Something I realized as I wrote my previous post is that my nerves always calm down sooner or later, and I’ve become very comfortable in poor countries. After that first trip to Mexico, which lasted two weeks, I returned the following summer for eight weeks. I got used to living in a cabin in the hills outside Ensenada, where I would hear mice scurrying along the rafters above my bunk. Even now, it’s hard to imagine being OK with that. But I managed, just like I did in other ways, and just like I’ll have to do during my four days in Haiti.
I also got used to eating the local food in Mexico, whether it was at a restaurant or a taco stand. But I remained vigilant with the water, always using the bottled stuff to brush my teeth. I ventured out of my comfort zone by going there in the first place, and it paid off. I love Mexico now. I’ve been back on short visits a handful of times, and I always enjoy it. I don’t feel uncomfortable in the least when I’m there.
This week, in the Dominican Republic, the only things bugging me are the mosquitoes and the heat. Over the past few days, we’ve spent a significant amount of time in the slums on the outskirts of the city, where my employers have schools. I haven’t felt out of place or uneasy. I think part of the reason is that I’m used to being in areas like this. And another big part is the people I’m with. The local staff members are in these slums daily, and the Americans with me are just as accustomed to seeing this kind of deep poverty as I am, if not more so. Everyone is surprisingly nonplussed by the sight of palm wood and sheet metal shanties with naked toddlers running around in front of them, through rutted dirt roads strewn with trash and other, more fluid types of waste.
Maybe part of it, too, is that the families who live in these conditions know our organization is there to help, and so they’re friendly toward us. I’ll try and post photos of some of the folks I’ve met. But right now, I need sleep.
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