Si Dios conmigo, quien contra mi?

Wow! Talk about a whirlwind! These first few days in la Republica Dominicana have flown by with little to no spare time for documentation, reflection, or (at times) breathing!
Since I last wrote, I have spent two full days in the Esperanza office in Santo Domingo getting to know co-workers, details of the job, and most importantly, dominicanisms. Although challenging at times, I have been continuously blessed by the patience of my fellow Esperanza workers and the encouragement they have provided me with.
I also had the opportunity to travel to Hato Mayor, one of 10 offices that Esperanza has in the DR, yesterday for the purpose of accompanying an accounting team from HOPE (made up completely of Messiah grads- represent!) to meet loan officers and the local branch officer. The past few days have consisted of meeting several new faces, attempting to remember names, and trying my best at cramming my head full of new vocab, phrases, and MFI jargon. While life has been non-stop, it has also been extremely exciting and rewarding.
Today, I traveled with the fearless and incredible Claire to La Ramona to meet up with a team from Colorado who is partaking in a weeklong “vacation with a purpose.” The individuals stay at a villa in Casa de Campo in La Ramona while exploring their faith and learning about microfinance in action. The day started early with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call (which turned in 5:00 a.m. as I carelessly turned off my alarm clock in my sleep) and then a taxi ride to the “bus station” in downtown Santo Domingo. On the way to the bus stop, I felt a large thud under the left wheel of our taxi car and Claire soon explained that the driver had just hit one of Santo Domingo’s unusually large rats (think Rodents of Unusual Size here people- we are talking the size of Stella. Sick.) We soon arrived at the bus stop to where we boarded an express bus full of individuals traveling to La Ramona for work and other reasons. The bus was comfortable and air-conditioned and fully equipped with a flat screen television displaying the ride’s “feature film.” Yup, Anaconda 3 was not exactly the movie I would have selected for a 2 hour trek at 5:45 a.m., but hey- to each their own. Never before have I witnessed a movie that wholly consists of blood, guts, decapitation, oh, and did I mention blood? Yes, the anacondas escaped the inescapable cage, yes, all the bad AND good guys die, and yes, the heroine managed to blow up the two large anacondas (and all the recently hatched young-ins) while escaping a dilapidated building, beating up a man 4 times her size, and spending a long 30 seconds glaring him down so as to gloat of her victory before the bomb goes off. Let’s hope the Anaconda series decides to end on an upbeat note and stick to a trilogy. *note: after writing this blog I conducted an unofficial research study and identified that the anaconda series has in fact released 4 movies. Unfortunate, but that’s life.
Anyways, moving on. Also during the bus ride Claire mentioned that when it rains in the Dr, it pours. And sure enough within a few minutes of a few drops on the windshield, streets were experiencing flash flooding and cars were fording through 6 inches of water. Que increible! The rest of the day was absolutely amazing. I met a fantastic taxi driver who I was able to communicate in Spanish with (woot woot!) and I witnessed first-hand the incredible income disparity that is often reported about the DR. In a few short hours of being in La Ramona I visited Casa de Campo, a resort where individuals such as Vin Diesel and Enrique Iglesias own villas. These villas are absolutely incredible- fitted with a moat around the premises, two-story indoor waterfalls, and private pools. Shortly after I recovered my jaw from the floor, we once again were on the road, except this time to a local batey and barrio. The stark difference between the casa de campo- a tourist resort- and el barrio was mind boggling. In one place, tourists could enjoy the amenities of a fully furnished villa, equipped with maid, cook, and butler, while 45 minutes down the road were shanty houses and dirt roads; home to the majority of Dominicans. Interestingly enough, when I think back on the day, I realize that I experienced more of a culture shock walking into the villa in Casa de Campo than in meeting the families that live in the barrio.
In the Batey we were able to attend a banco de esperanza meeting where we saw bank members drop off loan payments and meet with their solidarity groups for a devotion. They answered all the questions we threw at them including their reasons for joining their group, the success of their businesses since receiving a small loan from esperanza, and their dreams and hopes for their children. What an incredible group of women! In the Barrio, we shopped inside a client’s colmado (a local general store) that she had expanded due to a microloan and met her 6 children (ranging in age from 3-18 years old). Although it was a long day, the individuals we met and the visitors we had the opportunity to interact with were phenomenal.
Although I continue to have fears about this position and about my abilities, I am continuously reminded of God’s presence with these people and in this place. I find this job to be exhilarating and challenging- a job with a purpose and one that matches my passion for poverty alleviation through sustainable methods. Last night, I was feeling rather incompetent, when I pulled from my purse an old fortune cookie paper from P.F. Chang’s (where else?) that read: “He who never makes mistakes never did anything that’s worthy.” So I am making that my motto for the time being. Don’t be shy, don’t be fearful, be willing to make mistakes. “Si Dios conmigo, quien contra mi?"