Working on our 6th House

Watkinson's Dominican Republic Service Team just returned from its sixth week of work in La Romana. When we began this work in 2010, we had no idea how much the team would grow, how many community partners we would forge, or how many friends we'd make on the bateys of La Romana.

Here is a photo of the 6th house we worked on at Batey 50. What a blessing it is to be the one who gets to bring the help!

Day Four: Vlogging at Kilometer 6

A brief history: The school at Kilometer 6 is privately funded but serves local students tuition-free.  It began thanks to a man named Jean-Luc, a pastor at the church next door.  He saw a great need for poorer families, particularly Haitian immigrants, to receive access to a good education and free, quality healthcare.  Jean-Luc began to travel to the United States to foster support for his social projects in the DR.  Unfortunately, in November of 2001, he perished in a plane crash in New York City.

His wife, Elsa, has carried out the remainder of his initial vision.  Thanks to her, the elementary school is completed.  It is a beautiful two-story campus, with large classrooms, clean restrooms, and beautiful murals throughout.  Although many kids come from destitute backgrounds, their well-kept and healthy appearance would make you believe otherwise.  The relative privilege they appear to have is thanks to sponsors who donate a yearly amount, which covers their uniform, books, tuition, and any other required expenses.  The results are amazing.

Enjoy a couple of clips of life at Kilometer 6.   It's the next best thing to being there yourself.

Ring around the Rosie

Proof that we actually do work.

And of course, we enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner at a lovely resort.  After a week like this, it wasn't hard to find reasons to be grateful.

Day Three: "Everything is possible."

After a third day of work at each of the sites, our muscles are tired.  The heavy lifting of concrete at Kilometer six, the shoveling at Batey 50, the sheer mental energy required to manage work at the medical clinic... (Our most recent clinic served a record 180 patients, and the team did not take lunch until all patients were seen.)

So we ended work an hour or so early to squeeze in an afternoon at the beach.  The Wednesday crowd was small, and the lighting at dusk was beautiful.  Although we were there for only an hour, it allowed us to play together, to appreciate some of the natural beauty around us, and to recharge for the remainder of the week.

After dinner and dessert, we were privy to a presentation by two local residents, Jonathan and Belkis. Jonathan (pictured in white) is a full-time employee for the Mission that is hosting us.  Born on a batey, he was one of a privileged few to be able to leave and find himself work.  His dad developed a close relationship with the mayor of the Batey, so the mayor invited him to be a security guard at his house in the city at night.  He worked nights at the security post and continued to cut cane in the batey during daytime.  During this period of round-the-clock work, he was able to slowly move his family from the batey into the city. 

We asked Jonathan what the chances are that the kids we've met this week will too find their way out.  The answer reflected a grim reality: "almost impossible."  In order to maintain residence at a batey, one must work directly for the sugar company which owns the land.  To leave the batey, a family (often with five or six kids) must relinquish their home before being able to enter the city to find a new job or residence.  And since few people can read or write on the batey, finding a job in the city is unrealistic, if not impossible.  

Jonathan's story was raw and honest.  Nevertheless, it was loaded with appreciation, hope, and humor.  He introduced to us Belkis, a young woman (pictured in blue) who was also born on a batey.  Her mother was helping her to pay for an education to become a teacher, but she had to stop paying when Belkis's little brother got sick. Fortunately, over the last two-and-a-half years, she was sponsored by Watkinson's donation to the Mission, which enabled her to resume and complete her university education.  Last year, on December 13th--her birthday--she graduated with a degree in education and has since been employed full-time as a teacher.  "I can help my mom now," she said in Spanish, "and I can pay for my younger sister's tuition.  There's nothing left over every month but I am happy."  Her short and humble speech expressed sheer gratitude for people like us who are kind enough to sponsor children like her to achieve their dreams.  "Thank God for people like you, and may God bless you," she repeated over and over.  She was praying for us--what a humbling experience. 

Jonathan closed the session by saying "Everything is possible--through God, YouTube, and Google."  Laughter erupted.  With a smirk on his face, he added, "Seriously guys, those tutorials can teach you anything."  

What better way to begin Thanksgiving than with a newfound appreciation for our education and technology?  Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  And with that--let's make the most of our last two days of service.

Day Two (Yeah)

Assignments switch on day two--and each subsequent day.  The goal is that each student and chaperone visit all three sites.  

Featured location: Batey 50

  Kamryn G.   

Photo taken by Kerry Boyle

                                                                           Peter W.

Batey 50 is located deep into a sugar cane field--over a half an hour of driving through what feels like a giant corn maize.  Upon our arrival, we took a tour of the town, visiting the local residents.  We noticed immediately that many children had an eye infection--conjunctivitis--that had spread through much of the community due to their close quarters and minimal access to resources.  Thank goodness for our extensive hygiene training!  We were able to play with the children despite this illness, reminding them in Spanish not to touch our face (no tocas, por favor!) to keep ourselves safe.  We will be visiting Batey 50 each day this week, so we will be bringing medicine to the children to help cure them as quickly as possible.  

Most important were the reactions of former travelers.  Watkinson has had a longstanding relationship with Batey 50, and so we have seen it grow and develop with outside support.  Kerry Boyle, a participant on the 2010 DR trip, was shocked to see the quality of the homes the residents now lived in.  Previously, they resided in shacks made of scrap tin, blankets, tarps, and anything else they could find.  Now, many live in furnished houses with separate rooms for eating and sleeping. Even the most primitive houses were neatly decorated, and some even contained a garden out back to help support a nutritious diet.

There is a great deal of work left to do, but at the same time, it's important to remember to be proud of all that's been done.

Kilometer 6

Photo of a classroom at Kilometer 6, where we are beginning to lay the groundwork for a jardin infantil (playground)

Picture taken by Mike DeFlaun

Traveling Med Clinic

Distributing "Comfort Dolls" to the children 

Photo taken by Toby S.

Special Tuesday Night Outing

After a long day of work, Wat and University High students enjoyed a baseball game, in which we watched the La Romana home team (Toros) beat out the Jaguars.  Please note the orange pep band in the background, whose enthusiasm and sheer decibel level would put your college pep band to shame.

Day One (Yeah)

On our first real day of work, we divided amongst ourselves to three different locations.

The med clinic

Located in a remote village deep into a sugar cane field

Building a playground

School located in Kilometer 6

Picture taken by Kerry Boyle

Building a house

Batey 50

Our special feature from today:  Natty Pinkes, future doctor.  At the med clinic, we encountered a woman who had had a cast on her arm for over two months.  It took nearly an hour to remove the cast, and upon its release, she was completely unable to twist her wrist and barely able to make a fist.  Natty created a splint from a cardboard box and duct tape that would minimize her pain until she could get to a hospital.  

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Organizing meds to an epic Britney playlist.

Sorting shoes.

Playing doctor as we prep for our first day at the med clinic.

Treating ourselves to an afternoon at the beach.  

(Photo taken by Toby Synaj.)

We're starting to experience subtle reminders that we're no longer in at home.  The cold showers, the rice and beans, the fact that we can't throw our toilet paper into the toilet.  (Where do we put it, you ask?  In a trash can.  It sounds grosser than it is.)  

It's all part of the experience.  And now, we're off to work.

We've arrived!

Hello friends and family at home!

The Wat DR service team has arrived in La Romana safely.  We flew through check-in at JFK airport in record time, savored our last American breakfast, and enjoyed a fast and comfortable flight to Santo Domingo.  As divine payback for our stateside airport good fortune, we waited in an extraordinary long and slow-moving line at customs. 

How did we pass those two and half long hours?  Practicing our new personal hygiene routine: Purell, Purell, Purell.  Playing the picnic game—you can bring an umbrella but not a raincoat, a puppy but not a dog, and a Picasso but not a Van Gogh.  (Did you figure it out?)  Doing some faux-yoga to alleviate the stress on our tired backs. 

Our incredible team stayed positive throughout, using the extra time as an opportunity to bond with one another.  We chose to laugh instead of complain.  Fortunately, from there on out we encountered no more hiccups.  Not one of our 106 checked bags was lost, and so we boarded two busses to the compound filled with music, naps, and of course—more games.

We’re here. We’re excited.  We’re well-fed and showered.  And of course, we’ll update you soon with more of our adventures.

Hasta luego,

The DR Team

Background Info

This video contains important background information regarding the history of Watkinson's collaboration with the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

February 2015 All-School Meeting Presentation

Reflections from Watkinson travelers:

SANDY: Our rich experience on this Service Trip, our ability to do all the work that our numbers suggest depends largely on our caretakers: 4 wonderful cooks who serve up our meals at La Casa Pastoral; a cohort of interpreters (fluent in Creole, Spanish and English) to guide our construction work and translate for the patients in our medical clinics, and our lead facilitator, Emilio, who is the heart of our work team - he answers our every question, our every special need or request, he provides, provides, provides and never says “no”. And he laughs and thanks God for the blessings we bring to his people.When you work beside someone like Emilio you know you are in the right place doing the right thing, with joy.

DANNI: Although I heard a lot of great things before I finally decided to join the DR trip, I still had no idea what it would be like. I will never forget what I saw there and what a great lesson I have learned. Life is not always about how much money you earn, it is more about if you can put a smile on your face everyday even you don’t have money or food. I was blessed to have the chance to go help people the best I can. I was really shy in the beginning because I don’t know any Spanish, but the kids, they would just come out to me and give me hugs and kisses. I will never forget them.

MIKE: Being my first year on the trip, I really did not know what to expect. It’s challenging finding the words well suited enough to describe the individuals whose lives we quickly were submersed in. The majority of my days were spent at Batey 50 where I was consistently amazed by the love and dedication that was given to us. While unpacking bags and busses, preparing food kits and medical kits, or decompressing after our long days, we made connections with a community of amazing people. Whether it was Tata, Emilio, any of the men, women, and children at the Batey, there was something about the unconditional love that we were given that I will never forget.

MARISSA: When driving to BATEY 50 I had no idea what to expect. I was worried because my spanish ability is little to none. However, as we drove down the road to our destination we passed other bateys. Although we were not stopping, many of the kids ran out of their homes and chased the bus along the path waving and smiling. This really set the tone for the entire trip for me, no matter how much service we accomplished, most of the people were just happy to have us as company and to talk with them.

MIKAYLA: This service trip is something that’s very hard to explain without experiencing it. I was able to make connections immediately with the people on the batey, at the barrios and at the orphanage, especially with the children. After a day of work at the Batey we travelled to a local orphanage. There was a girl who was about five years old who came running to our whole group. I asked “como te llama?, what’s your name?” and her response was “Angelina Jolie” followed by a hair flip and a hip pop. She followed us around the whole time and told everyone her name was Angelina Jolie.

ALLIE: I was in medical clinic for most of the days, so I know how many people we actually helped. It was a large number. I learned how to take a blood pressure from the UCONN doctor. The first time I did this I felt very happy deep in my heart. I never thought I could help people in this way. After patients got their medicine and food, there were smiles on their faces. One of the University High School students spoke Spanish well and get along well with the kids. On the day we left, a little boy gave her a letter. There was a picture of her, and he wrote I love you like I love my mom on that letter. That was so adorable. When I help other people, I am happy myself. There is a saying: Make a gift of a rose, in your hands stays a lingering fragrance. I think this is the most impressive experience in my life.

JESSICA: My first year on the trip I spent some time in the pharmacy working and learning along side veterans who had been on the trip several times and knew the pharmacy well. This year, I was the veteran and my task for the week was managing the pharmacy in the medical clinic. The doctors treated patients with all kinds of ailments, high blood pressure, diabetes, skin conditions and stomach ailments. We prescribed drugs to the elderly and to babies. It can be confusing, chaotic and mentally draining trying to keep straight all the different meds with long and complicated names but I love it. I enjoyed being able to focus and give my all to help people with their most precious commodity...their health.

NANCY: Most of my work was done in the pharmacy. I love doing work non-stop and helping people. In Chinese, it is called 连轴转. Another big job I did was being a photographer to document the work we do and further to share with people who want to know about what we did. On our last night there, while at the beach, as the sun was setting, I spent time drawing the portrait of the woman we built a new hurricane-proof house for. I left the drawing with Emilio to give to her so she can hang it in her new home.

JEN J.: Batey 50 is a remote village in the midst of the sugar cane fields. Families in this village have no running water or electricity, and commodities...medical care, medicines and a bountiful food source are very hard to come by. Everyday, our bus was greeted by a swarm of smiling children, eager to hold our hand, and shadow our every move. On my work day there, I was humbled by their way of life, I was enriched by new found friends, my physical stamina and strength were challenged, and I was thanked with a hug, kiss and blessing from the 89 year old woman whose house we were helping build. This is truly a “transformative” experience, one I will never forget.

LILY: On the afternoon of Thanksgiving, we spent a couple hours visiting an orphanage. As soon as I walked in, the language barrier was not going to be a problem. There was a little girl. She ran towards me, gave me a huge hug, and showed me around. When I started to give her stickers, she brought me to her friends, and encouraged me to give other children stickers. I was so surprised that although she is only about 5 years old, she has already learned the importance of sharing with other people. When people asked me about the trip, I always tell this story. I just want more people to know this little girl, how adorable she is. And I miss her so much.

RACHEL: I was able to see the children I had made connections with the year prior, and it was amazing seeing the children’s faces light up as our bus pulled up onto the Batey. I got especially close to a girl named Melinda, her mother, and her younger sister. Everytime the mom saw me walking around the batey, she would look at her daughter and say, “tu amiga!” The girl would burst out laughing and run into my arms. On the last day at Batey 50, the mother introduced me to the rest of her family. It was really hard leaving the children, and I can’t wait to see them again next year.