Trip to the Southwest

In addition to earning credit for studying Spanish on SST, students also earn credit in intercultural communication, social sciences, humanities, and natural science. Our four day trip to the southwest part of the Dominican Republic was a chance to explore all of these areas.

Around Lake Enriquillo

We began our exploration at Lake Enriquillo, a salt-water lake 46 meters below sea level and 3 times saltier than the ocean.The area surrounding the lake is desert-like, with salt flats and various kinds of cacti.

Before exploring the lake itself, we climbed up an outcropping of rocks overlooking the lake called Las Caritas (The Faces) where we had an excellent view of the lake and even saw some of the flamingos that inhabit the area. There are carvings in the rocks at Las Caritas that are believed to be ancient works of indigenous people who inhabited this area.Around the lake itself, rhino iguanas greeted us and gobbled up the crackers we threw to them. While waiting for our lunch, we cooled off in a swimming hole at the base of a very cold spring coming down off the mountains.

Continuing around the lake, we stopped at the Polo Magnetico, or 'magnetic' pole. Here we tried to discern the mystery that seemed to make things roll uphill - including our bus and several Nalgene water bottles. Several techniques were used in an attempt to explain this phenomenon, some of which are duplicated here in this group photo.

After spending the night in the coastal town of Barahona, we made a brief stop at a nearby Barahuco beach which is covered in smooth rocks of a variety of colors and sizes. Many in our group enjoyed reliving their childhood as they waded at the edge of the crashing blue waves and froth looking for that one special rock to add to their collection.

Pedernales

From there we headed to our final destination of Pedernales. Pedernales is a fairly isolated town very close to the Haitian border in the far southwestern corner of the country. The geographical area surrounding Pedernales has an amazing amount of variety - from desert-like conditions and limestone mines to pristine beaches.

Our first stop was at the Haitian-Dominican border market. Here persons from both countries can come to buy and sell. This has become a very important link for communities on both sides of the border, since each community is isolated from the rest of their respective countries. The dusty landscape, young boys asking for money and the market with only basic necessities reminded us all of the difficult life in such remote areas. We also encountered a bit of the significant cultural differences that we would see in more depth the next day as students attempted to converse and bargain with some Haitian Creole mixed in with the Spanish.

We finished off the day by going to the beach at Cabo Rojo, a thin stretch of beach whose water sparkles in an astounding variety of blue hues. To get there, we drove along an abandoned mining highway constructed by the Alcoa Corporation, prior to their shutting down operations in the area several years ago. The economic and social impacts from losing this major employer are still being felt in this remote area. While at the beach, most of the students had a chance to go snorkeling, which was well worth it. In the nearby coral reef we saw 12-inch starfish, sea urchins almost as large, small stingrays and a variety of other fish and sea life. There was also time for sandcastle building, and burying people in the sand. We finished the day by watching God's handiwork, a beautiful sunset over the ocean.

The next morning we returned to the Haitian border, this time to walk across into what really did feel like a different world. The paved road ended and we strolled for an hour or so in the little Haitian town of Anse-a-Pitre. Several young boys, who were fluent in Creole and Spanish and who acted as our guides, accompanied us. At the town square, we came upon a group of about 100 believers in a church parade, singing and chanting as they walked. Although we spent only a short time in Haiti, it made a significant impact on many in our group. In discussions since, we have been reminded that there are no simple answers to the reality of poverty and we continue to grapple with what our responses can be.

Our last afternoon in Pedernales went by boat to a remote beach named "The bay of the eagles." Supposedly Columbus gave it this name when he saw pelicans diving here and mistook them for eagles. It was quite a windy afternoon and those in the boat that was riding lower in the water were quite soaked with ocean spray by the time we arrived at the beach. We enjoyed an afternoon with more snorkeling, hikes along the beach, sand sculpture, water games, and an appreciation for the natural beauty of this place. Despite its remoteness, we shared the beach with about 40-50 other people (although since the beach is about 6 kilometers long, it wasn't exactly crowded). There are some who wish to develop this area into a major tourist destination, although such an undertaking might devastate the fragile landscape. As an alternative, some are promoting eco-tourism to this area, which is more sustainable. Based on the people finding their way to this beach, this alternative seems to be working.

Around Paraiso

Sunday was spent returning to Santo Domingo, going by route of Paraiso (the name of the town means "paradise"). We stopped along the way to admire the incredible views, and had lunch at the San Rafael beach. While waiting for our lunch, we ventured on a wet hike up a river that spills out into the ocean at the beach. We carefully climbed over rocks as the river spilled down over them and over us.

The weekend proved to be an excellent time for the group to relax and enjoy each other. It was also a time to experience both the amazing natural beauty of the area as well as the stark reality of poverty and the many related issues. Both will remain strong memories.