I believe that community service and volunteerism are very important. The best thing a person can donate is their time. Helping  others through community service has made me learn so much about others as well as myself. Being a volunteer  in DR helped me realize the difference in culture and even strengthened my knowledge about my own surroundings. The smallest favors you do for someone can make such an impact especially when asking for nothing in return. I feel so happy to be able to help someone and make their lives easier even if it is just painting walls and chairs. This project has taught me that their is so much extra help needed in places you wouldn’t even think of. Not everyone can afford to hire someone for help or to do work and doing it without pay  made me feel better as a person; i gained  values such as humbleness, gratefulness, honesty, sincerity and respect which are among the important virtues that one can acquire from helping the community. This trip has been amazing and heart melting experience, seeing how happy those kids were even though we could not understand each other because of the language barrel. but we did not let that stop us from making a connection. as frustrating as not speaking Spanish was, i learned that sometimes you do not need to speak the language to understand or help someone. 

The day we went to the DaJabon  will be an unforgettable experience. As we were heading back to the bus i noticed a little boy about 7 years old sitting next to our bus. He was holding a basket of peanuts in one hand and a smaller bag on the other. He had crossed the  Haitian boarder alone to sell  peanuts. i decided to give him some money that was in my pocket, which was only 50 pesos about 1 US dollar.  one of my peers gave him another 50 pesos and he thought that she was buying his peanuts because he proceeded to give her the entire basket of peanuts. i have never felt so emotions. i was angry i couldn’t take him home with me because Haitians who crossed the border were not allowed passed a certain point. Hurt that this parents were not with him, Disappointed at myself for only having an apple, water, and 50 pesos to give him. I am curious to know what he was thinking about as he sat there staring at his basket of peanuts and amazed because  after he had eating the food we gave him, he saved the apple and the meal my peers had brought him. Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make all the difference.

The Dominican sun shone brightly on the back of my sweat-damp, paint-splattered neck as I bent over to dip my brush into the bowl paint. I cautiously on the wobbly table, brush in hand, to complete the outline of the circle. I was there, along with 14 other Rowan Students. After completing the final brushstroke, I stepped back to absorb my surroundings: The vivid blue sky served as a backdrop to the tumbledown huts that abutted rocky roads, towering coconut trees and an abandoned pan houses.
My group worked at the two local schools from dawn until late afternoon painting murals and cleaning the playground. The children and adults who lived nearby took notice of our attendance and at the last school; two local children who help paint a mural of a boy joined us. On the first day, I was drawn to an unimposing boy of about ten. He had deep, brown penetrating eyes and lanky limbs. The sclera on his eyes, instead of being healthy white, had the slight yellow tint of malnourishment. On my second interaction with him I noticed that he walked around barefoot with a school uniform and refused to come into the school. It was very frustrating not being able to communicate with him because he could not we could not understand one another. The boy seemed to be thinking, always standing in the same stop every time we arrived at the school. I tried conversing with him throughout our stay; however the language barrel always hindered us from saying anything other than hi and how are you. I think about him everyday and wonder if I spoke the language would I have helped him in anyway, r at least found out why he refused to come to school.

For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about helping people. Any opportunity to perform an act of kindness, be it large or small, thrilled me. From lending pencils to classmates or babysitting siblings to doing community service, I enjoyed it all. Needless to say, it is this reason why I decided not to give up after missing my flight twice. Traveling and helping children has always been a dream of mine, which I intend to make a career. Among the most important is my desire to provide help to those in need through my commitment to service. After finally arriving I was blown away by the beauty and colorfulness of the country, but most importantly I was touched by how friendly and happy everyone around were. Welcoming me with warm hugs and kisses. As uncomfortable as hugs are to me, it did not feel that way with them. I was very excited to see what else this beautiful country had in store for me.

Passing through the arch and walking out onto the border bridge, we were soon dissuaded by barbed wire and a padlocked gate. It was the view to the sides of the bridge that had the most influence on me. As i looked out at the banks of a slow running river, I saw a group of women washing clothes, children splashing in the water and garments left on bare dirt and rocks to dry. I was struck by the contrast between what I had seen in the DR and what I was now seeing in Haiti. The Haitians appeared to lack resources and basic services while the Dominicans seemed to be wealthier. When the Haitian children and the occasional adult looked up at us, I felt uncomfortable seeing their poverty. As an outsider looking in, I could only imagine what their lives were like but this was not something was unfamiliar with. I began to think about what responsibility the United States and other well-off nations have to assistance struggling countries such as Haiti.

Seeing the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti also made me begin to question things. Why was the bridge so deeply fortified when the border below was a shallow river with only sparse vegetation? Where did the Haitian people actually live? Why couldn’t these people locate a more desirable water source? I struggled to comprehend their daily experiences and can’t believe what I had seen.

This trip has taught me more about the island, people, and their history than I ever expected. Having seen directly the authenticities of life for those on the border, I now have a better understanding of the struggles they face and the obstacles of their everyday. My desire to help and volunteer has been strengthened and this day be one of the most memorable parts of the trip.