Provisional Placement

Last Friday, October 2nd, our APCD, Associate Peace Corps Director, our Peace Corps Volunteer Leader and our Project Director, also known as our new bosses, came to visit our Community Based Training group and notified us about our “provisional” placements. Can you say “excitement!" The process went like this; our names were on star shaped Post-it notes facing down on the floor; the chairs were in a horseshoe circle and our future placements were on two pieces of large paper taped onto the wall in front of the room. We were informed we would be picking a name at random and our APCD and three facilitators would then share a brief two to three minutes about our future site placements, project partners, and location, including expectations of the future projects.

Now we know where we are going for the next two years. Plus, it was fun hearing about each persons potential project site, project partner, cities where our new friends who could be “provisionally” be living nearby. Although it was a bit awkward (On a side note, I recently learned that there is no word for awkward in the Spanish language) being on display in front of our peers, our reactions were all of excitement, anticipation and our palates were left wanting more information.

So, with all the anticipation building for the past several weeks, we are going to be living in Batey Monte Cristi, which is near San Pedro de Macoris in the east of the Dominican Republic. Knowing what city we are going to be living in for the next two years is a major positive outcome from this entire process and we have a more narrowed idea of what work we could be doing. Dan will be working with an international NGO called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanitos (Our little brothers and sisters) and Phoebe will be partnering with two community based organizations in the Batey (one of which is a women’s group!).

Based upon conversations with our trainers, bosses and other Peace Corps Volunteers, we have learned that Batey’s in the Dominican Republic were initially developed as housing for the workers of the sugar cane industry. The grand majority of the laborers for the sugar cane industry have been Haitians who were brought to the Dominican Republic, at first on a seasonal basis and later on a permanent basis, to work in the fields and factories for the sugar cane industry. Many Haitians who have lived in the D.R. for the past 50 plus years consider themselves Dominican, consider their children Dominican and many second and third generations have never even visited Haiti. Creole tends to be widely spoken in a majority of Bateys, although from what we have learned from the other Peace Corps Volunteers, the majority of Haitians in Bateys also speak Spanish and can understand French. It’s likely that we will be able to take additional courses in Creole throughout the next few years. Phoebe and I are expecting to learn much more about the history of Batey's, the people of Batey’s and of course the people of the D.R. over the next two years and we will definitely share more as our journey continues.

What we have discovered so far about Batey Monte Christi, NOT to be confused with Monte Cristi in the north of the country, it is about a 15 to 20 minute motoconcho ride to San Pedro de Macoris, about 30-45 minute motoconcho ride to the beach and about a two hour bus ride to the capital city, Santo Domingo. We are also close to La Romana, probably 45-minute bus ride, and La Romana, hosts an international airport for those of you wanting to come and visit us in the coming two years!

As always, In love and the spirit of sharing.