more updates as well as accounts of the work we do.

Thank you again.

Why I am returning to the Dominican Republic for a second year By Siyani Fullerton

      This will be my second year in a row heading down to the Dominican Republic for our service trip. Many people have asked me why I am going again when I could be relaxing at home over break, sleeping in and playing video games. To that I simply respond, this is what I would rather spend my time doing. Life experiences such as this help you to mature as an individual and understand what is truly important in life, and it was not until I went to the Dominican Republic that I finally understood the magnitude of my blessings in life and how lucky I am.

    Constructing a building basically from scratch for one of the poorest communities in an already poor country opened my eyes to a world we all overlook. The work we did was taxing and required us to put in long hours in the heat and humidity of the Caribbean, but looking back all that didn’t matter because what got us through it was knowing that what we were doing was unheard of for these people and will still be in use long after many of us have left this world. The feeling I got when the young children were laughing and smiling and wanted to help by picking up the branches and rocks in the construction site, because they were going to finally have a safe place to play makes any pain I felt from the work seem non-existent. To them, this was a big deal and a luxury for the community that, without our doing would never come to fruition. Amazing how a project that we would simply hire a contractor to do in a weekend could mean so much to so many people. 

     So when people ask me if it was worth it, I most certainly say yes. I choose to give up my time to see old friends and unwind from the semester because the impact those people made on my life. In a way, I feel like I have known these people all my life. They took me into their homes and gave me shelter, food and welcomed me into their community like family. I get excited just thinking about seeing my host family again and sitting on the porch with their bird “Cucka”. I can still remember the feeling of the dirt sticking to my skin as I ran around the baseball field with the school children and joking around while listening to music at the barbershop, all things that I do here at home. I truly feel as if we became more than just a group of Americans to the people of L’Elmo, we became family, and there is not a better way I can think to spend my break then to go see my second family.

Why go back?

     I am going back to the Dominican.  The reason is relatively simple.  Living in the developed world makes me take my life for granted, and assume that the rest of humanity enjoys many of the luxuries that I do; food, water, a bed, etc.  The reality is far different.  Two billion people live below the UN standard of absolute poverty ($1/per day).  I've studied in Europe, I've experience many different cultures - but poverty does the same things everywhere: crime, domestic violence, broken families, starvation, despair.
    There is something visceral, some deep experience, that is gained from being transplanted from your comfort zone and dropped into an environment where everything is different.  When I came back from the Dominican in the wake of the Haitian earthquake (something that's faded from the world), I felt like a different person.  While I and my family regret that I have very limited time at home between coming back from Belgium, the Dominican, and going back to school, they understand that this is important to me.  Digging outhouses might not seem like much, but it's far better than the alternative - digging a hole.  Can you imagine doing that every day?  I know I couldn't.  If you haven't given any money towards this endeavor, please consider it.
Thank you.

-David Levy

DONATO BORRELLO TALKS ABOUT WHY HE IS GOING

A service trip to the Dominican Republic is an amazing opportunity to not only help out others in desperate need, but to put the rest of my world into perspective. We are currently planning to build outhouses for 10 families, not a glamorous job, but the fact that it needs to be done says a lot about the standards of living that these people are currently living in. Raising the money for travel and building materials is the first challenge, the next is getting immunized and jumping neck deep into a foreign culture entirely different from anything I've experienced. 

Deciding to go was not easy, it takes away time from my family and friends over the winter break, when time is my most precious commodity. Yet this is the kind of service that I can be proud of and will likely change my outlook. I am really looking forward to this experience, so hopefully we get enough donations!

-Donato Borrello

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.

David Levy's Reaction

About a month out, I sit here thinking about all the things I saw and learned about myself and the world.  One of the things that really struck me was the amount of garbage these people leave.  A lot of the rubbish is American.  Coca Cola, chips, candy, all are reminders of the First World while in the Third.
    The poverty we encountered was extreme.  I remember Father Ron telling us that some people just cannot handle the poverty and fall victim to despair, losing their sanity.  It is dreadfully sad that we spend billions of dollars on luxuries for ourselves when these people cannot even afford a meal of rice and beans. I am truly thankful to everyone who donated their money, especially during a recession.  Without your generosity and good faith, our trip would have been impossible.
   With regards to the building of a church labeled as a community center, the two truly are intertwined.  In L'Elmo, the people who don't have work don't do much but sit at each other's houses and play dominos.  Religion is crucial for these people because it is the only thing in their worlds that gives them hope.  The belief of salvation after death eases the pain of their poverty. Hopefully communal activities via the chapel will help them make progress in their lives.
Thank you again to everyone, its value is immaterial.

I also want again to direct you to our website with pictures.  There you can see exactly where your donation went.

Humbly,
David Levy

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.