Haiti and the Southwest, Part 2
The students took a four day field trip to Pedernales Jan 24-27. Pedernales is the southernmost city on the Haitian border.
Pedernales
After
arrival in Pedernales on Friday after a beautiful drive and some breathtaking
views, the first stop was a border market on the Dominican side of border
where Haitians bring their basic sustenance products for sale. The
market is a win-win situation for all. Haitians bring their products
and sell them to Dominicans who have cash. Then the Haitians turn around
and use the cash to buy other items back in Haiti stimulating the economy
there. Dominicans benefit from buying cheap products which otherwise
might not be available. Betsy bought a colorful cloth wrap.
Anse-a-Pitres (Haiti)
The
next day, we were able to cross the border into the Haitian village
of Anse-a-Pitres and spent a couple of hours there. I was amazed at
how much Anse-a-Pitres had changed in the short 4 months since I was
last there. And this speaks volumes as to the economic impact of the
border market. There were many newly built houses and fewer thatched
roofs. Whereas in September I only saw two motoconchas (motorcycle
taxis), we saw more than a dozen this time. We even saw two small pickups.
In
December, a Dominican counsel moved into a new house in Anse-a-Pitres
and now there is someone of authority and power in the region who can
work at immigration and trade issues. Here is a group picture under
the centenary tree which stands in a central park.
The
contrast between the DR and Haiti is still incredible. In one short
kilometer, the culture totally changes. We went from Merengue and car
horns to peaceful silence. From paved roads to dirt roads. From mulatto
to black. Haitians in Anse-a-Pitres were incredibly warm. We were all
touched by the poverty we saw and our inability to have any answers
for a complex world where we were born into plenty while most are not.
La Cueva
To
finish off our Pedernales stay, we took a boat from La Cueva
(the cave), a fishermen's village where some of the houses are built
into caves in the side of the mountain. Supposedly, the village used
to be only men and they didn't wear any clothes given this fact and
the warm and wet climate. But now there are plenty of women and children
around so this has changed.
From
there, we took the boats on a beautiful ride to a secluded beach called
Bahia de Las Aguilas (bay of the eagles). The scenery
was breathtaking and amateur marine biologists had a field day. The
day ended with a beautiful sunset.
The
students wanted me to include this picture of "prego" Ruth. The due
date for our Dominican baby is February 24th, one day after the students
leave for service. We somehow think there was divine providence associated
with good timing for the due date. So we feel very blessed and look
forward to the prospect of having an addition to our family.
San Rafael
On
the way home, we stopped at San Rafael beach near Paraiso and while
lunch was being prepared, we hiked up the nearby river. The 30 minute
hike ended at an aqueduct built into the side of the mountain and around
where the water gushes out of the mountain rock "a la Moses" where we
took a group photo.
The aqueduct then directs some of the water to nearby Paraiso.
Lunch consisted of fresh Colorado fish and Moros (rice and beans mixed together) and Verde Fritos (green platanos fried twice and smashed once between) and coke in a bottle (tastes much better - maybe it's the sugar cane sugar, maybe it's the water).
Also...
Santo Domingo
Back
in Santo Domingo we enjoyed lectures by Salvador
Hernandez on "DR Education", Puro Blanco on "Tourism and the Sex
trade in the DR", and '84 GC Grad Elias Acosta (at right). Acosta lectured
on "Protestantism in the DR" and "Media/Business in the DR". Elias started
the WGCS Saturday morning program
"Momento de Gozo". Puro used the break between lectures for a
little stretch. Also at ENTRENA, the students learned how to dance
Merengue.
