DOMINICAN DREAMS

In my brief time in the Dominican Republic I was able to witness so many aspects of life that are so different than my own. I spent time in the bustling marketplaces of our continents oldest city Santa Domingo, and in a Haitian refugee camp where extreme poverty is evident in the eyes of underfed children, and in the fishing villages of Bayahibe and Boca De Yuma, the latter which has been virtually untouched by the boom of the countries tourism.

The common factor I witnessed as i traveled the south eastern part of their world is that there is hope in even the hardest situations. Where if you're a bit down on your luck there is nothing like a game of dominoes or baseball or a string of lottery tickets to lift you up. There is hope in the sadness of a girl with no place to sleep and in there is hope in the choice to leave your country to come and live in a camp just so your children can have access to better schools and be free of an oppressive government. There is hope in the face of a woman who has lived more lives than i may ever have the pleasure.... hope in an honest days work... hope in sprawling fields of sugar cane and blue skies that stretch as wide as they are long.

For just an instant i was able to immerse myself in what it would be like to have this brand of hope. To not need the things we trick ourselves in thinking we 'need' and to find joy in the simplicity of a people happy to just live and make the most of every moment.

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