Immigration, Culture, and Commerce
Hi families of Global Glimpsers! This is Jessica Palomino and Benjamin Dinh, the leaders of Immigration Day! As a group, we gained a ton of insight on the immigration process at the Haitian/Dominican border.
The morning started bright and early. We boarded the bus and traveled straight to the border city of Comendador, Elias Pina. The tour started with a walkthrough of the immigration checkpoints on the Dominican side of the border. Taino Tours, Julio Enrique Adames, led the way and Global Glimpsers ended up practically a foot away from Haiti. We saw an abundance of products sold by merchants, from both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. After the tour of the border, we stopped at a museum that showcased the diverse culture of the border city, which is a blend of both elements of Haitian and Dominican religion, tradition, and lifestyle. For instance, we were able to see Christianity in addition to some voodoo traditions blended into it. The museum basically opened our eyes to the cultural fusion of this region.
Immediately following the tour, Global Glimpsers got the chance to venture around the binational market where they were able to see the hub of commerce of Comendador. We saw produce and toiletries coming from both sides of the border. We also learned about the illegal products that were often smuggled through successfully. These included alcohol, cigarettes, and GARLIC!! The reason that Haitian garlic is illegal in the DR is because it is cheaper than the garlic grown in the home country. After all of this hectic exploration, the morning ended with a scrumptious lunch- buffet style!
Reflecting on this entire experience, we thought of the inequalities of the immigration process. The guards at each checkpoint did not check all individuals passing through, but they chose to only do so for suspected illegal immigrants. Therefore, the protocol is not regulated or standardized, since everything is based on the perspective of the guards. Additionally, we learned that the DR has a law stating that all Haitian immigrants will be refused Dominican citizenship for THREE GENERATIONS. And this goes both ways, so if you were an immigrant in the DR, the rule applies to your parents as well as children. A parallel can be drawn between this corruption and our own immigration issues in the United States, especially at the US/Mexican border. Immigration Day taught us that yes, there are problems of immigration in almost every country, but that should just draw attention to our very own immigration issues. We are not perfect in any way so we should be working towards improving our own border laws.
To Jessica’s family: OMG I miss you guys so much, especially Gabriel!! I am having so much fun here, making friends and learning about the different culture. Can’t wait to tell you guys all about it! I am only accepting pizza and/or pasta when I get home so be prepared. Love you!!
To Benjamin’s family: I miss you so much Mom and Dad! I am having a fantastic time in the Dominican Republic and each day is packed with learning. I’m looking forward to coming back to San Jose so that I can tell you about everything I’ve done. I love you Mom and Dad!
PS: Happy Early Father’s Day from the both of us!
Can’t wait to see you and hear all the stories!! Love you Mimi!!
AHHHH Benjamin!!! Tiffany and I miss you so much. I hope you’re really having the best time there and I can’t wait to hear from you about this trip! I loved reading this blog so much. You are amazing, I’ll see you soon!!!! Sending lots of love from SJ!!!!!!!
Hey Benjamin! I hope you’re having an amazing time and have learned a lot on your trip. Your blogs sound so interesting and I can’t wait for you to tell me more about it! Can’t wait to see you! Sovanny and I miss you so much. When you come back, we are all going to Gens part 2.
Thank you Benjamin and Jessica for your informative blog. And a BIG THANK YOU! to all the Global Glimpse Coordinators/Leaders and Glimpsers. As I said before, I so look forward to the daily blogs (as do probably all the parents). They have not only been detailed, insightful, inspirational, but educational as well.
To Kaylyn, don’t know when the next time you’ll be able to call us, but was hoping that it would be Sunday- Father’s day. That would be the best present Dad could receive-just hearing your voice. I won’t forget to give him the Father’s Day card you made for him (and No, I didn’t read it). Also haven’t seen a blog from you yet, so I assume your turn will be coming up soon. Was wondering if you are able to post more than one picture at a time. I’ve been following Tyler’s, Katie’s, and Liam’s trip blogs and notice they all have multiple pictures posted each day. Last but not least, where’s your hat? You need to be wearing your hat outside. 😀
Love Mom and Dad
Hi Lucy,
It sounds like you guys are having a great time, and we really look forward to hearing about everything.
Please remember to take pictures, and we hope you get a chance to practice both Spanish and French in the border areas.
Love you much,
Dad & Mom
Hello Ari – Sounds like you are all having an amazing time and learning so much! Thank you to the Global Glimpse coordinators/leaders – this is a life changing experience for our kids. We are so happy to see the blog posts and pictures everyday. Ari, we miss you whole bunches and enjoy the rest of your time in the DR – everything is fine at home 🙂 Love you very much, Mom, Dad, Callum and all of the furry and feathered friends
Hi Benjamin: Your mom and I are so happy that you and Jessica are GG leaders for the day of Immigration, Culture and Commerce; your blog is very informative of the living situation at the border there, we hope the experience give you a true and up-to-date outlook on life. Your mom said she could have singled you out from the picture, even though the picture is small. Your mom always miss you so much. Thank you both for the Father’s day wish. Take care and enjoy your remaining time there. Love, Mom and Dad.
Go benji!!! ?????
Heck yeah ben!! I miss you a lot and so does your other half XD I hope you’re having a blast out there benjamin! Tiffany misses you a lot. SEE YOU SOON!