Where Are All The Trees...?

Last weekend we took a trip to the capital, Santo Domingo. We took off early at 5am and arrived in the city around 9 for breakfast by the ocean. Our first stop was at the office of a sugar company where we got the low down on sugar and the cane industry. Then it was off to the fields…

Ask yourself this; where does pineapple come from? If you’re like me, you are probably picturing a palm tree type plant with pineapples sprouting from the top, amongst the leaves. Wrong. Pineapples grow from the ground and come up in the middle of a fern-type plant. Imagine the top of a pineapple that you would buy at the grocery store, but about 8 times that size… This revelation along with the piña taste-test contributed in making this one of my favorite days.

Next stop, the bateyes. A batey is a “neighborhood” for Haitian field workers. I would hardly call them neighborhoods, however, because they more closely resemble the slums you would see in National Geographic. The bateyes are tucked back amongst acres and acres of sugar cane, so much so that you wouldn’t even know they were there unless you went looking for them – somewhat similar to the (invisible) Haitians who reside in them.

The latest plan is to combine 40-some bateyes and make a “mega batey.” This would include a school, a community center, and a clinic. All sounds great, but it is being met with some resistance; people don’t want to leave their bateyes, each of which has its own culture and way of doing things. It should be done in about a year, and very interesting to check up on.

Of course we had to try some sugar cane, but this is much easier said than done. Elfie grabbed a machete, cut and peeled us some cane like it was nobody’s business. Now, one doesn’t actually eat sugar cane, per say. It’s more of a bite, chew/suck, spit act. Needless to say, we stood out like the bunch of gringos that we are, and got sugar juice alllll over.

Then we were off to the city and Crazy John’s hostel. The hostel was gorgeous and eclectic, but John brought a certain air of insanity to the room that we were glad to only stay one night. We took a tour of the Colonial Zone in the morning; royal houses, Columbus’ house, and one of the 1st Cathedrals of the New World. We ended our trip by stopping at little beach and swimming in the ocean – true Caribbean style. The drive back was breathtaking as we wound our way back through the layers of striking mountains.
Beauty in the breakdown. Lately in class we have been talking about letting go of our control and allowing ourselves to dive fully into the culture. I keep finding different aspects of this country that I love with all of my heart. The people never cease to amaze me, and I could just sit with them or observe them all day long. They have a beautiful understanding of what is and what is not. They so effortlessly let go of the reigns and just go with the flow. We are reading a book called “The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times” by Dean Brackley and there’s a paragraph in there that has pulled me back to read it over and over;

“As the humanity of the poor crashes through the visitors’ defenses, they glimpse their reflection in the eyes of their hosts. They feel gently invited to ay down the burden of superiority of which they were scarcely aware. They are brushed with a light shame and confusion, and feel they are losing their grip. Actually, it is the world that is losing its grip on them. I mean the world consisting of important people like themselves and unimportant poor people. That world starts to unhinge. The experience threatens to sweep them out of control like a stream in spring. It is like the disorientation of falling in love. In fact, that is what is happening, a kind of falling in love. The earth trembles. The horizon opens. They are entering a richer world” (Brackley 35).

(ps- This coming Sunday we are headed off to the Campos where we will live with Dominican families and help them build an aquaduct for their community. I will be gone for about 10 days, so I will talk to you all when we get back! Much love)