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.

By the Numbers

The 2014 trip had a host of extraordinary outcomes. Here are some important numbers:

• Over the week we conducted five medical clinics, working alongside our hosts from the Good Samaritan Hospital, and treated more than 1000 patients, providing them with at least a month's worth of meds, vitamins and toiletries that were donated by friends and family.

• One of the bateys we visited had never had a clinic before and as such our team treated more than 220 patients in one day, setting a record for the mission we work with!

• We finished our fifth hurricane-proof house on Batey 50. This batey is privately owned and therefor the government does not provide hurricane-proof housing. Prior to teams like ours building homes for them, residents lived in homes they cobbled together from found sticks, shards of corrugated tin, and weathered, discarded pieces of plywood. A photo below shows the old and new construction side by side.

• Our team distributed food to residents at all of the bateys we visited, reaching more than 1200 homes.

• La Fuerza Azul had 47 members — 19 students and two chaperons from the University High School of Science and Engineering, 5 doctors from the UConn School of Medicine, 6 Watkinson faculty, 7 Watkinson students, 5 Watkinson alums, 1 Watkinson parent and 4 friends of the school.

• We hauled 38 fifty lb. bags of donated shoes and had the privilege of distributing them everywhere we went.

• We have relationships with two different schools in the La Romana area -- one on Batey 50 and one in a barrio called Kilometer 6. We had the joy of donating more than 10 bags of school supplies — notebooks, crayons, pencils, glue, manipulatives and learning games — in both locations.

• We sponsored a teacher two years ago, Belkis, who has now finished her education and graduates December 3. We also had the financial resources, thanks to many generous donors, to sponsor a new student, Minerva, studying to become a teacher. The most interesting part of these sponsorships is that the organization that coordinates them requires the beneficiaries to pay the money back to the sponsor program after they have been gainfully employed for five years.

• The construction projects coordinated by the Good Samaritan have been using the same cement mixer for more than 25 years. It was overused when they acquired it. Now, 25 years later, it is woefully insufficient for the work they do. Again, thanks to the generous donors who support the work of Watkinson's D.R Service Team, we were able to give the Good Samaritan enough money to buy a new cement mixer. When speaking with a board member for the hospital, he was overjoyed and exclaimed that the efficiency of the 70 teams of volunteers that work alongside the Good Samaritan staff will increase by more than 30%. Our experience bears this out as we spent about one third of our week mixing cement by hand as the mixer wasn't working.

However, the total story of our work cannot be told by the numbers alone. Below the photos is a lovely reflection by one of our student travelers.

Top to bottom: New House and Old House Side By Side, Construction Team with the House We Completed, Med Team

Reflection from a Student Traveler

I had a blast working construction and painting, the children loved helping and I loved being with them because they were always happy. I also really enjoyed working at the med clinics; my favorite jobs were intake and blood pressure. The people in the bateys are so loving and amazing — a simple hug makes their day. Also, there may have been a few times where I was tempted to take a child home with me. And by a few times I mean every day the temptation would creep into me.

I have been asked numerous times: “Why would you give up your Thanksgiving to go work all the way in the Dominican Republic and be away from your family?” I would respond to them with confidence, “I would rather spend my Thanksgiving giving people that have almost nothing something to be thankful for.” I would rather give an 11 year-old boy who had tattered and holey shoes the sneakers right off my feet than pig out on a gluttonous meal. I would rather spend my Thanksgiving helping to run a med clinic than watching a football game while falling asleep from all the food I ate. The people we serve are not thankful for just one Thursday a year. They will be thankful when it rains because they now have a roof over their head. They will be thankful when they are taking their medicine because they were lucky to see a doctor. And they will be thankful when they are putting on the shoes that were donated by loving people half a continent away. And no, I did not spend Thanksgiving without my family; the team is just as much family as my actual family.

On this trip I was the happiest I have been in months. Nothing lifts my spirits like helping people that need it and making great friends while doing so. If I had to take anything away from this trip it is do what you can to make someone’s life a little easier or their day a bit more bearable. Be thankful for everything you have, including the education you have, and for the fact that you can count on it that you will have a next meal. There is no way that I will pass up this life-changing experience next year.