Day 6: Thanksgiving

After our fourth day of work, the team had a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Nevertheless, this day is always hard.  From 8-4, we spend the day in the most rudimentary and sometimes sordid living conditions one can possibly imagine.  Then we head to Casa Pastoral, shower, and take a bus to Casa de Campo, a gated resort town owned by the sugar cane industry--where our world is turned upside down.

We arrive at a mansion with vaulted ceilings, lavishly furnished living rooms (plural), and a stunning pool.  Once settled, we crack open a Coke or Sprite (more delicious in the DR, thanks to the natural sugar used in the recipe... which is possible thanks to the exploited sugar-cane workers that we aim to help).  And once the final trimmings have been laid out, we enjoy a filling meal that comfortably feeds over 100 individuals.

The exact site of our Thanksgiving dinner

It's really easy to be thankful after the conditions we have witnessed and experienced all week.  It's hard, though, not to ask "why."  Why were we born into a life of security and comfort?  Why weren't the individuals we serve?  Have we done all that we can do to rectify this injustice?  Is there anything more we can do?

I don't have the answers, but I'm grateful for a Thanksgiving that was authentic and meaningful.