WHO IS REALLY POOR?

Finding friendship and love among the poor in the Dominican Republic

By Bernice Butler
May 2002

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article

Ever since I returned from the Dominican Republic people have asked me, "What exactly was the trip about? Why wouldn't you spend your money on a real vacation?" It is difficult to answer a question like that because you have to remember that many people have not seen what I saw or felt what I felt in the Dominican Republic.

I visited the DR during March break 2001 with a group from my high school. We took part in a third world experience, living with families in the town of Consuelo.

The experience was not about palm trees and beaches of white sand. It was not about getting a tan or having your hair braided. It was about being part of something that brought about a change in perspective and a new understanding of a life you thought you knew. It was also about returning home and questioning everything: yourself, your friends, your family, and the choices you make.

I became suddenly aware that so many people on this earth do not live like I do. I felt a bond with the Dominican people that, I realized, all people around the world share. The love that I felt within my host family, and with all the people I met, was so honest and true that it was at times overwhelming. Part of our experiences involved visiting small villages called bateys and learning about the people who live there.

Most of the people on the bateys earn their living cutting sugarcane. They cut for 12 hours a day and get paid an amount depending on how much they cut. They work and sweat under the treacherous sun with no food or water, and many of the workers are children. They face every day with gratitude, without complaining. They do not dwell on what they don't have, but instead are happy and grateful for what they do have.

The people live in small, one-room houses made of plywood or sheets of metal. We talked to a man who worked in the sugarcane field for 40 years. He was proud of his home and welcomed us inside to listen to his story. As he spoke, his face glistened with sweat, his body tired and worn, but his smile shone like the sun.

He has not been working for the last year because the sugarcane factory was shut down, but still he somehow manages to support himself and his five children. In my eyes, this man has so much going against him. In his eyes, he is alive and making it every day. He told us that he has food to eat today, and his children will someday support him when he can no longer work. His eyes light up as he exclaims, "God is good!"

I find myself wondering, Who is really poor?

Every person I met on the batey believed in their hearts that God is always there for them. God walks beside them and continues to bless them with life. You could feel God's love in the community-in the sharing of food; in the children, so delicate and small, who just want to hold your hand or touch you.

I hear again, Who is really poor?

I feel closer to God just by being in the presence of these people who truly know God. They have faith like I have never seen before. And among these beautiful people, who must search daily for food and clean water, I found myself feeling like I was the one missing something.

I wish I could give something to help or to somehow say thank you. The truth is the Dominicans have given me more than I could ever give in return. They taught me the value of opening yourself to another person, and by doing so, opening yourself to God.8

Bernice Butler is a first year Nursing student at McMaster University. Bernice participated in the Dominican Republic Exposure Program, a program coordinated by former Scarboro lay missionary Dean Riley and a team of Dominican youth from the sugar mill town of Consuelo, Dominican Republic. The program welcomes Canadian high school groups for a week-long experience among the Dominican people. Through billeting, Canadian students experience the language and culture of their Dominican hosts. The youth also visit bateys, small impoverished communities of mostly Haitian sugar cane cutters and their families. Contact Dean Riley, Apartado 3180, Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana. E-mail: driley@web.ca

Return to Table of Contents
Print Article