One last post from San Juan--Better late than Never!

Panoramic view of the river valley below the not-yet-completed Palomina dam outside San Juan de la Maguana

     So this is our last night in San Juan de la Maguana before we head back to Santo Domingo tomorrow morning.  There has been a lot that has happened over the past weekend and couple of days, so I will try to get your caught up before we head out and do not have Internet access for the rest of the time here.

    On Friday our team headed back to Santo Domingo and we simply rested and caught up on things that we needed to do around here--like translating surveys from the teacher workshops and organizing the materials that we were then going to take back to the schools to leave with them for doing some of these activities.  We put away the remaining donations that were here from this week, cleaned up the donations rooms (the pharmacy space, etc.), did laundry, and took a nap.  On Saturday, we walked into town to climb the steps to the cathedral here in San Juan. There is a tower where you can climb to the top and survey the whole city and valley, so  below are some pictures of that cathedral and the climb and view.

Ken and Jenny Reid standing outside the Cathedral of San Juan

Inside the Cathedral of San Juan

The view back toward the guest house from the the top of the tower of the Cathedral of San Juan

Jenny and Ken Reid and myself inside the Cathedral of San Juan

From the cathedral we walked a little further into town and Ken and I decided that it was time to become nearly official Dominicans.  Since we are here on a semi-regular basis, we decided that it might make sense to get cell phones.  So off we went to the Claro store to buy the Domincan equivalent of Track Phones.  Cell minutes are pretty expensive here if you make calls,  but if you receive them, it doesn't cost you anything.  If you are making the calls, you can talk for about 5 or 6 minutes for about 100 pesos (about $2.50).  So now we have our official DR phones in case we need to make contact with anyone.  Really, cell service is far more reliable here than any other form of communication.  We then headed back to the guest house to just do a little more R & R during the hottest part of the afternoon.

On the way home, some local boys knew how to deal with the hottest part of the afternoon as they swam and played in the river than runs behind the guest house.

Three boys swimming in the river behind the guest house on a hot day.  All of their clothes are lying on the river bank on the left of the river. 

    On Sunday, we went to church Sunday morning and then came back and had lunch.  Olvis, a friend we have gotten to know here, then took us to see a "waterfall" near the Palomino dam that is being built outside of San Juan.  We were pretty excited to go.  We hiked up through the forested area, and...

... this was the waterfall.  We were a bit -- underwhelmed.  But the drive was beautiful, and we went down the river.  The panoramic scene at the beginning is from the river valley.

     On Monday we went back to Elias Piña, the town right on the Haitian border.  Ken and Jenny met the new student that they sponsor at the Lamb of God School there.

Here I am with some of the kids from the Lamb of God School in Elias Piña

And then we walked through the Haitian market.  The experience is quite interesting, to say the least.  The important necessary items are there, but not much in the way of luxury.  The next series of photos and the captions will give you an idea:

Smoked fish at the market sold right beneath laundry soap and detergent

Meat Stand.  Notice the hog head and pig snout and feet.  I think there are are also hearts and other internal organs here.

Beans, Lentils, and other dried goods for sale in the market

Hand trucks for moving large bags of heavy rice or other heavy items

The "hardware store" where you can get essentials.  There are stoves.  They are cooking grills made from wheels and steel rods.  Charcoal goes inside, and the three pieces of rod that extend in hold the pot over the charcoal.

The Haitian market is called such because many of the Haitians come across the border to buy and sell here at this market.  The Dominicans feel about the Haitians much the same way many Americans feel about the Mexicans.  Indeed, at one point while going through the market, we overheard one Dominican say to a Haitian woman, in a harsh tone of voice, "We speak Spanish here, not Haitian!"  The Haitians speak Creole, a French-Caribbean dialect.  The Dominicans feel as though the Haitians are a lesser class of people, and they do not appreciate having them in their country.

On the way back to San Juan, we drove by to see the river that separates the DR from Haiti.  You can see in the photo below that river.  On the other side is Haiti--the one of the two poorest countries in the Western hemisphere.

The river that separates the DR from Haiti.  The other side of the river is Haiti.

Two Haitian women walking alongside the road on the Dominican side of the river that separate the DR and Haiti

     Yesterday I got the go to the CCED school and catch up with Karla, the student that I sponsor.  She is in 8th grade.  We didn't get to talk for long, because she is in final exams, but we got to talk briefly.  I feel so honored to be able to sponsor her and serve as a role model for her.  My hope is that I can encourage her to go on a pursue a college career and move forward in a professional sense.  She is such a sweet young woman.  And the sense of reward I feel from sponsoring her is really fulfilling!

The picture says it all

From here we head to Santo Domingo for a couple of days on the beach.  This trip has been amazing, as usual, and I continue to learn just so much each time I come.  I will likely have one more post and pics and reflections once I return and have a chance to look back on the past two weeks.  And then there are the two more coming up.  So much to be grateful for!

Cerro de Chivas So Full of Need

Cerro de Chivas So Full of Need

Ingenuity at its best--an oil bottle and some plastic caps makes a great toy car.

   We started our day heading out toward Elias Piña.  We stopped at the Solid Rock school in Elias Piña so that some of the people who have sponsored students at the school could meet the students.  Deb Gallagher is meeting her new student in the picture below.  We brought the students some basic school supplies and got to spend about 15 minutes with them .

Deb Gallagher, Education professor, with her sponsored student at the Solid Rock school in Elias Piña.

     The barrio clinic we did today was in a community near the town of Elias Piña, a very impoverished city on the border of the DR and Haiti.  The people in this community have very little resources, and many of the people we saw today were severely malnourished and sick.  This community is named Cerro de Chiva (which translates to Goat Hill).  There are a number of Haitian immigrants who live in this community, and the poverty is more severe than any of the other places we visited this week.  The community has no running water ever.  They get water by walking down to the bottom of the hill and hauling it back up.  They never know for sure which side of the hill will have water, so if they hike to the bottom of one side and find that side has no running water on that day, then they have to go to the other side and see if they can find water.   The community has no school.  Children walk over two miles each way into Elias Piña in order to go to school--if they are old enough to walk that far and if they attend school.

Emanuel, the Solid Rock pastor, greeting the people at the barrio clinic

People were already lined up and waiting for us when we arrived to set up.  You can see a house to the left that is white board.  There are 18 people who live in that house.  The matriarch of the house has 11 children and is pregnant with a twelfth.  Birth control is a complicated topic here for religious and social reasons, not to mention educational issues that impact what goes on.  She is in the photo below with some of her children.  For many of us Americans, we shake our heads and simply think, "why don't they do something about that?"  And the real answer is that "doing something" is not nearly so simply.  Education, or lack thereof, access to facilities or resources to obtain birth control, religious norms, and cultural norms all create a situation that makes effective family planning exceptionally difficult.

The mother on the left and some of her 11 children.  She is expecting in the next couple of months.

The people who came through this clinic were sicker than we had seen in the other clinics this week.  There is a great deal of high blood pressure here in the Dominican Republic, and many people had bacterial or fungal infections.  We treated everyone for parasites since most of these people had not had parasite treatment of over a year.  We had one mother bring in a baby who was six months old.  The child weighed a pound less at six months than when it was born.  Such sadness.  The doctors told the mother that she needed to get the child to a clinic immediately so that the child didn't die.

This Dominican child has a red string bracelet tied around his wrist.  The Dominicans believe that the red string helps to ward off bad luck and evil spirits and helps to protect the child.

Cara Schroeder, ONU alum who graduated just a couple of weeks ago, and I with a gorgeous view of the valley out behind the community building where we held the clinic.

   The day was certainly a rewarding one.  It was hot and dusty.  I spent most of the day talking with the kids about brushing their teeth and washing their hands while handing out first aid kits, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and some hand sanitizer to people.  We talk about hand washing, and it all seems kind of pointless when the nearest water has to be hauled up from buckets from the bottom of the hill.  Nonetheless, we keep trying to share healthy behaviors and keep trying to teach.

The welcome sign from the community

The community had put up a sign to welcome us.  All they had was a yellow crayon, so it was difficult to read, but the sign, translated, says:  Welcome dear visitors.  Thank you for your support as a grain of sand among all of this sickness.  From Barrio Brisa del Sur, we thank you for your presence at this medical clinic.  Thank you.

A sign like this clearly comes from the heart.  Someone had to find paper (not an easy task) and locate the crayon to put up the small banner.  This community went out of its way to make us feel welcomed and appreciated.  What a humbling experience.

Handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste to kids in the barrio and explaining toothbrushing

This was another great day out with the people in the DR.  Tonight the students will begin to pack up their things to head back, we will reflect on the week we have had, and we will begin to look to the next trips ahead.  And we will thank God for all the good that exists, even among the bad.

Health Fair in El Cercado--May 23, 2012

Driving through a cattle drive on the way to El Cercado this morning

A gorgeous mimosa tree in full bloom

Today was a day of new experiences.  Our group headed out to El Cercado, a community up in the mountains about an hour from San Juan de la Maguana.  Solid Rock has both a school and a clinic in that community.  The engineering/education team went to do another teacher workshop with the teachers from the El Cercado school.  The pharmacy/nursing team ran a health fair that provided six educational stations about hypertension, wound care, basic CPR, nutrition, dental hygiene, and hand hygiene.  The families of the children in the nutrition program came to the health fair and went to each of the six educational stations and then to three activity stations that were related to the educational sessions.  They received vitamins, a basic first aid kit, hand sanitizer, and a toothbrush and paste.  All received a snack, and children received a small toy, a coloring book, and a small backpack to carry everything in when they left.

MaryAnne Ventura, an entering fifth-year pharmacy student, checking a mother's blood pressure while her classmate, Stephanie Inkrott holds the mother's child.

Elizabeth Grant and Alyssa Leonard, ONU nursing students, at the wound care station.

One of the great stories of the day was seeing a child that we had first seen when we were last here this past November (2011).  This little girl entered the child nutrition program at 13 months, weighing only 11 pounds.  When we saw her, she was 15 months old and had gained three pounds to 14 pounds.

At 15 months, this child had managed to gain weight up to 14 pounds.

When we saw her today, she looked almost like a normal, health Dominican child, as you can see below.

The same little girl who weighed only 14 pounds in November now at a healthy weight.

These are the kind of success stories that really make the work we do exciting and rewarding--to see the change in one child's life.  Catching the malnutrition issues before the age of 2 greatly decreases the chances of permanent stunting (short stature) as a result of malnutrition.  So exciting!


We had a traditional Dominican lunch for the teachers at the teacher workshop.  The lunch was Moro (rice and beans), Chen chen (a corn casserole-type of dish), Arepitas (Yuca fritters), chicken, pork, and salad.  And it was amazingly good!  However, not all Dominicans are able to enjoy pork and chicken on a regular basis.  So for many of the teachers, this lunch was a treat with all of the meat available.  Yuca is a starchy root vegetable also known as Casava or Manioc.  There was a pick-up with a huge load, so hopefully you can get an idea from the picture below.

Traditional Dominican meal of moro, chen chen, arepitas, salad, chicken, and pork.

Yuca for sale in the back of a pick-up truck.

And of course, one of the best parts of being here is being able to enjoy the kids, as I did here with this cutie!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventures from Elias Piña, a community near the Haitian border.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Teacher workshops and half an orange

Deb Gallagher (ONU professor of Education on far left) and Ken Reid (ONU professor of Engineering with the microphone) leading a teaching workshop for 70+ teachers in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, with several ONU students.

Today our students split into two groups.  Half went to a barrio to do clinics, and half went to do a teacher workshop focused on active learning techniques.  There were 74 teachers from 3 private schools that Solid Rock International runs.  These teachers were from all subjects and all grades.  We had 11students from a variety of disciplines (but mostly engineering) working with these Dominican teachers providing some lessons that incorporate active learning and activities to get students interested in math and science subjects.  The two activities we did today focused on creating an assembly line and related concepts and on creating a robotic arm.  The assembly line shows that working as a team is more efficient than working individually and focuses on quality control while emphasizing speed of productivity.  Students also have to measure and place colors and shapes in appropriate places on the "Colored Brick" that they manufacture from paper bags.  The robotic arms were created out of cardboard, binder clips, pencils, rubber bands, paperclips, string, and masking tape.  The arm had to extend 18" and be able to pick up a full 20 oz. bottle of water and move it about 10 inches. The activities focus on team work, creative problem solving, critical thinking skills, basic math skills, basic measuring skills, etc. 

Teachers demonstrating the "Colored Brick" that they made in the Assembly Line activity

The teachers were genuinely appreciative of the workshop and truly enjoyed themselves in the process, which made it fun for all of us, too! 

When we returned, I had the opportunity to walk through a local barrio with one of my students and one of the locals who is friends with the missionaries who run the guest house.  He was explaining his life in the community and answering questions for my student.  He was also asking us questions and asked me if I had any children.  I explained that I was single and did not have any children.  His response:  Que pena ---- Como media naranja.   You may wonder how that translates.  The literal translation is "how sad--like half an orange."  The saying here in the Dominican Republic for people who are single is that they are like half an orange--the implication being that one is not whole without the other half.  To be middle aged with no significant other is a cultural oddity here, and clearly I am an anomaly to them.  So I learned a new saying and that I am like half an orange.  My linguistic lesson for the day.

Tomorrow we will hold a health fair in a community called El Cercado up in the mountains.  Check in for the update on the events of the day when I post tomorrow night!

Teachers and students after the workshop at the Celia Rupp School in San Juan de la Maguana

Monday, May 21--Our First Day out in the Field

So today we took the entire group out to a barrio clinic.  We didn't go too far out today since we weren't sure about what the situation would be in the country after the elections yesterday.  We went to a community called Las Carerras de Sosa.  We had a great time.  All of the students--engineering students, nursing students--everyone went to experience the day.  I had a great time showing students a little bit about the Dominican people and the culture.  One think that was pretty interesting was the reaction of one young student.  We set up the clinic at the local elementary school in the community.  Since the grounds were fairly small, we asked a local woman if we could use a shady area in her yard for the kids to help entertain them and play games so that they were not getting trampled by all the people coming and going.  She told me that was fine, but apologized that her yard was a bit messy and had some trash.  I told her to please not worry.  She grabbed her broom made from tree branches and began sweeping the area, which was basically just dirt.  The student said, "But I don't know why she is sweeping the dirt . . ."  I explained that she was honored that we were using her yard and that she wanted to make what she had look as nice as it possibly could.  While to us it is "only dirt," to her, it is her yard and her place that she is proud of.  To see the student's expression change at the realization and change in perspective was great.  It was a moment where this student realized just how much he takes for granted on a daily basis.

We worked till noon and then stopped to eat the lunches we brought.  It is mango season here, and we were in a community that grows TONS of mangoes (I think my favorite fruit).  Some of the local boys climbed trees out back to get some mangoes for us to eat.  They knocked down a bunch, and ultimately sent us back with three bags full to have here at the guest house. What a great treat!

local boys picking mangoes for us to eat at lunch

 After lunch I went walking with some of the students through the town to see a bit about how the Dominican people live.  They got a chance to see a local Colmado (a type of quick shop) where they pick up true necessities.  We got a chance to ask a variety of questions.  We learned that eggs cost 6 pesos each, of $1.00 per half dozen.  At that price, we could easily see why the Dominicans do not rely on eggs as a food staple.  We got a chance to see the local crops of Yucca (a starch root vegetable--not like the ornamental cactus we know in the U.S.), corn, rice, plantains, mangoes, bananas and guandules.  Guandules are somewhat like a cross between a pea and a lima bean.  They are actually quite good.  We had some tonight in our dinner.  The pic below is a family shelling the guandules that they grow.

Shelling guandules (a legume that is kind of a cross between a pea and a lima bean)

 I ended up taking three groups around the community where students had the opportunity to interact with some of the locals and ask questions.  I loved every minute being able to help them expand their worlds just a little bit.  And mine too.  I always learn so much from these trips.

This last photo is a group of students who were working in the pharmacy handing out the medications that our Dominican doctors prescribed to the patients we saw.  It really was a terrific day.  I think we are all exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep.

Tomorrow we will have one group of students going to barrio clinics and another headed to a school to help do teacher workshops teaching Dominican teachers about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math subjects.  We will have about 90 teachers tomorrow.  I am looking forward to it!

Curlers--Not for curling hair!  Notice the holes in the curlers.  This is the Dominican hair dryer.  The air moves through the curlers and the sun and air dry the hair.

A group of students and a translator working int he pharmacy section of the barrio clinic.

Hi all,

So here I am in the Dominican Republic for my fourth visit.
We had a bit of a challenge getting here with a mechanical issue with the plane, so we were delayed five hours, but we got a $100 voucher toward future travel and $6 to buy lunch, so not such a bad deal.  And given that there is a huge tropical depression sitting over the country and lot of rain, we didn't miss much as the resort anyhow.  No real beach-time was sacrificed.

I did try to walk the beach Saturday morning, but got caught in the rain on the way back to the hotel. Oh well.  That's how it goes.  We went to the airport to meet out team of students and two other faculty, and all arrived with no problem.  We started the three hour bus ride to San Juan de la Maguana, but because of the heavy rains, we decided to just hang back and spend the night in San Juan.  We didn't want to drove back in the rain and take any risks with poor driving conditions in the dark.  So we got up and were on the road this morning at 5:30 a.m.  We left early since the national elections were today.  Polls opened at 6 a.m. and we wanted to be out of the city before they opened.

Once we got into the clinic and guesthouse, we ate breakfast and then began unpacking all of the things we brought and gathering things for the day at the barrio clinic tomorrow.  I will keep this blog updated on a daily basis, so hopefully it will be easy for anyone who wishes to keep up with the trip.