Batey Papita is the most beautiful place on the planet. The sugar cane tufts blow in the breeze, while a wee little goat bahhhs to his mother. The sites and sounds of this pastoral locale make it a must see! Getting to Papita though can be hard work! Before Hurricane Maria there was a stone bridge that led us into the village. Now, we have use a plank as a footbridge. Sometimes locating a plank can take hours.... Island Time!
La Papita!
Fixing the bridge does not seem to be on the top of the Batey owner's to-do list. Instead, he has brought the cane cutters a tractor to pull carts of cane over the river. Whew, how else would he get rich off of his crops?!
Old Bridge....
The villagers hop across on that little branch like Jackie Chan
New Bridge!
However, the beauty of the scenery creates a stark juxtaposition to the poverty that the people of this Batey live in. Last year, our team built the first house on this Batey. Now, there are two and a half houses built. Today we worked on hauling cinderblocks up to the church that will be constructed next, and worked on finishing the half of a house that currently stands. In the house we hauled dirt to level out the floor while the skilled laborers banged away at the roof.
Block Brigade
Carretera= Highway
Carretilla= Wheelbarrow
After a day of hard work we went on a tour of the Good Samaritan Hospital, the place that makes this whole wheel turn. Then, on to the orphanage for a tour of their beautiful facility. We were early for our tour (a first, as we now are practicers of Island Time) so we didn't get to visit with the kids, but that's okay as the team was MUY CANSADO! Very tired!
Now, the team sits around, laser focused on creating paper plate awards. Watkinson teacher Dave Kroch may or may not be currently tracing the poop emoji from this phone onto his award. Tonight is going to be interesting!
On Day 3, we went to the med clinic and Joe Hartman School per usual, but we did not go to Batey Papita. Instead, we sent a small but spirited crew to Batey 50, where it all began.
What's a batey? A batey is a workcamp, where mostly Hatian immigrants work directly for a sugar cane company in exchange for little pay and substandard housing. Work conditions are extremely poor, and access to healthcare and educaiton is extraordinarily limited. In the Dominican Republic, there are 127 bateys, 90% of which are operated under a single sugar cane company.
Batey 50 was one of the first bateys selected for the construction of hurricane-proof houses by volunteer groups. One of the poorest in the area and the most remote, the batey originally contained houses made of scrap metal, cardboard, blankets, sticks, and anything people could put together. Many of the former Watkinson Service Trips would visit Batey 50 regularly, so we have a longstanding history. We have since built concrete houses for all of the families in the batey, elevating the quality of life for its residents immeasurably.
John Crosson, Assistant Head of School
Today we said hello to some of our old friends. We helped a worker put a tile floor in a new home. The majority of the group went down to the river where a community garden is being planned. We used pickaxes, shovels, and wheelbarrows to add dirt to level the garden site. Some of our interpreters worked alongside us in the hot sun, keeping morale high. While it was a beautiful site, we saw the need for more work to be done before the garden is fully finished.
Pictured here is Liz Benfield, a alumna of Watkinson ('07) and a current Spanish teacher at University High School of Science & Engineering. The picture on the left was taken in 2012 on Ms. Benfield's first trip to the DR. She met the cutest little girl named Erica, and fell in love instantly. When she found out Erica needed a sponsor to be able to attend school, it was a no-brainer. $60 per year is "chump change" to give a child an education for a year. Today, Ms. Benfield returned to Batey 50 and saw Erica again. They took an updated picture together, as seen on the right. Please note that on the left and right you can see Liz donning the same pair of orange shades. (Fun fact: she also wore the exact same pair of shorts, making her head-to-toe outfits 100% identical.)
Everyone returned home from Batey 50 with smiles on their face and warmth in their hearts. We can't wait to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow as a group, but we will miss all of our families at home! Safe travels and happy eats. :) Hasta luego.
Today, the spotlight is on Joe Hartman School, one of our three work sites. Below is a student reflection, written by Maggie P. The buses were packed this morning bright and early, and our troops were shipped out. The drive was short, back tracking our way towards Santo Domingo. Our amazing crew of 18 students and adults from both Watkinson and UHSSE were able to accomplish a lot in just one day at the Joe Hartman School. We started our morning off with a tour from the principal to each and every classroom, where the students greeted us every time with an overwhelming Buenos Dias! We were able to meet with every grade and see what they were learning that day. It was quite the experience for our students to interact one on one with these young students. The tour was soon followed by working on the floor in the cafeteria being constructed. The students demonstrated amazing group effort with everyone putting in their all to move rocks and level out the gravel. Lunch followed, an amazing lunch to say the least, and so did time with the students in the court yard. Our afternoon at Joe Hartman looked like an assembly line to create and move wet concrete into the new kitchen to lay the floor. Our team was able to lay close to half the kitchen floor in a very short time! By that time school had been let out and we had quite the crowd of kids viewing from outside. They serenaded us with Despacito as we used a pitch axe to hack away at a rock/dirt pile. As the day at Joe Hartman came to a close, the rain came, but that didn’t scare away the kids from giving us mini heart attacks while they scaled the cinder blocks to get in. Overall our day at Joe Hartman was extremely productive and a great experience for all who went!
We closed out the night with our annual Tuesday night tradition: Los Toros, live from La Romana. In the fifth inning, the score was 0-6, no bueno para Los Toros. Nevertheless, we made it onto the live camera not once but twice- and even got a high five from Toro himself. We got home late, and everyone went straight to bed. Until tomorrow, everyone!
The team woke up early, had some five-star steel cut oatmeal, loaded up the bus, and headed out to our work assignments.
The bus ride to the med clinic nearly took us two hours because of all the rain from the past couple of days. Some of the roads were difficult to get through, but we made it! Although space was tight in the church, we successfully set up the med clinic and pharmacy.
In the pharmacy filling prescriptions were first-timers Jack, Mike and Cora. Leading the pack were Brianna, a 2nd-year pharmacy veteran, and Jessica, who has headed the pharmacy for the past 4 years. We all had a fun day, despite the heat and chaos.
On blood pressure duty, we had two newbies Naieem and Irene. If ever you wanted to see the look of pure concentration on a person's face, you needed only look at Naieem. Leading the charge was Threesa, who is a veteran nurse and second year traveler to the DR.
Liz was at the door at intake but she also got to work with the dentist. I guess you never know what you will end up doing! Her favorite patient was an elderly woman who had recently pulled her own tooth. She came to see the doctor because she claimed that the tooth was now "walking around in her mouth" and she needed medicine to make it stop. I hate when my teeth start walking around!!! We gave her some toothpaste and told her if she puts it on, the tooth will stop being so pesky.
Other highlights included:
Sandy played traffic cop holding babies and directing patients.
Samm and Kim gave out bug juice and played with the kids.
Jenna and Christie were on shoes. Each of the patients were able to get a pair of shoes & a food kit that we packed the previous night.
Sarah, Sabina and Christine were our Docs from UConn. In addition, we were lucky to have the help of a couple docs from the DR.
Overall, we saw 96 patients ranging from infants to adults in the 70s. The doctors treated different illnesses like colds, high blood pressure, stomach aches and diabetes. Each patient received a three month supply of vitamins. We handed out comfort dolls and stuffed animals to the children. Samm and Kim handed out bracelets to a group of eager kids. We all enjoyed our time and are excited for what's to come!
There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep after 12 straight hours of travel!
We awoke to a scrumptious breakfast courtesy of our in-house chef,
TaTa.After a prayer of thanks, we
loaded up our plates with warm pancakes and fresh local fruit.
To begin our week together, Mr. Dinello invited us to participate
in "The Paper Plate Awards." Each person picked a traveler's
name out of a hat and has one week to get to know that person, directly or
indirectly. The goal is to decide what "award" that person
should receive. It could be something along the lines of "Most
Likely To Fall Asleep On The Bus" or perhaps "Fastest
Shoveler." On Friday, each person will present a paper plate to
their assigned person with one such award. To quote one of our students,
"It's gonna be lit!"
We spent the morning preparing
for our upcoming work: counting medications, sorting shoes, and staying hydrated.
I even overheard a student say, "Let's all be citizens of Hydration
Nation." Preach, kid, preach. The sky must have heard us, and
because around noon it started to pour. The intermittent showers showed
no signs of stopping, which threw a wrench into our planned afternoon at the
beach.
Nevertheless, with grey skies overhead and the
pitter-patter of rain outside our windows, we hedged our bets and went to the
beach anyway. It rained for the entire 30 minute bus ride but the sky
opened up literally as the bus arrived at the edge of the
sand. Our luck seemed too good to be true.
Amazingly, we were able to enjoy two hours of
uninterrupted beach time: the water was warmer than ever, the waves higher
than usual, and the sand softer than I remember. With dark clouds looming
overhead, we had an extra special appreciation for each moment that the weather
held out. The kids practiced their back floats, perfected their
handstands, and launched each other high into the air only to fall back into
the water. It was so refreshing to see the kids totally off the grid,
just enjoying the scenery and each other's company.
We returned to Casa Pastoral this evening so
grateful for our good fortune with the weather. Dinner consisted of pork,
potatoes, carrots and broccoli, followed by an assortment of pies that hit the
spot. The kids are playing cards and reading and doing other kid-things.
Though we are immensely grateful for this day of rest, we're ready for the real
work to begin tomorrow.
On Monday, La Fuerza Azul 2017 made its first team appearance in the world's hottest cafeteria. (It's good practice for the D.R. climate!) It was wonderful to see so many new and return travelers.
In between now and our next meeting, what should I be doing?
Send your fundraising letters today!
Get (borrow) a large duffle bag as all travelers will need to be responsible for a second bag
Contact travel clinic to take care of your shots/meds.
Collect donated meds, shoes, and toiletries (details below)
Review training video on our team blog (if you haven't already)
Review packing list and purchase any items you will need
If you have any questions regarding the above list, please ask! Do not wait until the last minute to schedule appointments or shop for needed items.
See you all on October 16th @ 4:30 for our next meeting!
Besos,
Los Chaperones
Medicines
Ibuprophen (Advil)
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Aspirin
Children’s and infant versions of all pain relievers
Multi-vitamins for kids and adults (no gummies, they melt)
Infant multi-vitamin drops
Iron pills
Prenatal vitamins
Tums
Children’s tums
Allergy meds - Zyrtec
Children’s allergy meds
Lotrimin
Toiletries & other essentials (including, but not limited to)
Ten of the 25 DRST 2016 Watkinson School travelers shared stories from the trip at an all-school meeting in order to share out work with the community and kick off the application process for the 2017 trip.
If you are considering joining us for Thanksgiving week in La Romana in 2017, please watch this video and read the stories they shared below as, just like the pieces that create a mosaic comprise something whole, these images and stories cobble together to convey a sense of the complete experience.
Hannah
Sweat, mud, teamwork, friendship, love, playing. I could go on and on about how to describe working at the school in the D.R., but those are the words that come to mind when I think about it. Here is a story: the day before we were leaving, I was freaking out in my mind. I had never been to a place like the DR! At first, when I got there, I was worried about getting sick, or choking on a malaria pill... but all the worrying was so worth it. Like Michaela, I mostly worked at the school. Our group was removing the pile of dirt/mud— we were shoveling and moving the empty buckets back to the ledge so another could fill it up with dirt again. Everyday when our work was done, we would get on the bus – a muddy and filthy mess — and the kids from Kilometer 6 would wave and follow the bus. It was also there where I met the sweetest baby named Rebeca. The most rewarding part of the day is getting to play with the kids and how they just hold on to you and hug you.
Cassie
I remembered before I went to the D.R, I was kind of nervous because of the language. I didn't speak Spanish, and they didn't speak English nor Chinese. I was thinking about: what if I didn't understand what they said. That would be so awkward. But the truth was that it was not. I went to the school on the first day. As soon as I arrived there, those kids rushed out and hugged me for a long time. Just at that moment, I felt like all my worries had gone away. So during that day, I really had a good time with them even though we spoke a different language. Someone said that to me once, “all those kids want is just a smile and a hug”. Btw, I was proud of myself that I even learned some Spanish.
Cameron
After learning that we would not be returning to Batey 50, I started my week very sceptical about what I wanted to do while I was in the D.R.. Once arriving and hearing about the new site called Batey Pepita, which means small potato, I instantly wanted to get right into working on that. On the batey, Mr. Crosson and I spent over an hour cutting the long metal rods, called rebar, and carrying them over to the workers to help build the foundation of one of the new houses. This trip is important because it builds self awareness around the poverty and real need these people have. They have little to nothing and it is rewarding to give back to them open heartedly. You don't have to give a lot, mostly your time and commitment. All contributions, big or small both make a difference.
Edith
Before I went to the D.R., I doubted if I could really help the people there. When I was in the med clinic in the first day, I saw a newborn baby with burn marks and he hadn’t gotten any regular medication. At that moment, I realized how important our doctors and medicines were. Many people in the villages didn’t have enough money for the hospitals; or they didn’t understand the concept of needing to get medical treatment when they got sick. Everyday, our med clinics treated more than a hundred patients per day, and we just may have saved many lives there.
Jessica
This was my fourth year on the trip and I spent most of time in the pharmacy working along students, UCONN doctors and nurses and translators from the DR. This year, we traveled to familiar places where we knew the routine. How to set up and what to be prepared for but we also went to new places and had to navigate the med clinic in small crowded spaces. But we made it work. The doctors treated patients with all kinds of ailments, high blood pressure, diabetes, skin conditions and stomach ailments. We gave out medications to the young and elderly. Working in the pharmacy can be confusing, chaotic and mentally draining but I enjoy the work. It is a time to be focused on others and help people with their most precious commodity…their health.
Alina
Traveling to the D.R. was my first time going on a service trip. I was in the school construction site for 4 days, and every day is was really hard work, but definitely worth it. Everyone worked as best as they can, and no one complained about the bad weather or physical fatigue. The kids in the school also helped us working, even though they could only carry a little amount of sand or soil, they never stopped helping us. After the long workday, the tiredness is part of what showed our day was meaningful. While we were there, we didn’t always have wifi...without the continuous use of devices like phone and computers, there was more communication between us. Our Life was simple but substantial in the DR.
Clare
I was a little nervous going on the DR trip for the first time, thinking that the language barrier would be difficult to overcome and wondering how everyone’s stories from years before had even happened without a shared language. On my first day I was assigned to the construction site, but I spent a good part of the day meeting the people on the batey. When I sat down next to a few of the kids on the ground, they were pretty shy and didn’t really acknowledge me. In an effort to entertain them, I started to pile up small rocks scattered around us into little towers. At first most of them ignored me, but a few minutes later I felt a small tap on my shoulder. One little girl, Johania, was standing behind me proudly pointing to her own rock tower that she had made a few feet away. Soon there were five or six kids surrounding me, all fascinated with the rock towers and building their own as well. After this, the kids were much more comfortable with me and would follow me around, grabbing on to me and playing with my hair. When I returned to the batey on the last day of the trip, I found the kids sitting on the ground, still making rock towers. I learned that sometimes even a small interaction, verbal or non-verbal, can impact you in more ways than imaginable.
Ryan
This being my first service trip ever, I had no idea what to expect. One story that I’d like to share is when working on the batey one day a woman was standing outside the home we put our bags and water in. My friend Alex from the university high school and I went to take a break — we had been pick axing the ground to dig a foundation. The woman engaged us in conversation using our limited Spanish we put together she was not from the batey. She comes to the batey to help, she teaches the kids, helps organize mission groups, and she is also a pastor at the church. The people on the batey had very little, but outside the bateys people were not that much better off. She did not come from wealth, she was trying to make ends meet too. The fact that she spends her days helping others while not having the most herself was inspiring. This woman taught Alex and me that service does not need to be done by those who can afford to travel from Hartford to the DR, but can be done by anyone anywhere. Helping others is so rewarding, so why not do it any and every where you can.
Jen
Imagine for a moment this is your life: the physical structure you call home is made up of leftover scraps (cardboard, corrugated metal sheets and wire), with a dirt floor, no running water or electricity and shared with multiple family members: adults, children, and elderly all together. Your meals, if you are fortunate enough, consist of small portions of legumes and rice or bread and if you’re lucky a very small portion of meat once a day. The water you drink is fetched from a running stream where bacteria and disease are the common components. Your workday is under the beating hot sun, cutting sugarcane by hand with the swing of your machete. Work that your livelihood depends on, but it can’t afford you medical care or treatment for emergencies, illness and much less pre-existing conditions. However, at the core of it all is this deep rooted faith that God is looking after you and you hold on to the hope that someday you might be lucky enough to have a better life. WE are that hopeline; our work, our contributions and fundraising efforts provide some of these people with desperately needed improved life conditions and the HOPE that it can be better. Join the team and help keep the HOPE alive.
Natty
Much of my time in Dominican Republic was spent working in the medical clinics and i just have a short story about one patient we saw. On our last day of clinic a patient came in towards the very end of the day with a blood pressure that was something like 70/40 which is dangerously low. We tried to start an IV on him to give him fluids and antibiotics but we were unsuccessful because his veins had collapsed from the dehydration and sepsis. We learned that this man had been in the hospital just a few days before and had been discharged even though he was not improving. Cases like this are avoidable with proper medical care and access to medications. This life-threatening scenario could have been solved it had been caught weeks earlier in its early stages. The more people that can get down there and see these patients and help these people get access to something that is a basic human right, proper medical treatment, the more lives can be saved. It is not just those in the medical clinics helping to improve health, everyone did by simply getting people to smile and laugh which sometimes does more good than a pill ever could. So if the one thing holding you back from going on this trip is that you feel like you will not be useful that is not an excuse. Every single person that has traveled to the Dominican Republic makes a difference in their own way and every one of you has the potential to make your difference. All you have to do is make someone smile!
