Writing that wins hearts: an example of authenticity

Personal Reflections:
Language Development Project
Centro para la niños
Laguna Salada, the Dominican Republic
January 27 – February 23, 2002

My bed was two lumpy mattresses atop four cinder blocks.

My shower was a pipe coming out of the wall with only cold and not-so-clean water.

My food, although plentiful, was simple.

And at times, the dust and the heat and the insects and the smells from the animals were unbearable.

The Hilton it was not.

To me, it was better.

It is a place where the grounds are landscaped with flowers and brightly-colored rocks.

It is a place where the sounds of doves and parakeets fill the air.

It is a place where the orphans are loved.

It is a place where schooling, hard work, discipline and respect are important.

It is a place where the orphans are fiercely protective of each other.

It is a place where creativity and resourcefulness blossom in spite of the limited means.

It is a place where I learned patience and discipline.

And finally, it is a place where I learned to see the beauty in every day and in every thing.

The Dream

What began as a dream in March 2001 – to return to the Dominican Republic to help my little friend, Rhadames, with his language – turned into reality 10 months later.

For the past three years during spring break at Florida Atlantic University where I work, I have volunteered my time at orphanages in the Dominican Republic. It was during my March 2001 trip that I had the opportunity to visit an orphanage in the town of Laguna Salada. While there, I met a 5-year old boy, Rhadames, who did not speak. We formed an instantaneous kinship and I knew that I wanted to return to work on his language development.

The Plan

First, I applied for and was awarded a grant from a New York-based organization, so that I could take a one-month unpaid leave of absence. I also obtained the necessary support from my workplace.

Then I started a fundraising campaign and thanks to the financial support from my family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, I raised $1,900 in cash donations for the orphanage, and $650 in donations-in-kind (American Airlines underwrote part of my airline ticket and the Florida Marlins donated 25 baseball gloves).

And finally, I called upon my teaching training of many years ago to prepare lesson plans for my protégé.

The Reality

On January 27, 2002, I departed for the Dominican Republic and for one month, I lived in a different world within a different world.

Nestled between the towns of Laguna Salada and Jaibon in the Dominican Republic, is the Centro para la niñoz, home to 31 boys, ages 5 to 21. For these boys, it is a self-contained world of home, school, and church, surrounded by fields of vegetables and farm animals. There is little contact with the outside world except through visitors or vendors coming onto the grounds.

(The orphanage was built 10 years ago by a group of churches in central Florida, on land donated by the Reverendo, a Dominican minister. The Florida group provides food and medical and dental assistance to the children on an ongoing basis.)

After taking one day to settle in, I set up a classroom for Rhadames and began to work with him, first on pronunciation of the Spanish alphabet and simple phrases, and later with writing. I soon realized that Rhadames was having difficulty speaking because he was having difficulty hearing. I also realized that he is an extremely intelligent boy, with lots of street smarts. It was his way of protecting himself, especially with everyone calling him el mudo (the mute).

So my first priority was to have his hearing tested. Over the next four weeks, the director of the orphanage, Zoraida, and I made four trips to Santiago to consult with two hearing specialists on the extent of Rhadames’ hearing problem. We discovered that he is deaf in his left ear and has 60 percent hearing in his right.

The second specialist, an otolaryngologist, measured Rhadames for a custom-made hearing aid for his left ear. And on Tuesday, February 26, two days after my return to the United States, Rhadames received his new hearing aid.

The Accomplishments

I continued to work with Rhadames, mindful of his hearing loss, and by the end of the one month, he could not only say the letters of the Spanish alphabet and simple phrases such as por favor (please) and gracias (thank you), but he could write the alphabet and his name.

My daily routine included not only schooling Rhadames but helping the other boys as well. Four boys, ranging in ages from 11 to 5, now can print their names.  And everyone at the orphanage no longer calls Rhadames el mudo.

Another accomplishment was training the boys not to throw papers on the floor. Often, I could be heard saying “No papeles en el piso, solamente in la bolsa!” (No papers on the floor, only in the bag!)  One day, I knew that my nagging finally had sunk in: two brothers were cutting paper in the classroom and the older brother threw a piece of paper on the floor. The younger one immediately said “No papeles en el piso, solamente in la bolsa!”

So on my next trip to Santiago, I purchased four garbage cans, now proudly displayed on the orphanage grounds, with my name and the date of my arrival emblazoned on them in hot pink nail polish – at the request of Zoraida.

The Memorable Moments

·       Hearing Rhadames outside my bedroom window in the morning, calling out “Mammie, Mammie!”

·       Finding out that I had a “roommate” the entire first week of my stay … a five-inch rat that had been nesting in the box spring of my bed.

·       Feeling like family when I was asked to show visitors around the orphanage.

·       Walking down the orphanage road with a stick in my hand, herding 50 goats to a different pasture – and having half of the goats run off in one direction and the other half in another direction.

·       Herding the cows on the main road between Laguna Salada and Jaibon, being passed by cars, trucks and motorbikes, as we made our way to another pasture.

·       Understanding that uno momento could mean anything from one minute to one hour to whenever.

·       Realizing that I not only was speaking in Spanish, but also thinking and writing in Spanish as well.

·       Trying to explain to the boys why I couldn’t live there, why I had to leave.

 The Future

This was a unique experience for me – living as part of the family, I made lifelong bonds with these children, and I plan to return to the Centro para la niñoz on an annual basis. For my next visit, I will be approaching shoe and clothing companies to donate 31 pairs of sneakers, t-shirts and jackets for “my boys.”

 The Final Word from Zoraida, the Director of the Orphanage

“I am grateful to you, and the people who supported you, for the things we have been able to accomplish with the money you brought, which covered some of our necessities. Endless thanks.”

 The Donations

The cash donations were used for:

·       Consultations with two hearing specialists for Rhadames

·       A hearing aid for Rhadames

·       Six ceiling fans for the boys’ two dormitorios (bedrooms)

·       Two toilets and additional building supplies for the boys’ newly-built baño (bathroom)

·       Oil-based paint (to replace the water-based paint) for the entire outside of the orphanage, as well as for the boys’ dormitorios and comedor (dining room)

·       Two 200-gallon cisterns

·       A pump for the cocina (kitchen)

·       Two halogen lights for the orphanage entrance

·       Materials to renovate the ramada (a building consisting of a cement floor with cyclone fencing held up by 2x4s for walls and a tin roof), where the boys play when it rains

·       Phone installation for the orphanage

What you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
                                                                Goethe

When it comes to children,
have no shame in asking for assistance.
Gapinski.

I met Stefanie Gapinski in 2000 when we volunteered at El Buen Samaritano in Esperanza, Dominican Republic, through Orphanage Outreach, www.orphanage-outreach.org.  We returned in 2001. Stefanie radiates energy, passion, laughter, and warmth. You may contact her at stefgapinski@netscape.net about her newly incorporated nonprofit organization, The Power of One.