The Three of us (Tim, Leah, and Anna) are in the southwestern city of Barahona this week meeting with an organization that brings short-term groups to the Dominican Republic from North America. We are enjoying the change of scenery, especially the beach time. The previous week was a tough one for Leah and I for a number of reasons, which we will explain in greater detail at later time. The good news is that we have found a new family to live with, in the same neighborhood, and are excited about staying in a warm and welcoming home. We apologies for the lack of posts, but will write more when we get back to the capital.
It is hard to believe, but a little over a month and a half ago we arrived in the Dominican Republic. Despite a few butterflies at the onset, we have settled nicely into the little, and somewhat tranquil, barrio on the eastern side of Santo Domingo, Los Tres Ojos (The Three Eyes). We have made the most of our first days here, focusing on Spanish, working ourselves into community life, and–as often happens in the process–making new friends. We are happy to say, gone are the days of counting the number of our acquaintances on one hand.
Before we left the States our Spanish speaking friends informed us that if we could learn to speak in the Dominican Republic we would be able to speak and understand Spanish anywhere. Oh, how we have come to believe them! Dominican Spanish is fast, and often streamlined. For example, we hear that in most Latin American countries you say, “Como tu estas”, how are you. Here, that is way to long and formal. So we say, “Como tu ta” or “Como te va.” At church it is common to exchange the greeting “Dios te Bendiga”, God bless you. Make it one word, say it as fast as you can–“diotebendiga”–and you are on your way to speaking like a native Dominican. Needless to say, we are very thankful for our two patient language tutors, Arturo and Edwin, who have been willing during our initial weeks to talk at half speed.
In an average day we have an hour language lesson in the morning, are out in the neighborhood practicing our Spanish and visiting with neighbors in the afternoon, and in the evening have an additional hour lesson. It is a long and intense day of Spanish, and a bit different than a formal language school, but we are finding many benefits to learning from those in our community. Unfortunately, the family we are currently living with keeps a very busy schedule, and we have had limited opportunities to practice our Spanish with them, or even get to know them. Since the purpose of living with a Dominican family was to provide interaction and cultural insight, we are currently looking for another family to live with. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we search for an alternative living arrangement, one we hope will be more conducive to our learning
With almost one in nine persons living in the DR being of Haitian descent, it is no surprise we have encountered many Haitians in our neighborhood, as well as in almost every area we have visited. Tim has enjoyed using his Creole to form Haitian acquaintances–It often takes him only one well-placed Haitian proverb to make a new friend. Already, we have had multiple conversations with our Haitian neighbors about their journey to the DR, the hope they hold for a better life, their fear of deportation, and the constant discrimination they endure. We are discovering that there is much to learn about the Haitian situation here, and are excited about eventually being able to hear and see both sides of the issues.
In closing, we thank you for all of your prayers, correspondence, and support. Our time and experience here is a privilege, one that we do not take lightly. When the Spanish gets tough, or the mosquitoes are particularly vicious, it is often times easy to be discouraged. Yet, it lifts our spirits to know we are supported by a community of many. We cannot say thank you enough.
Sincerely,
Leah & Tim
