If I were climbing a mountain right now, I’d be very close to the top. I am at the midway point between leaving and going home. Tomorrow I will summit, and start the trek back down the mountain. And I am excited.
As readers of my blog may have surmised, it has not all been easy. Living in the Dominican Republic is not always entirely to my liking.
The Dominicans are incredibly loud and sassy but also a sweet and funny bunch. And after awhile living here, the surprised stares at the neighborhood gringos have turned to friendly waves. We still get accosted for money in town, we still get lectures about how most of our food is not “real food” (fried meats, rice, beans, and plantains is the only thing considered food). But after first being annoyed, I have now come to love the singing motorcycle vendor that rolls by everyday around dinner with his song about his delicious quipes (I think this is a fried ball of meat and some form of starch, but it is hard to tell). And the people at the soda warehouse meet us with a smile and a laugh as we pull up to buy another pack of the region´s incredibly scarce diet coke supply. And in the campo, the Haitians and Dominicans all have come to know my name and what I do, even though it is my wife who spends the time out there.
Taking pictures down here has also been great. I came here looking forward to a break from everyday life in Norway, and made a few promises to myself. Working on my photography is the one I have kept the best. I have yet to start the project I really want to do, focusing instead on learning more on lighting and getting to know and earn the trust of the people out in the bateyes.
But by far the most rewarding part of living here is the perspective it gives you. I find it hard to write about what that experience is like. Since by doing that, it just gives another example of how clueless I still am. However, I want to try to put some of my thoughts down.
Being this close to people and communities that are so poor for a long period of time makes you think about who you are, and what you think is wrong and right. I have discovered that I am a asshole. The disparities here are unjustifiable. But, I can’t imagine giving up what I have, to live like that or close to it. I believe that makes me an asshole. My only real consolation, is that by the same criteria, so are all of you. Simply by reading this right now, by definition, you have a lot more than the people living in the campo will ever hope to have. And what makes it even worse, is how connected we really are. These people are in a way working directly for us, since the next stop after they are finished with their work, is the boat ride to our local supermarket.
It is embarrassing how the people supplying the goods for our oh so wonderful endless consumption are all so hopelessly impoverished. The extent of the gap between us makes me throw up my hands up in resignation. Sure I wish I could help them. We do the best we can while we are here. But the problem… is not the lack of clean water, or the poor access to healthcare. The problem is everything. Helping seems almost pointless, and even the best of projects appear like silly bandaids on a shattered limb. It feels wrong to highlight a problem and then state it’s impossible to fix, but my perspective and understanding of aid has changed a lot since being here. I exaggerate, but my thinking is something like this: “What are the benefits of schools and other “development” projects when as long as there are bananas being shipped abroad, there will be exploited workers?” How could any project ever hope to change this basic premise?
The fact is that they cannot, but some of the projects that I have seen, do improve the quality of life of the workers. Medical missions save lives down here. We have both seen it. Medicine is donated to people that could not afford to buy it. That is good. Donated clothing, although not “needed” provides some boost to the local economy, as they are put back on the market for much needed hard currency. And latrines built by peace corp workers and other organizations ensure at least a minimum of cleanliness in some of the bateyes and villages.
Sadly though, many organizations here in the Dominican Republic seem to be focused on the helper, not the person or group in need. Monte Cristi hosts several groups of foreigners that come down on what seems to be development tourism…a strange mix of giving and getting. There is some help going on, but more self-gratification. Groups of 20 gringos will escort a container full of things that seem to be unwanted items from a certain community at home. The cost of airfare for 20 people easily outweighs the value of the goods they bring. Which as mentioned, once received are often put on the market for money. Then there are the missionaries, vying for the faith of the locals, planeload after planeload from different denominations here to compete for the patronage of the locals. All of them teaching different views and interpretations of the bible. But few if any see the point of teaching their new flocks how to read the book they want them to believe in. They rather have them memorize passages and prayers. In a country with so much illiteracy, and generally poor reading and writing levels, this makes me so mad. All this effort spent on something they already have; a belief in God. Hours are spent saving the souls of the people toiling away on bananas, rice and sugar. None if any on their education. Many in the bateyes can hardly write their names. Just teaching them that would make an immense difference.
Fortunately, I did not come here to help, because if i did, I would be terribly depressed. But, it is depressing anyways, I am still human after all. Clearly, and thankfully, I am a cynic. But, when I am feeling idealistic, I donate my money to the people who are in a better position to help then me. Organizations with a clear and relevant mission that are on the ground for years working within the same community seem to be the most successful in improving some aspects of people’s lives. I wish more people could make the same connection. People should realize that many things they do to make them feel good about themselves are a lot less effective then simply donating to people who are more skilled then they are at “making a difference". And for those of you who donate to animal shelters and the likes… well, if you have seen what I have seen, you would probably reconsider by now.