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Student Trip Blog
It was an emotional day for all of us. Waking up at 6 am, we then ate breakfast and had a mental warm-up for the long day ahead of us. On our first stop after breakfast, we headed to ASCALA, a non-governmental organization run by warrior Nuns. ASCALA mostly helps Haitian immigrants get necessary documentation in the Dominican Republic, along with assistance in meeting basic needs like securing a home and finding employment.
Our next stop at 9:30 am was the tour de La Cana. We were able to see where undocumented Haitians work and learned that Haitians often find themselves working for lower wages, as they are often limited in employment opportunities. As they showed us the fields, we tried delicious sugar cane straight from the plant! The worker explained that in his 40 years of working in pure hard labor, nothing has changed. They work to survive, while over in the U.S., we work for comfort.
Right after our tour de La Cana, we got to the batey. A batey is a disadvantaged community where immigrants typically reside. The family that we met had 9 siblings, 1 niece, 1 cousin, and 2 parents living in the same small room. We asked them questions about their lifestyle and they asked us questions about why we decided to come and visit their community. Being there was a very emotional experience. We all felt the same way after thinking about how we take what we have for granted. Many families don’t have the luxury of owning a couch or accessing reliable running water/food. This was a very eye-opening and important experience for all of us to reflect on the injustices that the legal system imposes on immigrants’ struggling lifestyles.
Our long 3-4 hour drive back to the ranch was filled with some quiet reflection followed by sleep, laughter, and sing-along to songs by Taylor Swift. We had dinner and reflected upon the culture shock many of us have experienced. Tomorrow, we will be able to see the community where our CAP project will take place! Off to bed, lights out at 10:00 pm. Goodnight!
Video Here: IMG_0244
Comments (1)
Frankie Ramos
Wow! This reflection really touched me. I know such inequities exists, but it is still shocking. I hope you all will never forget that and feel moved to make the world more safe and just and equitable. And, of course, to be very grateful for the lives and access to basic needs we have.