Another Side

Last week I saw a beautiful side of my region.  Sure, my pueblo is sandwiched between the hills of the Cibao and a rough coastal habitat complete with wild mangroves and palm forests, invoking images of natural beauty.  Obviously, it’s a very rich environment.  However, I forget about that side when I’m in the grind in my busy, loud, polluted, congested pueblo, which reminds me of a city out of control, though it lacks the advantages and resources of a city (aside from a few radio stations and a TV station; as far as cultural activity such as museums and festivals go – it’s severely lacking).

My Brigada Verde participated in a two-day summer camp at a ranch owned by a family who I know.  Though we planned it for a couple months, it was certainly an impromptu camp.  Kids wanted to participate, then they dropped out.  We had proposed charlas that never came to fruition.  We went without a schedule (a big Peace Corps faux pas—every camp we host here in PC has a tight schedule).  But I think it was a success overall.

I arrived at the ranch on horseback.  The trail was bumpy and we had to cross a stream 6 times.  I was a little nervous since this was only my third time horseback riding.  But the trail was beautiful and I relished the journey into the hills where we had camp.

Overall, six kids came – two eighteen-year-old boys, five preteen girls, and two girls whose ranch we were using.  We ate lunch and then we went to the nearby natural mineral pool, fed by a small waterfall.  The kids were jumping around, laughing and enjoying the freshness of the water.  It was there I proceeded to give a small lecture about water pollution and how it’s important that we keep the purity intact.  I reminded them that our actions can affect the water, and if we want to continue bathing in the rivers here and drinking freshwater, we have to be aware of this.  That night, we had a campfire and I introduced them to the game of telephone, which they absolutely loved!  (They ended up mentioning that game all the next day and played it again that evening.)  As exemplified by the game, I reminded them how many rumors can be untrue and harmful to those people about whom they’re speaking.

The next day was the best.  We climbed a loma (a large hill) to find an even more beautiful waterfall and swimming hole.   The view from the top of the hill was gorgeous with a view of the ocean in the distance.  We encountered some horses and cows grazing, which followed us downhill eventually to take a drink from the stream.  We enjoyed some wild grapefruit and limoncillos (not sure of the English name).  The girls acted as pros mostly.  Dominicans aren’t really accustomed to climbing or walking, for that matter, but some of the girls were leading our expedition and actually enjoyed it.  After the hike, we had lunch and I rested!  I woke up to find my youth leader playing games with the rest of group.  She was teaching them games she had learned at the Brigada Verde National Conference I took her to in April!  It feels so good to see the youth learning and teaching others.

That evening, I enjoyed some limoncillos and had a long talk with the owner of the ranch about meditation.  Apparently, some natives lived there a long time ago and their spirits are still very much part of the place.  Because of my lack of awareness and intuition, I couldn’t feel them.  But I hope to fix that one day.

I also watched some of the youth cooking dinner for us.  The family uses a fogón (a traditional stove made out of clay with a hole in the center to contain a fire and hold a pot.  A lot of Dominicans still use them even though they have gas stoves for the smoky flavor it adds to the food.).  I loved the smell of the burning wood filling the kitchen.

On the last day, we walked to a small fishing village.  There were several boats parked on the beach.  Unfortunately the beach had a lot of trash, presumably caused by the careless littering of the people living upriver.  Dumping trash in the river is a huge problem here and something that is not likely to get better anytime soon.  Without the infrastructure to provide sanitation trucks to the small towns upriver, people will continue to dump trash and then forget about it once the river sweeps it away when there are heavy rains.

With Brigada Verde, we’re going to work on it.  This past Saturday, I was invited to talk about the environmental situation here on the radio.  The same guy who invited me also has connections to churches in small towns, and he told me they are eagerly awaiting my environmental lectures.  I’m going to bring some of my Brigada Verde members and together we’re going to concientizar (make aware) the pueblo and the surrounding campos.

Also, I just received exciting news.  We were approved to receive a grant for our club’s activities.  With that money, I’m optimistic we’ll be able to do some good work in the pueblo!