The Eternal Knot

Welcome to the Dominican Republic, home of platanos, tostones, some of the most beautiful beaches, gorgeous people, fast Spanish accents, bachata, and some of the biggest disparities that exist in terms of livelihood. The gap between the rich and the poor is extremely noticeable as soon as you walk around the streets and get familiar with the neighborhood. Barrio Blanco, a neighborhood that is more or less a 10 minute walk from La Punta, where our hotel is, is in extreme poverty conditions in comparison to the nice hotel we stay at. Barrio Blanco has clear evidence of poverty, from the shanty houses that surround the Montessori School run by the DREAM Project that we will be working with, to the lack of clothing that the children have, and lack of resources and opportunities that are available to the people in this community. Despite being born in South America's poorest country and being aware of inequalities that exist there, which are very similar to the realities of the Dominican Republic, it is still heartbreaking to see how prevalent poverty is and the effects that it has on a community.

Yet despite being in what seems to be like a hopeless situation, there is so much hope in the eyes of the children in Barrio Blanco. Their smiling faces, motivation to work and help their community, and their contagious spirit is unlike anything I've ever experienced with complete strangers. I can't exactly explain what this feels like, it's one of the things that you have to experience for yourself and be in the moment to fully understand. I'm extremely excited to work with the children and to see what impact I can have on their lives. I can't wait to see their enthusiasm in school and in other areas as the week progresses.

Something that was sort of the highlight of my day besides the amazing cute and inspirational children, had to be Ron. Ron is an American from Oregon that had came to Cabarete with his college buddies to do some wind sailing (something that Cabarete is known for). Then one day, while drying off after hanging out in the bath tub at his hotel, he noticed Barrio Blanco which was the neighborhood right next to the hotel. He couldn't believe what he saw and eventually he decided that he wanted to contribute more and to really use his life to make a difference in a community that really needed it. His story was heartwarming and inspirational and it was amazing to see how humanity comes together at the end of the day to help each other out. Ultimately, we are all connected to one another, and one's suffering is also the suffering of another person, and one's happiness is also another's happiness. If this day has taught me anything it's that despite one's circumstance, one's background, and one's experiences, we are all interconnected. I'm really excited to see what this experience teaches me about me and about the people here in La Republica Dominicana. :)

-By: Karen Guzman