Week two

It's hard to believe that another week has passed. Time flies by quickly, filled with many new experiences.

Lectures

Dr. Israel Brito reminded us that the DR is not a secular, post-Christian society. While weaving in his personal faith journey and the importance of seeing religion in the context of culture, he gave us various insights into the religious climate and trends in the DR today.

Giselle Scanlon addressed the difficult topic of domestic violence and the role of women in the DR. Progress is being made to advance the rights of women and to reduce the incidence of domestic violence, but it has been a slow process and often discouraging. Domestic violence, in a variety of forms, continues to be a real problem in the DR.

Tuesday was a national holiday honoring the patron saint of the DR, the Virgin of Altagracia ("high grace"). Students took advantage of the free day to engage in a variety of activities with their host families or other SST students.

Wednesday the students experienced their first set of explorations in small groups. In groups of 3 or 4, they set out on their own to see various cultural/historical sites throughout the city, and ended up back at Casa Goshen for lunch and an afternoon of student-led worship and sharing together.

Field trip to the Cibao

Early Thursday morning we left Santo Domingo for a two-day field trip. Our first stop was the town of San Cristobal, just west of Santo Domingo. San Cristobal was the hometown of past dictator Trujillo. We visited a church that Trujillo built in his hometown back in 1946 at a cost of $4 million. He spared no expense, for it was to be his final resting place. The inside walls (photo) are covered with Biblical scenes by the famous Spanish muralist Jose Vela Zanetti. The original pews, doors, and ornate altar at the front are made of hand-carved mahogany. In the basement of the church is the crypt that Trujillo built to provide a place for him and his extended family. However, Trujillo’s body rested in San Cristobal for only 6 months after his death. When his family was forced to leave the country, Trujillo’s body was sent to France and then later to Spain where he is now buried.

From downtown San Cristobal we headed north a short distance to las Cuevas de Pomier, a series of caves containing Taino (indigenous peoples) cave drawings and petroglyphs which are believed to date back 2000 years. In addition to seeing what are some of the best examples of prehistoric art in the Caribbean, we also got a chance to stretch and twist our way through narrow cracks and crevices. We visited a second cave to see its population of indigenous bats – thousands in one cave alone, flying about the ceiling with an eerie sound.

From San Cristobal, we headed to the central region of the country, the Cibao valley, known as the breadbasket of the DR due to its fertile valleys and hillsides. We visited an organic farm owned by Don Jose Cruz (right) and his wife Doña Nati. After eating a bountiful country lunch prepared for us by Doña Nati, Don Jose took us on a tour of the farm and the surrounding community. Don Jose and Doña Nati’s vision for environmentally friendly agriculture and the idyllic surroundings had our group asking for 17 service assignments in a place just like this one!

The group also saw the simple yet intensive process of organic coffee production, and many bought one or more packs to share with others and to support Don Jose’s work. Here Ben S. tries his hand at grinding the freshly roasted beans.

We spent the night in Jarabacoa, a small town nestled in the mountains known as the "Dominican Alps". The students had a chance to explore the nightlife there since our hotel was right on the central park.

The next morning we set out for one of the many local waterfalls, Jimenoa Uno. After a steep half hour hike down to the base of the falls (a setting for one of the scenes in the original Jurassic Park movie), we enjoyed a refreshing (read cold) swim and a natural sliding board.

After experiencing the natural beauty of the region, we set off for Salcedo, the hometown of the Mirabal sisters. As described in the book by Julia Alvarez, "In the Time of the Butterflies", Trujillo murdered three of the Mirabal sisters because of their involvement in trying to overthrow his reign. Their mother’s home near Salcedo has been turned into a museum in their honor, and has on display various personal items from the sisters. The museum gardens also serve as their resting place (photo).

A highlight of our visit to Salcedo was meeting with the sole surviving Mirabal sister, Doña Dede Mirabal. She welcomed us into her home (which is the original family home where she and her sisters were born and raised) and shared freely of herself and her family’s story. Meeting and talking with her reminded us of the personal impact of the Trujillo era and the many, many Dominicans whose lives were deeply affected. Doña Dede’s son Jamie David is involved in politics today, and may be running for President in the 2004 elections.

Activities for this next week will include a family picnic on Sunday, followed by lectures on Dominican History, Music and Dance, Business and the Environment, and DR/Haitian relations. Our day trip at end the week will take a start-to-finish look at the sugar industry – from the social issues surrounding the use of many Haitian sugar cane cutters, to the actual process of making sugar from the cane, and the whole industry's importance to the Dominican economy.