...At the end of each day we gathered in the abandoned schoolhouse that we called "home" for nine days. Everyone spoke about how joyful they were to live the life they did. I listened with curiosity; however, it was not the subject that caught my attention. I could not understand why I was the only one in the room who did not get that warm fuzzy feeling when we talked about how fortunate we are. I know I'm fortunate. I know my life is good. So why didn't I feel it? On day eight, I got my answer. We were Blue Mission participants. In the "campo" of the Dominican Republic, we worked for seven days to supply two hundred villagers one PVC pipe that would provide them with clean water long after we left. Tediously working long hours in both the mornings and afternoons, our group completed all the trenching, piping and building a day before scheduled. Subsequently, I went to an orphanage the following day for kids with mental and physical disabilities. Our first task was to scavenge the property for rocks and sharp objects that the children could possibly hurt themselves with. I felt horrible for these kids: they were caged like animals, some were just thrown on the floor, and others were motionless due to the medication they had been receiving. I put my head down, fought back the tears and the lump in my throat, and kept working....
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...He’s getting them ready to also be thrown on to the stovetop. My mother is eyeing him just to make sure he is doing everything correctly. As I sit down at the table my mother hands me a mug with clouds of steam rising out the top. I pick up the mug and sip the sweet coffee as I shut my eyes. It was just how I like it. As the coffee runs down my throat it reminds me of being in Dominican Republic where the coffee is always perfect, and even though it is close to 100 degrees outside you still want to have a cup. The Dominican Republic, where the sun is always bright, yellow and shining. The ocean is forever clear, blue, and refreshing. The food is always fresh, well seasoned, and made with love. The people smile at you with happy and glowing faces. This is where my...
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...Within Historical Context “Mira que linda!” (Look how beautiful), A phrase that was said to my grandmother often by her family members. “Ella tiene el pelo bueno”(She has good hair), another phrase. “Tienes que tener cuidado con ella, porque tal vez trujillo se la coge” (You have to be careful with her because trujillo might want her), the scariest and most worrying of the phrases that were said to her. Early Life: In order to understand the life of my grandmother, you must understand the historical events that had occurred around the time my grandmother was born. My grandmother was born on July 1, 1940. A chaotic time period in regards to world history. So much had happened within such a small period of jtime, within the Dominican Republic, the United States of...
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...Renta was born on July 22, 1932 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a tropical Island in the Caribbean. Born to a very prominent Dominican Family, Oscar Aristides de la Renta Fiallo was introduced to the Arts since early age. His upbringing in the Dominican Society provided him with an extra eye for beauty and style. Influenced by his mother, Maria Antonia Fiallo, young Oscar learned to appreciate high quality fabrics and beautiful clothes in a time and in a place where only few had access to luxury. In the 1930’s, the Dominican Island was under the dictatorship regimen of General Trujillo, civil rights violations, aggressions to the poor, and restrictions were part of the everyday life in those years. Due to his family status, Oscar was able to grow in a protected, secure and calm environment. His warm and generosity showed since an early age. Carrillo gives us an inside of this side of Oscar in those years in the following passage from his book: “There were many poor people in Santo Domingo, and Oscar became friends with a boy from a poor neighborhood. When his friend came over to play in the afternoon, Oscar always gave him some food that he had saved from his own lunch” (1). We can see how growing up in a tropical paradise, full of colors and mysticism, injected Oscar with the energy and love for color that is highly acclaimed in his designs. His craft showed first at La Escuela de Bellas Artes La Merced, the Dominican national art school, which he attended with the support...
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...queerness, shamelessness, and familial relations within this selection, it is his use of language that proves most intriguing. Rather than simply describing the struggles of adapting to a new language or customs, Diaz portrays how, at an early age, he manipulated language as a tool to makes sense of his new hybrid identity. The use of language in Junot Diaz’s Drown is spare and unadorned, often rendered in "Spanglish," an unpredictable mixture of both English and Spanish. Diaz uses Spanish words in the midst of standard English sentences to fortify the differences between Dominican and American cultures. Although, the integration of street slang with Spanish may confound the typical reader, it accurately depicts the taxing experience of new immigrants struggling to make sense of new phenomena in the United States and engages the harsh reality of the multilingualism. The difference in language between the Dominican and...
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...such as the beautiful smell of my island.” The decision to leave my country was the hardest decision for me because I didn't want to leave my cultural background, friends and family. However, I had to leave because my parents wanted me to study in the United States. It was a hard choice to leave my beautiful island in the Dominican Republic. I left when I was just 16 years old. I was taken to study in the United States because my grandmother was living here. My parents wanted the best for me, but I was very scared. Moving overseas to a new culture that you know almost nothing was hard for me. I had already my identity as Dominican and I didn’t want to lose that. I knew I was going to miss my favorite food the” mangu”, and my dear music “el merengue”. When I first got here I felt strange. The language that I’ve always spoken was gone” My lindo español”. Some people say that go to another school is simple however it isn't on account of it is not the same thing that is in your nation. There are new classes, another language and that is another hard step. I had a lot of friends in the Dominican Republic, however throughout my entire life, I have had only one best friend, Maria Elena. We have experienced a lot together. We have been friends since 3rd grade. She has been very supportive to me, especially when I lost my father. I have made new friends now, but I still miss her. I think the choice of my parents was great because now I have new friends, and a great school...
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...LS 312 Ethics and the Legal Environment Unit 7 Assignment Amanda Card December 28, 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholders Clean Power Company faces many ethical dilemmas in moving its operations to the Dominican Republic on the Chavon River. There are U.S. employees who may be affected if they do not or cannot go to the new location. There are considerations for how new employees in the Dominican Republic will be compensated. These are economic concerns, though there are some legal concerns as well, for employees in the U.S. who are laid off. Ethical concerns surround running the sewer line directly into the Chavon River and whether wages offered to new employees will have enough of an impact to improve the quality of life. Philanthropic concerns include the building of the new school for the children in the community along the Chavon River. There are ethical issues from a legal perspective that surround the routing of the chemical waste into the Chavon River. Though the river is clean and large enough to handle waste, there may come a time in the future when it will not be able to absorb waste from Clean Power Company. Though Teltec has stated that running the waste directly into the river should be acceptable, there may be regulations in the country that Clean Power is not aware of. The organization must research this, to ensure it will be in compliance. Those who may be laid off in the U.S. operation are eligible for...
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...A Tour to St.Dominic Church and Bataan Tourism “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.”- Michael Crichton. If history is unknown to us how would we appreciate the present times? Participating to tours that shows and imparts the history of something is a great opportunity to see and reflect why and what life has been today. Last September 23, 2015, Wednesday, together with my classmates we are blessed to witness historical places like the St. Dominic Parish Church and the Bataan Tourism Center which caters different historical events and contributions of our fellow Filipinos here at Bataan. First stop is the Saint Dominic Parish Church which is known as Abucay Church, located at Brgy. Laon, Abucay, Bataan. The church is founded by Dominican Missionary Friars and built to be dedicated to St. Dominic de Guzman. This church witnessed the massacre of hundreds of Filipinos and Spaniards by the Dutch invaders. The building is more than 400 years old and one of the oldest church in the Philippines. The making of St. Dominic Parish Church was headed by Father Geronimo de Belen in early 1600s. Saint Dominic Church once suffered by a horrible damage because of the earthquake but still survived. On the later years it was destroyed by fire but was revived and reconstructed under Father Jose Diego Pelaez. This only shows how much we value our church as much as we value our creator. Second stop is the Bataan Tourism...
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...The Culture of Daily Life Similarities and Differences Paper Conversational Spanish 1 July 21, 2014 Differences in Familial Structures, Religious Practices, and Traditions Dominican and Mexican cultures are very distinct and have different characteristics. These are apparent in the familial structures, religious practices, and traditions of each country. Familial structure in the Dominican Republic proved as the fundamental social unit. The solidarity that kin owed to one another, as well as trust, and assistance was emphasized. Family loyalty was something engrained from early childhood and is an unquestioned virtue ("Family And Kin", n.d.). Meanwhile in the Mexican familial structure, unity is where they build a strong foundation. Their dedication to supporting family and displaying loyalty no matter what happens reflects in the fact that Mexico’s divorce rate is one of the lowest in the world, and also that generations of families typically live in the same house or neighborhood (Damewood, 2006-2014). Religion in the Dominican Republic is primarily Roman Catholicism, for the most part their religious practices have been formalistic and limited; only a few actually attended mass regularly. Religion influences Dominicans as a governing aspect of their culture and way of life. Popular religious practices were frequently far removed because many people felt the best way to approach God was through intermediaries. These included the...
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...sisters are quite different when they are younger, but as they grow and become more acquainted with the world they are living in, they become more involved and more passionate about saving their country. Through the stories of Minerva, Mate and Patria, Julia Alvarez shows that experiencing personal encounters with tragedies cause people to become more radicalized. When Patria is younger, she bears the qualities of an innocent and faithful child, but once she experiences a traumatic event, she finds a tougher, more radicalized version of herself. Before witnessing the traumatic event that changes her, Patria is an honest and frank child who lives life with “[her] mind, [her] heart, and [her] soul in the clouds” (44). She is a girl with no worries and no with drawls. Before becoming radicalized, Patria lived a seemingly untroubled life that she never thought would turn out as it did. While on a spiritual retreat, Patria and her church friends are ambushed, and she witnesses a child, as young as her daughter, being shot and killed. The boy also reminded her of her still born baby; a helpless, undeserving victim of a hierarchy’s upper hand. At that moment, Patria “inche[s] towards courage the best way [she] could, by helping with the little things” (154). While most her family meets up for their secret meetings, Patria allows them to come inside her home, signifying her acceptance of the rebellion. She also allows her son to partake in the meetings, proving her alliance with her...
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...Dominican Republic and Haiti: A Comparison of How One Island Has Two Complete Different Ends Dominican Republic and Haiti: A Comparison of How One Island Has Two Complete Different Ends The Hispaniola is a small island in the Caribbean which is currently composed by the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti. These two countries despite sharing an island and historical institutions are completely different. While the Dominican Republic enjoys the beauty of the Caribbean and its weather, Haiti suffers the consequences of it. These two countries share certain similarities, but within these similarities there is a big difference. The Dominican Republic and Haiti have a similar economy, environment, and education system, but in reality they are similar to opposite ends. The Dominican Republic and Haiti are both third world countries ranked on the top 100 poorest countries in the world. The Dominican Republic currently holds place 94 being in a sense wealthier than Haiti, who holds place 20 being the poorest country in Western Hemisphere. In 1960 these countries had the same GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, but, ever since, they’ve manage to increase in opposite ways. The Dominican Republic and Haiti perform the same activities to increase their GDP, but somehow the Dominican Republic has increased unlike Haiti, which has been decreasing since then (Figure 1). The Dominican Republic currently stands at $5,855 GDP per capita which has more than tripled Haiti’s...
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...beautiful island of the Dominican Republican. The reason I have chosen this country is because I plan on vacationing here over summer break. My significant other and I have been trying to find different places to vacation and this project was a perfect opportunity for me to explore one of our favorite options. The beautiful island of the Dominican Republic is positioned in the Caribbean Sea, and it is a portion of the West Indies. Its region equals that of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. The Dominican Republic shares the land with Haiti and the whole island is known as Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic lies on the east side of the island and Haiti is on the west. Hispaniola was the name given when Christopher Columbus discovered it when he revealed it on his formerly voyage in 1492. The establishing of this island was very significant to European settlers and it played a main part in the economic growth that Europe had when the new world was discovered. The cultivation that is part of this island has help establish an economic structure that has led the Dominican Republic become what it has today. The population of the Dominican Republic today is around 10.5 million. The nationality of the people living in this country are Dominicans. There is some mixed ethic groups including blacks and whites. The Dominican Republic Close to 46% of that population is under the age of 25. More and more Dominicans are migrating to the cities for a better chance at life. This has greatly affected...
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...Life of Saint Dominic St. Dominic (sometimes spelled St. Domonic) was born Dominic Guzman around 1170 in Old Castile, Spain. He was born into a family of privilege and educated in Spain where he attended university for ten years, studying the arts and theology. Education and learning were centerpieces of his life, as were kindness and charity. Saint Dominic Guzman is the patron saint of scientists and astronomy, among others. The life of St. Dominic is very interesting, as he traveled widely and met people from every level of society. His strong belief in education was cemented in the early 13th century whenhe accompanied the Bishop of Osma on a diplomatic mission that crossed into the south of France. There they encountered the Cathars, a group of educated people who were yet heretics. His attempts to preach to them failed, but he came away from the experience having seen a successful model: learning faith through schooling. He returned to the region later and established the first Catholic nunnery at Sainte Marie de Prouille, and the nuns later became known as the Sisters of Saint Dominic. He worked very hard in the following years to spread education about Christ. One well-recounted miracle associated with the story of St. Dominic occurred when he was in Fanjeaux, participating in a theological disputation or debate. His manuscripts and those of his adversaries were compared and various points highlighted. Someone suggested that the manuscripts of both...
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...Eng 135 Essay #1 Expository GROWING UP HISPANIC I could not imagine myself being anything else but Hispanic. I had an interesting up bringing by a Puerto Rican mother that was strict, in your face, no nonsense, and a loving mother and by a Dominican father that was care free, laid back, funny, easy to talk too, and loving. I guess I can say I had the best of both worlds due to the fact that I am half Puerto Rican and half Dominican. Even though I identify myself with my Puerto Rican side a lot more than I can identify with my Dominican side. I still love the fact that even though Dominicans are Hispanic and we speak somewhat the same language Puerto Rican and Dominicans are so different in the way that we live, eat, raise our children, educated themselves. My father’s upbringing was a very comfortable one due to the fact that my Grand Father was rich. Sugar cane being big on the islands, my Grand Father had many which contributed to the money in our family. My father being the oldest of ten would make you think that he had the most responsibility when in actuality it was the opposite. When my father was 18 he went off to war and was smuggled out of the Dominican Republic into Mexico, he fought for a short period of time. At the end of that time he ended up in New York. In New York, my father was the manager of a dry cleaning business for the rich and the famous, among those Rockefeller was one of his clients. My mother’s upbringing on the other hand was a very poor...
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...Diversity of Hispanic Minorities in America Diversity of Hispanic Minorities in America The American soil has experienced centuries of Spanish inhabitants beginning with the legendary explorers during the 15th century. Hispanic visitors of this decade have not traveled from the European nations; they are from Mexico and islands South of Florida. The inhabitants of Mexico, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and The Dominican Republic have entered the United States both legally and illegally in search of a better life. The largest group of Hispanic immigrants is the Mexicans. The Mexicans represented 66.9% of the Hispanic population of the United States in 2002 (Schaefer, 2006, p. 236). Census figures confirm that 69% of illegal aliens inhabiting America in 2009 entered from Mexico. If fact, nearly one out of ten Mexicans currently resides in the United States (Terrazas, 2010). The linguistic choices of Mexican immigrants are 23% English dominant, 26% English and Spanis- speaking, and 51% Spanish (Schaefer, 2006, p. 241) The language barriers lead to inadequate schooling and less chance for economic advancement. Over half of Mexican immigrants entering America have not graduated high school or obtained proper documentation for employment; this leads to employment of most in unskilled fields. With less than 6% of immigrants earning a college degree, few immigrants qualify for professional positions (Buffington, 2011). Most Mexican immigrant males find employment as factory or construction...
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