Aimee’s daughter, Sophia. ¡Que linda!
It has been about a week since I arrived in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Before I start my internship at the school in Lecheria, my supervisor at Community Service Alliance (CSA) wanted me to spend the first week doing Spanish language instruction and cultural immersion activities to get acquainted with the Dominican lifestyle.
I am currently living with a host family, which consists of my host mother, Griselda, her 25-year-old daughter, Aimee (pronounced eye-may), Aimee’s 3-month-old daughter, Sophia, and their dog, Ginger. Although it has only been a week, I already feel like I’m part of the family. We eat dinner together every night when Griselda comes home from her job at a funeral home. Griselda is a wonderful cook and has introduced me to a variety of traditional Dominican dishes, including mangú – pureed plantains served with fried cheese, scrambled eggs, or salami – followed by jugo de chinola (passion fruit juice) or arroz con leche (similar to rice pudding) for dessert. They have taught me to say “buen provecho” before we begin eating, which is a way of telling someone that you hope he or she enjoys the meal. After dinner, we usually watch a movie or a few episodes of Escándalo (Scandal) on Netflix. It is an American show, so it is spoken in English, but the subtitles are in Spanish.
Mi maestra (my teacher), Maria Cristina.
I have been drinking coffee at all times of the day, for a couple reasons: 1. Dominican coffee is delicious, and 2. I don’t think I would be able to get through the day without it! While preparing for my trip, I was told that I would probably be physically and mentally exhausted by the end of each day; I did not realize the extent of it until I experienced this myself. My brain is constantly in overdrive, switching from English to Spanish and back again. I try to rest whenever I get the chance, but sometimes the rooster who lives next to my host family’s apartment building doesn’t always let that happen – no es un chiste (I’m not joking!).
Every morning, CSA’s driver, Mickey, picks me up and takes me to the office to do one-on-one Spanish instruction with Maria Cristina, who is in charge of the cultural immersion program. She has covered a range of topics, including Spanish vocabulary, Dominican history and culture, even Spanish curse words – given that I will be working with adolescents at the school, I will probably hear these from time to time. My supervisor told me that Maria Cristina would become my “Dominican mom,” and it is absolutely true. She has helped me navigate the Dominican culture and language, as well as the actual streets of Santo Domingo. At first, I felt silly when she insisted on hooking arms every time we crossed the street, but when I realized how crazy the traffic is, I was holding onto her for dear life. For those of you who are familiar with the game “Frogger,” that is what it feels like when I’m crossing a busy street!
The view from the roof of my host family’s apartment.
I have gained a lifetime of experiences during the past week, and there are many more to come. I am trying to embrace each moment, whether it is good or bad, exciting or uncomfortable. Although the idea of living in a foreign country for three months was slightly terrifying, I am so grateful for the support I have received from my friends and family back home, my host family in Santo Domingo, the CSA staff members, and the faculty and staff members at UB who have helped me prepare for this incredible journey.
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Hi, Holly,
Great to hear about your placement. The stress you describe, however welcome it may be as a result of a choice to intern abroad, sounds tiring indeed – does the excellent coffee really work to keep you going? And I do not want to criticize this post BUT – you neglected to include a photo of your other host family “child,” Ginger (es un chiste)! Looking forward to more on balancingall the elelments of your experience in Santo Domingo: new daily routines, new family, new depth of language comprehension and of course orienting to the work in the school. Thank you!
Pat
Hi Pat! The coffee definitely helps, but I’m still pretty tired most of the time. It has gotten better since I have been here for about 3 weeks now, and my body seems to be adjusting. I’m looking forward to sharing more about my life here on the next blog post! Thanks for reading!
Absolutely off to a great start!
So glad to hear, Holly! I look forward to following you on your journey. Send regards to everyone from UB SSW!
Best,
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reading! I really appreciate having support from the UB SSW community!
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Hola Holly, FELIZ ANO NUEVO!
I just wanted to wish you the best, on your semester in the Dominican Republic!
I retired from my professional role several years ago, and entered into study for ministry. Subsequently, I worked abroad. Having spent time in Central America, I can relate to your initial experiences. However, living and working among other cultures has been immensely fulfilling and rewarding! I hope the same for you!
Hi Shirley,
It is good to know that others can relate to my experiences. It has been extremely rewarding so far, and I can only imagine what is still to come. Thank you for sharing!
Sound like you are off to a great start! It IS exhausting to be immersed in another culture, especially one where the language and daily life is so different. I remember those experiences clearly and recall that many times I felt like crying by the end of the day because of my degree of “overwhelm,” even though the experiences were good. Hang in there!
Hi Dean Smyth,
It has definitely been overwhelming, especially in the beginning of my trip. I am getting more adjusted to the culture and language, but I have a ways to go until I am fluent! It’s a relief to know that you felt the same way when you were abroad. Thank you for sharing!
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Hi Holly,
Your Uncle Jim Lavin here. How sweet it is to have you entering the field of social work practice that I have just recently retired from (after 40 years). Your story of off-to-the-DR is waaaay cool, especially in that I, too, began to study Spanish in college in advance of entering social work school. Though I did not absorb and engage the language to make it a prime aspect of my social work, I did use it well from time to time to bridge the language and cultural divide with an occasional Hispanic client in my former practice. I still use my half-way decent spanish ability when I referee soccer matches involving teams with Hispanic ‘jugadores’. I also speak to the fans at ‘medio tiempo’, and the parents of those players very much appreciate that I know their language some and am willing to speak to them (usually they are a bit wary of ‘Anglo’ referees as authorities that may not consider these parents worth their time, or perhaps may fear that I might treat them like, literally, culturally second-class citizens –there IS a lot of that attitude in the US, as I am sure you are aware of).
One last thing: when I went off to Chicago to get my MSW, it was a rather significant ‘culture’ change for me. “Small town kid off by himself to the big city to learn a professional trade and find his way in the world.” It was a rough go initially….though I found my footing enough to complete the degree and begin my work life. And then…..I stayed in Chicago, and it eventually became my home and the place where my life unfolded for the next 40 years. You are to complete this last semester of yours and enter more formally the profession I practiced for so long. I wish you well in completing such a rich learning experience, and including your Spanish so, and that you find work that you will both enjoy and feel ‘fluent’ in (both the work and linguistically!!). Your language skill will clearly enable you to seek out employment that is seeking out someone like you. Enjoy and be enriched in these last few months of your professional training…..and then…”Bienvenidos a la profeccion de Trabajador Sociale!”–Your Uncle, Jim
Hey Holly,
I think Jim’s message is longer than your blog.
So glad you’re doing this work. Thanks for taking the time to blog about it!
Love you! –Susan
Hi, Holly,
A question I have: there were a number of news articles about Haitian residents being deported from the Dominican Republic: http://wp.caribbeannewsnow.com/2017/12/08/10000-haitians-expelled-dominican-republic-november/ . Is this something that you see in the national / local news? What sort of human rights advocacy is there for Haitians in D.R.? Are there other issues that D.R. is dealing with?
Thanks for considering this query,
Pat
Hi Pat,
As far as I know, this has been an issue for Haitian residents for quite a while. Many of them do not have legal documentation, even if they were born in the Dominican Republic. One of the teachers at the school told me that if the parents are undocumented, the child will not be considered a legal citizen, regardless of which country they were born in. The nuns I live with have been trying to help some of the students and their families obtain citizenship, but it is a lengthy and complicated process. Here is a website that I found to be really helpful:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/06/haiti-dominican-republic-reckless-deportations-leaving-thousands-in-limbo/
¡Estamos orgullosos de ti, mi sobrina! Sigan con el buen trabajo.
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