MSOE Dominican Republic Update Aug 28
August 29, 2010
Day 4:
Today started out a little different than usual, none of the guys liked getting up for breakfast at 7:30 A.M. but it was a necessity since our camp for the improverished kids of Quisqueya (the town where MLB player Alfonso Soriano is from). The drive to this small town inland from the coast was less crowded than that of the city driving, but the landscape was comparable to that of Wisconsin cornfields and open plains, with the exception that the fields were sugar cane. On the bus ride there, our guide and travel aid informed us of the history of the island and the relations between the Haitians and Dominican which was rather interesting. One thing we didn’t mind learning while we were out of school. As we approached the town and the gymnasium, the conditions of the poor area became quite apparent. The gym was basically a tin shed where the basketball court was unplayable with rotting areas on the wooden court as well as a significant layer of dirt and grim which provided for absolutely zero traction. The camp had about 40 kids there ranging from the ages of 7-18 which we split into four groups to run the camp. The language barrier again provided for difficult communication, relying on gesticulation and body movements to get our lessons and activities across to these children. Their club was greatful for all the basketballs we donated as well as the children being ecstatic for the clothing and shoes we brought to them. The shoes were so important to these children that they would fight over them in order to come out as the owner of a used pair of shoes. After a small lunch and photo session with the kids, we proceeded to play two short games of half court 5 on 5 to ten points by ones and twos which we split 1-1 with the club team. This gym was by far the hottest one to this point, possibly being triple digits with a likely 80-90% humidity. As we left the gym, all the children surrounded the bus asking for anything we could give, even our socks we just used in the game. We gave them as much as we could before we left. Once we got back to the hotel, showered and ate, we headed back into Santo Domingo to see the First Cathedral of the New World where Christopher Columbus was buried until 1992. Afterwards, we hit the market for some goods. This place was quite chaotic, every last person trying to persuade you to buy their goods and basically herding each of us into their shops. The best part was being able to barter and get the price that best fit us. The rest of the night was free for us to wonder aimlessly about the resort having fun in whatever way we could find. These next excerpts are feelings from the players about the poverty encountered in today’s camp at Quisqueya.
Austin M: “Taking part in an experience like this really makes you value and appreciate the everyday little things in our lives that we take for granted. The bare necessities that we can get anyday at the store, in a mall, on the corner, are what these people try so hard to obtain and even in some instances can’t afford because of the extreme poverty seen in this town. To see kids argue and squabble over a pair of used gym shoes that we could purchase for $20 back in the states really makes us second guess our materilistic culture and take a look at what we should really value and be appreciative of. Humility is what was learned today.”
Rob: “It was an eye-opening experience to see children fight over a pair of shoes or even game-used socks. To perform a camp and see the court in which they play basketball everyday, which we wouldnt even play on because it was not safe. Lastly, the houses they all live in are extremely run down making a dorm room seem like a palace.”
Bennett: “Seeing all the little kids faces light up when we brought all of the balls into the gym, like we were heros to them. Giving them shoes that for us would be worn out and would never be used again, they treasured them like they were a 50″ Plasma TV. It really makes you think of how good we have it and how much we should be treasuring the little things that we have that they dont and that makes life a lot easier for us!”
Mike: “I had very mixed emotions about this experience we had today. I felt very happy and appreciated when we first walked in and saw their faces light up. But as time went on while we were working with these kids, I recieved more of a bad feeling. Seeing people as they live their day to day lives makes me feel terrible about what I take for granted. But overall, I’m very happy I could take part in this experience.”
Austin K: “Today was a day that i will never forget. Seeing what these kids face on a daily basis is something that I cannot imagine. The kids were so poor, some even with no shoes. To see the smiles on their face when we walked in the gym, really gave me a feeling of how great we have it in the United States. The kids were even knocking on the bus window as we were leaving asking for anything. When I threw my socks out the window, they acted like they had just won the lottery. I even felt a connection with a few of the children, and it was just an amazing feeling. Everyone should experiece something like this, it was incredible.”
Oren: “Great experience. Appreciate what I have now. Did it for the kids!”
Cynerick: “Today was an eye opening experience, to witness children who appretiated the little that we had to give them. Things that we would throw away brought so much joy to these kids. They treated us as if we were NBA superstars. Overall this was a very humbling experience and I’ve learned to appreciate the everyday things I have in life.”
Eric: “I went into today knowing that it would be a very humbling experience however, I had no idea just how humbling it would be. Just driving into the city and seeing the residents digging through the dump to find what whatever they would be able to make use of was enough of an experience in itself. Once we saw the gym and court they play on I was thrilled that I was able to help them out, and donate what we were able to bring. The kids were very appreciative, and that made it all the more worth it.”
Comments
Got something to say?
