Making Connections

The med team knew we were in for something special when we arrived at Los Coco Boca Chica, a children’s community center, run by a powerhouse named Jackie, which served as our pop-up med clinic for the day. Surrounded by the children’s recycled art projects and amid the song-filled welcome, we immediately began the work but also started making unbelievable connections with the children and staff. Our Spanish improved (or for some- woke up) so we were able to have conversations, share stories, play and dance in a way that seemed impossible a day ago. All those Spanish lessons back at Wat really paid off as we had the real-world task “hanging out” with our new friends. With our systems in place and our efficiency at a peak, our Wat travelers were able to connect with the community in the batey and turned a day of “work” into a day of learning.

The construction team returned to Batey Papita again today, to finish the roof for the new workers' barracks and to distribute food to the families there. Many of the people who we handed out food packs to invited us into their homes, which gave us the chance to interact with them and get a glimpse of what their lives are like. The Watkinson students particularly enjoyed their interactions with the children of the batey, particularly two young boys Jaden, a tiny boy of about 4 or 5, and Matteo, an 8 year old with a wide smile and a mischievous glint in his eye. While Autumn and Pia gave the kids stickers and bubbles, Alex and Logan started a game of baseball at the edge of the sugar cane fields.

But as fun as the moments with the kids were, there were more poignant moments as well. Gaby and Mr. Z went into the house of an elderly woman named Fani, whose husband used to be a sugarcane worker. However, both have grown too old to work and only get by due to the kindness of their neighbors and with aid from non-profit organizations. Fani showed us where a hurricane earlier this year had damaged her roof, causing water to pour into her bedroom whenever it rains. She pointed to streaks of mold across the walls caused by the leaking and prayed that it would get fixed soon. While Fani spoke about the problems facing them, her husband went to the impromptu medical clinic set up by Mary O’Brien for help with an ongoing knee injury. Mary gave him pain medication and wrapped his knee with a bandage.

After some downtime, which we used to reflect on the day's events, the service team went out to enjoy a professional baseball game, only fitting in a country where the game is closer to a religion than a sport. The team enjoyed a closely contested game, featuring multiple MLB players, before turning in for the night in preparation for tomorrow.