The Dominican Republic

Sarah Wennersten

January 23-February 6 DR, 2011

Week in Review 16

We just got back from the Dominican Republic. That still doesn’t sound real, but it’s true. I had an amazing time in the DR and learned a ton. For this WIR I am going to mostly just copy my journal because I kept a pretty good record of everything that happened.

1-24-11

Right now I am sitting in the sun, drinking a Coca-Cola, and watching my classmates roam around and relax in the Dominican Republic. Yesterday morning at 8am we all loaded up in vans and headed to LA. I was in the 12 passenger van with Karissa. I was in the back row with Jerrod and Grant, we had a great time. On the way down the hill I was in an amazing mood. I am just so free. I am excited for my single life and ready to live. As we were driving I was imaging my life and all the col stuff I could do. We were playing great, feel-good music and some love songs. My heart was light and I couldn’t get the smile off my face. I am so free from worry. There is no one I am trying to impress, no one whose attention I am trying to get.

We made it to the church in the late afternoon after stopping in Bakersfield to eat lunch. At the church we loaded into two big blue buses and made our way to the airport. We got there at 6pm, got through security, and then chilled till 8:30 when we loaded the plane. In security I got screened by on of the new full-body scan things. It went really quick. Our flight left at 9pm and got to New York at 5am NY time. So it was 2am our time. We were all tired. Then our flight left at 6am and we got to the DR around 1pm. All the customs stuff went really smoothly. Soon we were outside being given sack lunches by the Students International staff. Then we loaded in vans and began the drive to the compound. In a lot of ways the DR is like a tropical Mexico. Like Mexico minus all the bad stuff and connotations that go along with it. The culture is great. I really like it here. We have until 6pm to just relax. Now I am laying in a hammock in the shade. The compound looks like a resort. Our rooms are pretty nice. 2 showers and 2 toilets per 10 girls. The grass is groomed with lots of trees scattered around. You can see coconuts in the trees. This is just so perfect. There are people playing catch, others reading or just sitting, and little pockets of people all talking. This is gorgeous. We all feel like we are on vacation in a tropical, Caribbean paradise leaving winter behind us. Hard to believe that just yesterday we were in the snow and cold. Now we will be experiencing a low of 60 degrees and 100% humidity.

I am excited to start work tomorrow and the Physical Therapy site. I get to serve people with real needs and enjoy some rest from the normal Joshua program. I needed this. God you are so amazing and so amazingly good to me.

It’s interesting. There are actual flushing toilets here but you have put your toilet paper and anything else not from your body in the trash can. So that is similar to Mexico except these flush and are pretty nice.

I am getting bit my annoying little chiggers (later found out they were no-see-em’s). They bite you leaving a pin prick drop of blood. You don’t feel it most of the time...just find blood smeared random places.

Life is pretty good right now. The smell of the tropics is wonderful, I am comfortable in this hammock, I’m in love with my Savior and Creator, and I know people love me.

My mind just went to the thought of all the things that could happen to ruin this happiness. But no matter what I believe I have found true joy, so that no matter what happens or how unbelievably sad I may get I will know God is in control, he has my best in mind, and he loves me. So I think I need to just enjoy this and soak it up.

It is so encouraging to look back in my journal and see thoughts and things I wanted to change that are so a part of my life now. I am very encouraged by the growth in my life. Praise God.

It’s like a jungle here.

1-26-11

Yesterday was our first day at our sites. At 6:45 we met in the chapel, read a Psalm, went to quiet time till 7:30, had worship and a message till 8:15, went to breakfast, and then loaded in the trucks at 8:55. That is our schedule every day. The trucks are really cool, they remind me of old army trucks. There are benches along the sides and big roll bars around the top. We dropped the boys of at the baseball field about 10 minutes away from the base and then drove one more block till we reached the Physical Therapy site. The building is actually really nice, it’s very clean and modern by Dominican standards. Not to say that Dominican standards are bad, but it’s a third world country in the  tropics, so it’s pretty chill here.

As soon as we got there, Dan, the physical therapist, had us using the ultra-sound machine and doing massages. The four of us Andrew, Julie, Marissa and me mostly just followed him around. Dan is a really cool dude. He is very built, is married with 2 kids, and is a good teacher.

Yesterday and today were pretty much the same as far as our work day. We got there, assisted with small stuff, had lunch from 12-1, and the left at 3:30. From 4-6 we have free time which I have spent just reading, writing, and relaxing.

Last night was one of the funnest times I have had in a long time. After dinner we got to learn how to “Meringue”. It’s a Dominican style of dance. The guy who was teaching had to do so through an interpreter. He was so funny. We started out getting in lines and spreading out. Then we had to put our right hand in the air and our left over our heart. then we had to slowly turn in a circle with our eyes closed. I’m sure we all looked ridiculous. After doing that tons of times he said to get a partner. Of course all of us immediately started looking for someone of the same gender. But then he said “no hombre y hombre o mujera y mujera”. We were all wondering if that was ok. It was an awkward moment as guys and girls got paired up. We had to put guys left and girls right hand together like a high- five and then the guys put their hand around the waist and girls hand went on the shoulder. Classic dance pose. I’m thankful Eric asked me because it was completely un-awkward and just pure fun. This was technically my first time dancing with a guy, besides my Dad and cousin... and the 60 year old millionaire... but I don’t really count that one cause we were a foot apart. So we started out just doing the same little circle by slightly moving the feet and hips. The dance is very smooth no jumping or anything. After doing that awhile we added a twist. So we worked up to a twirl for the girl and then a twirl for the guy. Then the really fun part came. After the guy twirled he would then twirl again but bend over and go under the girls arm with his arm behind his back. Then the girl did the same. So by the end we were going: slow step, girl twirl, guy twirl, girl twirl, guy twirl, guy duck, girl twirl, girl duck, slow step. Once we got it down we had so much fun. We got fast and could do the moves to the beat of the music. I was just loose and having a great time. We did that for a long time and then the whole group got in a huge circle. This was fun. The guy instructed that some of the boys were to go in the middle and pick a girl to dance with. But one thing... the guys had to go out dancing and then “fish” for the girl. The guy in his funny way and in Spanish told the boys that they had to “get into it”, no “weak” fishing. So the music started and some of the boys quick stepped their way to the middle. Jerrod went out there and “hooked” me. So I danced my way out with the other gals, we did the Merengue, and then danced off. It was the funniest thing. Boys were going crazy and just being goof balls. Some of the boys got the staff ladies which was hilarious. We all stood in the big circle and clapped and laughed. After the song the guy made all the boys who didn’t go out come out. Then they got to dance with all the girls who didn’t get asked. We really did dance the night away. After that we played a crazy cup game and got to try coconut milk and coconut candy. It was a great evening filled with good, clean fun. I loved it.

The food has been really good, very... real. We have had fresh pineapple and papaya, so good. We have had amazing pancakes, fresh pineapple and guava jam, good spaghetti, great eggs and hash brown things, and some yummy sandwiches for lunch which we pack in the morning and bring to our sites.

At night I haven’t been sleeping very well because it’s been so cold. The weather we were told wasn’t exactly right on. It’s been very cold at night, the humidity has been next to nothing, and it hasn’t rained once. One thing held true though... lots of sun.

1-31-11

I have so much to write about. Thursday the 28th was an interesting, fun, and slightly awkward night. It was “dinner in the community” night so each of the sites went out with their site leader to experience a meal in a Dominican home. But our site had the best time I think. Dan took us to a poorer Dominican lady’s home. When we got there we all sat on the chairs and couch until the food was ready. Then the 5 of us sat at the table and ate. It is just the culture that they give whatever they can to their guests and don’t eat until you are done. The most hospitable culture ever.  We had fried plantains, fried salami, and fried “squeaky” cheese. When we were done eating the lady taught us how to dance. When Dan said that she was going to teach us we all looked at each other and went “oh,no”. So this lady in her 40’s-50’s starts dancing with her son who is in his 20’s. The dance was just the Merengue but without the fancy duck. Then they showed us this little 3 step dance like the Merengue. The interesting thing was that the mother and son were gettin’ pretty down and dirty. They were all up on each other. But it wasn’t bad... the dancing is so different here than from American dance. The way dancing is viewed in our culture is so dirty and sexual. But here it is not so much that as it is very cultural and fun. So then the lady came and grabbed Andrew and the son... well, guess who got lucky. Julie and Marissa literally pushed me forward saying “someone has to be the sacrifice”. So I danced for most the rest of the time with a 20 year old Dominican guy who had a son. He didn’t speak any English so it was interesting. We would make eye contact once in awhile, smile awkwardly, and then look away. Then I danced with Dan a little while one the other gals got the son for one song. Overall it was a really enjoyable evening. It was really cool to see how after a meal you don’t sit and watch TV. Instead you dance. Good, wholesome, fun, non-sensual dance.

Friday morning I woke up feeling kinda sick. Just a sore throat and general gross feeling. Nothing to much to handle though. Friday night we had a bonfire. We all sat around a giant, super hot fire and sang and worshipped. It was a good night. I went to bed pretty early cause I wasn’t feeling good.

Saturday we got to sleep in till 8 when we ate breakfast. We left at 9:00 for a day of fun. We drove about 30 minutes up a mountain and then hiked about 30 minutes down. Then we came to what we had been waiting for... the most gorgeous waterfall ever was thundering before us. The main fall was probably 100 or more feet high and there was a big pool at the bottom. The area was filled with giant rocks and boulders. There were smaller pools and places where water cascaded down a ladder of rocks.  I climbed around a little when we first got there and then I went swimming with a few people. The water was super cold and took my breath away. I couldn’t imagine going to a place like that and not going in all the way. Chen-Chen and I were the last ones to get out. We decided to try and swim closer to the falls but as soon as we started getting close the current was crazy strong and pushed us away. After that I walked/climbed bare foot to the lowest pool by the big drop and found some sun. The whole area was like a big bowl so there wasn’t a ton of sun by the falls. I found a really pretty spot and enjoyed sun bathing and hanging out. We ate lunch there and just relaxed. On the hike down my knees were not doing too great and were very shaky. So the hike back up was also very difficult. It was very steep and took about 30 minutes of non-stop hiking. Being kinda sick on top of it didn’t help. I think one of my favorite parts of the waterfall was climbing and walking around on the rocks barefoot with my hiking boots strapped onto my backpack. It just felt right.

*Ok, so I am laying in the upper hammock right now and this group of little boys has been running around playing. One of them with really pretty brown eyes just ran up to me, put his cheek against mine and gave me a really long sweet hug. Then he started swinging me and then ran off. That was really neat. There is a little girl following the boys around. Reminds me of myself when I was little.*

After the hike we went back to the base for a few hours and got cleaned up. Then we went into Jarabacoa and went shopping. We were split into groups with one of the interns leading us. I felt a little cheated because our girl had only been to the city once and didn’t really know anything. Jarabacoa is not a tourist town so there wasn’t very many little stands with unique stuff. We went into stores that sold a lot of stuff you can get in the US. So I was a little disappointed but it was still fun. I got a tea set, a ring made with the blue stone only found in the DR, and a little wooden mug. All of us ate dinner together at a little restaurant in town. It was served buffet style but not like in the US. We all went through the line once and then could go back for seconds. But once the food was gone it was gone. No endless supply of food that ends up getting thrown away. It was good, good not to waste. The meal consisted of rice (white and yellow), beans, 3 kinds of chicken, and two kinds of salad. I really like rice and beans.

2-3-11

Sunday we got to sleep in again. We had class that morning and then after lunch we went to church. Church was really good. It was a fairly large church for the DR. The singing was very lively and active. The pastor gave a great message from Philippians. Kate, a gal who works down here and who is engaged to Christian who works at the PT site, translated for us. I found that I concentrate better listening to a Spanish and English sermon. Overall I really enjoyed experiencing the culture of a Dominican church.

Sunday night was not such a good time for me. During church I started to feel worse than I had all weekend. By the time we got back to the base I was feeling like I had a fever. The first time we checked my temperature was a little high for me but not bad. Ten minutes later I was at 100. And then it kept growing. I was so cold. I was just shaking and shivering but sweating at the same time. My whole body hurt. It was terrible. Only one person really cared and helped me out. Danielle was very nice and gave me her extra blanket and even brought me dinner, though I couldn’t eat much. I was really hurt by the fact that the staff never checked on me when my temperature rose so quickly and just blew it off telling other students it was heat sickness even though they never talked to me or saw how horrible I was doing. So I was upset about that and was going to talk to them but after a day or so I realized my motives were not all good for wanting to talk to them. At first I had been telling myself it would be good to tell them that it hurt me and stuff. But then I realized the real reason I wanted to talk to them was to convince them that I was truly sick, because I was. The real reason was because of my pride. I couldn’t stand to see my reputation hurt like that. I wanted them to know I was strong, that I don’t fake things like that. Once I realized that I made myself not talk to them but just to trust God. The passage came to mind about how it is a good thing to take unjust punishment without complaint or defense. If I really trust God then I can trust Him to take care of my reputation. About 3am that morning my fever broke and I was able to go to work Monday.

Monday started our last week of working with Dan in Physical Therapy. Working there is becoming “normal” now. I discovered from working here that I really love doing massage. The true skin-on-skin lotion massage is so much different than just rubbing someone’s shoulders. It is relaxing for me and very enjoyable. So now along with being a personal trainer I am going to pursue being a masseuse  as well and expand my customer base.

Monday night was neat night. It was called the “foot washing/ servanthood challenge” night. We had a great time of worship and time to pray and then we washed each others feet. We had partners so I was with Kaylee. When we were dismissed to start washing Kaylee and I just sat there and prayed. We both sat facing each other, holding hands, praying silently out loud for each other. Then I went and got the basin and we washed each other’s feet. When we were finished, as part of the servanthood challenge, we tore the rag we used and tied it around each other’s wrists to wear the rest of the week. It was a reminder of service. There were a lot of tears shed that night. One thing that really touched my heart was when I went up to Emily Harer and we just collapsed in a hug. We were both just crying. I prayed out loud for her and then she for me. She said I was an example of a godly woman in her life and really thankful for me. It lifted my spirits as the last couple days I have been feeling a little down. It is encouraging to hear that I am still making an impact in my classmates’ lives even though I don’t have any “best friends”. I think it is because I am not in a tight-knit closed-off group that God can use me to reach others.

2-4-11

Wednesday was a normal day at work except that we ate lunch at the park in town. Wednesday night was our outreach night. We had some training, blew up balloons, and ate an early dinner. I was doing the “carnival” outreach in Mata Gorda and got to play with kids, watch 2 skits, listen to a message in Spanish, and then pass out balloons during the games. I think my favorite thing was dancing with some the girls. We were dancing a little and then I went over and grabbed these two Dominican girl’s hands and brought them in. We held hands and danced and had a good time. After that we walked around with our arms around each other. One of the girls especially seemed to like me and the attention. I’m glad I got out of my comfort zone a little. After that we came back and had donuts and then had book discussion on “The Shack”. I really, really like “The Shack”. Of course there are some interesting theology points but it made me think. I think one reason I enjoyed it so much is because I feel I have experienced some of that closeness with Christ. When I am sitting looking at creation I think of Jesus as right there beside me and I talk to him like I would anyone (except for thanking Him for making it, cause I can only tell Him that). When I am in deep sadness I can feel him holding me close. The book made me happy and made me rejoice in the presence of God in my life. Thursday at work an older man came in again who really liked Andrew. When he would came in he would say “Mi gringo! Mi gringo!”. But Thursday and Friday Andrew didn’t come in to PT, he went with volleyball. So I helped the guy with his exercises and he really liked me. Thursday he gave each of us girls 500 pesos. And as he was leaving he gave me a hug and air-cheek kiss and said “linda,linda,linda” which means “beautiful”, or “beautiful one”. And then today, Friday, I was helping him out again and he stopped and held my chin in his hand, stroked my cheek and said the “linda, linda” thing again. It was funny and slightly awkward. Another interesting thing was a guy who came in with an external fixator on his thigh. His leg was a disaster, broken in tons of places. On top of that it was not put together right and now his leg is 3 inches shorter than the other. You can’t tell where his knee is it’s so swollen and it’s been like that since September. The external fixator is basically a big piece of metal and plastic holding 7 long screws in his bone. It is sticking 4-5 inches out of his leg. The chances of him walking again are slim. It’s especially sad since this would never happen in the states. His leg is no where close to being healed. There is still a chunk of bone floating around not screwed in.

2-5-11

One day last week we went to the river for lunch. We went to a really cool spot at the end of the road where two of the rivers connected. Yesterday, Friday, was our last day at PT. Rosy was sick and Christian was at school and Andrew was at volleyball so it was just us girls and Dan again. We had the opportunity after lunch to go to the river but we decided to stay which was good because a ton of people came into the clinic. I really enjoyed my time working in the PT site. I learned a lot. One really funny thing was when we were playing with the electro-therapy machine. First, we put it on my quad. Dan had to hold my leg down because it will make your leg spring straight out. So I was sitting there and as we turned it up my muscles started to contract and flex and unnatural amount. It looked pretty cool. Then we put it on our forearms which made our fingers freak out and bend weird. It was impossible to move them. Then Calen came in from baseball and we had some fun with him. We put it on his abs, quads, lats, and triceps. His triceps were my favorite because it made his arms straighten and go back and then his hands curled back. It was great. Friday night began the dodgeball tournament. My team is pretty good. Mostly we are just trying to have fun. I did pretty good considering how longs it’s been since I’ve played. Also on Friday night we had a banquet wrapping up our trip. We drove out to a beautiful spot on the river, had a great meal, took pictures, and then came back. Then we watched a wrap-up video and each site and site leader went up front and the leader talked about the students. It was a great to hear what a blessing we were to the staff here. Tonight we finish the tournament. We are all tired though.  Today was a good day for me. We got to sleep in and then I got to go to the coffee plantation. I really enjoyed the plantation and seeing the whole process of coffee making. I bought almost 5lbs of coffee to send as gifts to my family.  After the plantation today we came back and  I went on a walk with some people to a small store in the nearby community. Then I took a nap and have been sitting on our front porch in a rocking chair writing and thinking. Good relaxing day. Other people today went on a really intense hike and others went white water rafting. I’m so glad I got to have a relaxing day before starting the trip home in the morning.

2-8-11

Saturday night we finished the dodgeball tournament. We came in second place and fought a good fight. I pulled something in my right side and arm from throwing though. As soon as it happened my hand started tingling and I knew. Then we played a couple games with all the teams combined which was fun.

Sunday began the journey home. We left around 9 and went through the very strange check-in process at the airport. It as confusing. I stayed awake for the first flight to New York but then took a nap on the second flight. It was late at night for us even though it was just really later evening. Going through all the customs and immigration stuff went really quick because we were in such a big group. By the time we got to the church where we were going to spend the night it was midnight. So it was 4am on our internal clocks. I woke up every hour. We were up at 6am and on the road by 7. We made it back to Hume in the late afternoon, had dinner, and then had speaker. I was in bed by 8:30, it was hard to stay up that late. This morning we got to sleep in and didn’t have to be anywhere till 10 when we studied for Isaiah, had OT class, had lunch, crammed for Isaiah, took the Isaiah test at 3, had dinner, had speaker, and then I have been writing this very long WIR ever since.

This week I am going to be praying for Germany. My brother is going to be going there for a few days in March to learn how to fire an AT4 rocket launcher. Germany is very, very liberal. In general it has no heart for God. I know some people who were missionaries down there for a long time and heard a lot about the struggles there. It is very difficult to witness there. I will pray for church that is there that it will continue to be strengthened and will grow. And also for believers who live there as their is some persecution and hardship. Also the schooling system is terrible so the next generation is getting nothing.