Rocks Out of Water

Last weekend we took a trip with Edwin (one of our Spanish tutors) to the city Jarabacoa, nestled up in the mountains just south of Santiago. Edwin spent 6 months there last year studying at a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) discipleship training program. Leah and I relished a night away from the noisy city. We also enjoyed mingling with the current students of the school–about 25 total–comprised of Dominican, Haitians, Americans and Europeans. We played a little basketball, explored a new town, and took a hike to a local waterfall.

The other night our host mother, occupied with a screaming 9 month old, asked us to finish cooking dinner. The task seemed simple enough, fry cheese. Here in the Dominican Republic they enjoy their cheese fried. With my untrained palate, I have yet to discover what such an act accomplishes–perhaps it accents the rich dairy taste, or maybe it’s the delightfully rubbery texture which squeaks between your teeth as you chew. If I ever find out I’ll be sure to pass along the answer. Let’s just say what ensued was not a pretty sight. I present to you queso de Tim y Leah.

My brother Greg, and sister-in-law Kelly, leave for Mexico today. They will be working for Partners in Hope, an organization with a similar philosophy and approach as Beyond Borders. Posted on their website is an eloquently written reflection (Click to Read) expressing their hopes about the work they do.

Concern rises over Dominican deportees

US troop deployment sparks protests in Dominican Republic

Tim and I can hardly believe that we have been in the Dominican Republic for a month. Though it may not seem that our Spanish is close to conversational (which you Spanish majors would find out quickly), we have made leaps and bounds in our ability to speak and understand simple vocabulary. Thanks to our two Spanish teachers, Edwin and Arturo, and the four year old who lives in our apartment, we get a lot of practice and correction.

Even with our limited Spanish we have begun to make friends. One of our favorite families to talk with lives just four doors down from our apartment. They own a little clothing store, so are often sitting outside awaiting customers. We thought they’d never invite us over again after the storeowner, Lume, spent 20 minutes trying to explain what European country her Husband is from. We were positive she was saying “Orlando” which didn’t make any sense as the only Orlando we know of is in Florida. A few days later, after a laugh with our host family, we figured out she was saying Holland. (Pronounced Oh-yan-do in Spanish). Despite the blunder, and many others, they do not let us pass without an invitation to practice our Spanish.

When we have sore throats from trying to roll our r’s and need a break from odd sounding syllables, we escape into the parque del este (Park of the East) for exercise and Tim’s favorite past time, baseball. Kids are playing pick up games in the park as well as practicing with sticks and plastic bottle caps in the street.

It’s interesting to note that the Dominican’s passion for baseball is linked to American military occupation of the Caribbean and South America. In the 1860’s wealthy Cuban plantation owners, who were fleeing a revolution in their own country that freed their slaves, first introduced baseball to the Dominican Republic. They resettled in Santo Domingo and founded several clubs devoted to baseball in hopes of keeping up their workers morale. When the U.S. military invaded the Dominican Republic, in 1914 and again in 1965, they further encouraged the national pastime as a way to insinuate US culture. As a result of foreign influence, a genuine love for the game, and athletic talent, 10 % of players in the U.S. major and minor leagues are Dominican born.

Rivals concede ex-president leads Haiti election

After being delayed four times, Haiti is scheduled to have its presidential election on Tuesday, February 7th. In anticipation of the election the NY Times ran a lengthy article -Mixed U.S. Signals Helped Tilt Haiti Toward Chaos- last week detailing U.S. involvement in the removal of former Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide in 2004. While the number of characters in the article is reminiscent of a Dostoevsky novel, it is well worth a read.

Also, this past week I finished reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man–the deeply disturbing autobiographical account of John Perkins, a former economic hit man for a large American corporation. In the book he details how Western nations use corporations, banks, and government policy to saddle other nations into economic debt. Once in debt, smaller countries have few options but to allow Western corporations access to their resources and assets. This book is a quick read, and I recommended it to anyone who is interested in understanding the systemic issues economically developing nations face as they attempt to raise their citizens out of poverty.

Economic hit men are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder…They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.

I should know: I was an Economic hit man.

Anna, the third member of our team arrived yesterday. We are excited to have her here. For the first few weeks, until we can find her a more permanent living arrangement, she will be staying at a guest home run by Sister Babs, a nun of the Saint John’s Order. The home is similar to that of a Ronald McDonald House; those from the Dominican countryside, or Haiti, who come to Santo Domingo for medical treatment and are unable to afford the cost of a hotel, can stay at the house free of charge. Sister Babs will be a great contact because of her involvement and knowledge of organizations and persons working along Haitian Dominican border.

Our new mailing address and phone number can now be found on the contact page of our website. We are using a private courier service, which means that mail sent to our P.O. Box in Miami will be forwarded to Santo Domingo where we will pick it up at an office downtown. We pay a fee per ounce of mail received, so we ask that that you keep any correspondence light. It is free for us to receive phone calls, but keep in mind that the DR is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Any late night calls from the west coasts will be returned as early wake-up calls the following morning.