BEAUTIFUL BASEBALL.

Soccer, Soccer, soccer. That's all me. Soccer is a huge part in my life. Little did I know that Soccer is not so big in the hearts of others, especially in the Dominican Republic. Most of the time, Soccer is like a religion in Latin Countries. The Dominican Republic was a whole different story. Literally, the dominicans eat, sleep, and play baseball. It is not just a sport, it is a way of life. Baseball runs in their blood. It just fascinates me. The children in the DR play with bottle caps (Ball), broom sticks (bat), and milk cartons (glove). In the middle of the street, beind a building in the dirt, barefooted, the children play with a concentration filled with passion. One of my favorite parts is that brothers would steal the heads off their sister's dolls in order to have a ball. Growing up, i was always a little sad because i did not have the best soccer equipment. Now, I realized that the most important equipment is the heart. Maybe the reason there are so many Dominincans in the Major leagues is because they grew up slamming bottle caps with broomsticks at alarming speeds. It is because they do not allow their circumstances to define them. I have a new respect for baseball now. The swing of the bat represents more than a motion. It is a way to make it out. An opportunity to become someone. A dream to reach for the stars, and defy the limits of impossible. Baseball has allowed for a country to find light in the darkest of places.

Float like a butterfly,
Sting like a bee.

 -Muhammad Ali.

Dominican hearts.

Friday, March 23, 2012

This was our last day in the Dominican Republic. Poppa Jack gave an inspirational dedication speech. He dedicated the play area to God. To the man who was above it all. Left, right, up, and down, our hearts and hands were pointed towards the sky in honor of His majesty and grace. No words could describe the feeling I felt. My body was full of chills and weird feelings. Happiness & Joy were overflowing. Hundreds of children rushed to the playground. The concrete was dry, but it was as if the playground shook because of all the people rushing to step foot on it. The playground was more than just a play area. It was freedom to explore and live a normal childhood. It represented dreams, passion, and hard work. It was amazing to be able to say that I helped bolt every single piece together. Not many people can say they have built a playground for special needs children in the Dominican Republic. My cheek bones were soar from all the smiling. I stood back and watched the magic. My Salem sisters playing on the playground with the child was spectacular. It had been done. The first play ground in Santo Domingo for special needs children. We had accomplished something many people had said we could not do. We gave ourselves in service. I did a great deed while I learned and gained so much. Relationships were sparked and strengthened. The trip made me realize the things worth living for. We made a difference in the great scheme of life. I went to the DR thinking that I was going to change the lives of the Dominicans, but instead the Dominicans impacted my life beyond measures. Now, I am proudly a Mexican Dominican American. Physically, I am here in the United States, but a piece of my heart will forever be in the Dominican Republic.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself

in the service of others.

 - Ghandhi

Las cosas pequeñas.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

10 a.m. The wheels on the bus slowly rolled into the Leprosarium. The elderly people were full of energy. Each and everyone of them was eager to talk to us. It was a little shocking at first. Leprosy attacks your toes and fingers first, and many of the patients were missing them. But, despite their gloomy conditions, Laughter, Smiles, and Happiness were dancing to and from the rooms and people. I walked into a room where an elderly man was sitting upright on his bed. His eyes lit up brighter than the sun, and he used his hand to motion me a "come closer." I hugged him, and he squeezed me so tight. So powerful.

11 a.m. Fellowship time. The sound of beautiful voices and pounding drums left me captivated. "Shine your light and let the world see that we're singing for the glory of the risen king." "Our savior, He can move the mountains and  can pass us through any storm. A group from Oklahoma preformed  skits. One was about the washing of windows. The actors tried many methods and nothing seemed to work. After a prayer, the smudge wiped off smoothly. The other was about face masks. The many face masks we put on to fit each occasion. The only masked that proved to be magnificent was the one of the servant of the Lord.

2 p.m. Cielo for lunch. Harvey kindly asked me to accompany him to eat lunch with a dear family. Me and Katie tagged along. The Capellan family opened their hearts to us instantly. I could smell the home cooked food from a mile away. The hugs and kisses reminded me of home like if I was at my abuelita's Sunday afternoon. I miss my family from here to the moon and back. After being four months away from home, it was greatly appreciated. Rice, Chicken, Plantains. Being delicious. The father, Ramon, did not hesitate to give me the nickname of "Mexico." Mama Chiki kept offering us more and more after every plate. Oh how I adore Hispanic mothers. The Dominican singer, Prince Royce, has a song named "Las cosas pequeñas." It's the small things. One I love you, One hug, One I miss you, that show us how to love. A memory forever, a kiss on the cheek. It's the most important and it's love. I believe it. This song mirrors the love, humility, and beauty I felt from the Capellan family.

6 p.m. The market. I bought some magnets for my family. Sonya and Meredith shopped left and right. It's super fun to watch Sonya bargain with the vendors. To my surprise, She used me to get a cheap price on an item. It would be ten dollars if I danced bachata with the salesman and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Oh good times. Bailar, bailar, bailar.

7 p.m. Dinner time. Italian food was on the menu. The entire group went to this fancy buffet restaurant. So delish. This was one of the last times we would all be together. Our time was cutting short too fast. So many things to do with not enough time.

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

GUAGUA.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

10 a.m.Third day, and it was time to mix some concrete. Shoveling left and right, our vibrant energy bounced in the air as we chanted Taylor swift and Bruno Mars songs. In less than two days, the playground was assembled. I felt proud to know that me and my Salem sisters probably proved many wrong. We probably accomplished a task a lot of people said we could not do. Our sparkling work ethic, energy, and smiles most likely left people amazed and dazzled. Sonya had the bright idea to paint our faces like warriors. Little did we know that the red paint was oil based and would not easy be removed. Good times, good times. The bucket line was an essential part of our day. It is one of my favorite parts of working. The teamwork is felt, and I knew I could count on each one of my Salem,  Rotary, and Mission Emanuel friends. We gave each other a helping hand in order to help each other realize that together there is nothing we cannot face. The energy was still poppin' despite the hot hot hot Dominican sun as we finished up the play area. In excitement, me and Tuula began to move our hips to the rhythm of salsa.  Chacha here, chacha there, and we got a smile out of our Dominican brother Dionicio. His smile was a gift from God as my mission for him to stretch his cheeks was ultimately achieved. He showed the world the warmth of his smile, and lit up the sky.

2 p.m. Cielito lindo for lunch. Arroz morro and carne filled our hungry stomachs. Like the common saying in Spanish, "Barriga llena, Corazón contento." In other words, Full stomach, Happy heart. After lunch, Oscar's house under construction was awaiting our energy and service. Mission Emanuel has transformed the community of Cielo by repairing damage and sluggish homes, and even building new ones. It was a blessing to be able to be helping build a house for a man who helped us build the playground.   God is beyond amazing.  The giant bucket line was in full attack. Sixty people swung buckets filled with cement and first left, right, up, and down. Cinder blocks proved to be no match for our strong muscles. I can check that of my list. As many relaxed on the beach, I was playing in bucket lines, concrete, and dirt. I would not trade this trip for a trip to the beach, EVER. Life has so many paths for us to travel, and it fascinating that we all ended up at the same place at the right time.

6 p.m. The guaguas were on their way. A guagua is a bus. It shocked me a little when I found that one out. Our drivers, Rodolfo, Jose, and Darlin, safely transported us to and from all activities. The church service was beyond any words. Fellowship was moved outside due to the large group. My friend, Anabel asked me to sit with her. Gladly, I sat along side of her and sang the worship songs with love and hand gestures. It was a powerful experience.

8 p.m. Church was over. As I walked out, a beautiful woman stopped me in my tracks. She began to tell me that "my smile is full of power, and that God is going to do great things for me." I answered, "You, the people in my life are the reasons I am who I am today." The people my life motivate my smiles and happiness. Her words wrapped the ends of my heart.  Anabel gently grabbed my hand, and led me. She had told me about a surprise she had for me. Anabel pulled out a letter and red hair clip out of her brown flowered purse. "Te quiero mi amiga Nataly" popped out of the paper. Kindly, she asked me to bend down so she could place the red clip in my curly hair. It was really difficult to hold the tears back. To my surprise,  it was not over. Anabel creatively cut construction paper into small pieces and made confetti. Confetti brushed my grateful face. A thousand thank yous, which are nearly  not enough, to the young girl who reminded me of what life is all about. Anabel is a flower that has bloomed in adversity which makes her rare and beautiful. We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving.

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

- John Campbell

MEAN MACHINE.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

9 a.m. At this point, the playground was almost put together. It was pretty amazing how fast we assembled the pieces. Dionocio, our Haitian brother, was our "mean machine." From the start, Dionicio would never look us in the eyes as we spoke to him. It puzzled me. To think that a race has be so humiliated and kept in the shadows that simple eye contact was difficult. It was then that I made it my goal to see a smile on his face before the week was over. Minutes and hours passed, and he was slowly but surely starting to feel more comfortable with us. His eyes carried a story of sacrifice, suffering, and success. Dionocio left home for better opportunities, and came to a place where he knew he would receive plenty of adversity. His story mirrored the one of my parents coming to the United States. The work ethic of Dionicio was powerful. He dug, dug, dug, and drilled, drilled, drilled, but always with the same heart and intensity. As everyone would say, He was a Machine. At times, we would have to force him to take a break and drink water. True definition of hard work and perseverance.

11 p.m. Holes, holes, and more holes. Me and Shelby were killing the dirt. With the shovels and iron bar, we pounded the dirt left, right, up and down. Shelby then started talking about the movie "Holes." Oh, the coincidence. My eyes were bothering me in the morning so I decided to wear my nerdy glasses. Then it hit us. I could be x-ray and she could arm pit. From then on, it was all laughter and smiles.

12 p.m. Back in Cielo for lunch. Meatballs and pasta filled our plates in route to our stomachs. The fresh fruit never failed to rehydrate our bodies with its sweet tangy taste. I looked forward to lunch because it was a time where all the teams were reunited. As we all munched, we sat under this huge open patio surrounded by the fresh Dominican air and humble people. Best lunch ever.

3 p.m.  It was late afternoon. To my suprise, Dionicio was supporting a sixty-pound bag of cement on one shoulder and holding a shovel with the other hand. I offered him help, and walked down the hill towards the building site for Oscar's home. The sun was as hot as it could be, and I was physically and mentally drained from head to toe. The three Haitian men: Dionicio, Alfredo, and Marco were all preparing to start work back up. I could not believe my eyes. Since early in the morning, these men had been shoveling, lifting, and mixing, and they were about to go get at it again. But, each one of them never complained. As I walked up the steep stepped hill, tears rollled down my face. I am beyond blessed to have all that I have. Like Thomas Edison once said, "their is no substitute for hard work."

6 p.m. The Santo Domingo Rotary meeting was most definitely running on "Dominican time." Warm Hugs and kisses on the cheek replaced the formal handshake. It felt GOOD to be surrounded by my Latin people. The Salem rotaract group were the special guest of the night. We had been the talk for a while now. As I sat in my chair, the speaker suggests something interesting. He asked if one of the Rotaract ladies from "Texas" named "Nataly" would come up. This rang in my ear very loudly. Honestly, I was nervous from the bottom of my toes to the top of my head. I thanked them for all the love and hospitality, and happily shared some experiences. Tears fell, as I spoke about Longi and the children who deserved to live a happy healthy childhood. It is not their fault. I spoke about the beauty of their country and it's people. I was eager to go sink back in my chair, but they were not quite finished with me. I was asked to interpret the words between the two Governors, Medina and Titus. It is not as easy as it looks. You have a pressure to pass on a message. It can either turn out  horrible, clear, or beyond perfect. And all the attentive eyes gazing upon you does not make it any easier.  I interpreted to the best of my ability and felt mighty fine afterwords. It was actually really simple once I let my instinct take over. Sometimes we over think to much, and end up making it harder on ourselves. Just keep calm and carry on.  It experiences like this that I would not trade a day on the beach for, and it was all thanks to my participation in Salem Rotarct.

Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count.

 -Albert Einstein

ARROZ MORO.

Monday, March 19, 2012

6 a.m. Unlike most, Monday's are actually beautiful in the Dominican Republic. Breakfast passed, and ADR was our destination. ADR is short for "Asociación Dominicana de Rehabilitación. The focus of our trip was to help the special needs children community by building them a playground. It was the first to be built EVER in the area for special needs children. This playground would impact generations of children to come, and I was going to be apart of this life-changing project.

10 a.m. First task: Move all the pieces of the play area to the building site. I still remember the looks on the men's faces as they watched twelve strong beautiful women pick up iron bars and plastic slides. Me senti orgullosa de ser mujer hecha y derecha. The playground team was from all walks of life. Luckily, we had the privilege to work with four Rotary men, Joe, Terry, Chris, Kirk, the pilot, Mike, Emmaus leader, Matthew, First Presbyterian leader, Justin, and Mission Emmanuel Leaders, Jack, Harvey, Jim, Robert, Emmanuel, Dionicio, Sandy, Lalo, Oscar. Each one of these men added value to our team, and it would not have been the same without one. I learned so much from each of them in just one week. People come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and help them in return. From the bottom of my heart, I thank them for being so patient with us and for finding ways to get us involved.

Proudly, I am a Mexican American. My father and mother came at a very young age to the United states. I was born and raised in good old Dallas, Texas. Other than my love, work ethic, and humility, my parents have me another powerful gift. The gift of speaking Spanish. It was time to start building the playground, but we has a problem roaming around. Not everyone could speak Spanish, and not everyone could speak English. Without proper communication, the play area was not going to be a play area. I was asked to interpret, and gets things rolling. It felt good to be needed.  Honestly, I believe my Spanish has improved.  One moment grabbed my attention. With absolutely no words, Emmanuel and Terry found their own ways to communicate. Through pointing and facial gestures and  the language barrier, Emmanuel and Terry found a way to make it work.  Interpreting proved to be difficult at times because I had no idea of the tools names in English yet alone Spanish. The Washer became every one's new favorite word. The "Arandela" continually slipped joyfully off of our tongues. I began to think about the universal language we all have in the Lord. How we all are completely different, but through His voice we can all understand each other.

12 p.m. It was a little weird to see all the Rotary men in t-shirts and shirts. I guess I had grown accustomed to the  clean cut suits and ties. But, I really enjoyed seeing them in relaxed clothes. It made us all more comfortable, and allowed for us to see the humility in their character. Yuca and arroz morro filled my stomach during lunch. I would trade this food for the RAT food any day. The food reminded me of my mother's and Abuelita's meals. Not having seen them in like three months,  It was hard to hold back the tears.

2 p.m. Throughout the day, hundreds of smiles passed us by. Smiles stretches across the faces of children and families of ADR. One smiling face lured my attention. Longi is a ten year old boy confined to the restrictions of a wheelchair. For a second, his smile and happiness was all I could see. He sat patiently until I went to greet him. I asked him what he thought about the playground. Without a doubt, Longi gave me this unexplainable look. His eyes began to water, and his expression painted a clear message of love and admiration. To me, this was the reason we had come to the Dominican Republic. Piece by piece, the play ground was almost complete by the first day.

4 p.m. Hotel leisure time, and the pool was beyond on point. After a long days work, The first jump into the pool was very refreshing. The bright rays of the Dominican sun continued to spark energy and smiles on our faces and hearts. I really did not want to leave this place.

6 p.m. Por la noche, the teams were treated to a Dominican cultural night. The people of Cielo showed us a little taste of what their country was all about. Through the food, music, and traditions, the Dominican Republic was already molding a place in my heart. Mix people, music, and food, and there will be a party that will last a good while. Nuestro sabor y ritmo es lo que nos define.  Our flavor and rhythm is what defines us. That night I wore my mothers dress. This dress belong to her when she was fifteen years old. As I danced merengue, the burnt red dress passionately twirled side to side. The dress represents a woman who has succeeded despite her adversity. A strong, dedicated, and beautiful woman who did not let her circumstances define her. My mother. My best friend. My super hero.

“You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.”

-Harvey S. Firestone

COMO TU TA?

Sunday, March 18, 2012

8 a.m. "Como tu ta?" is a way Dominican people greet each other. It was not hard for me to start using this phrase. It's just so fresh and catchy. The start of our first full day in the DR was about to begin. The hotels breakfast was fit for us "Queens." From the bread, fruits, and meats, our stomachs were left more than satisfied. The smell of the Dominican coffee could stop people in their tracks. I am not a big fanatic of coffee, but the aroma was irresistible.

10 a.m. The highlight of our day was the church service in Cielo. I grew up in a Christian school. Bible verses, prayers, and songs bounced back and  forth on a daily basis. A favorite verse still rings in my heart. Luke 1:37 says, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." As we sat in church, my emotions were in a whirl. My favorite part about the service was the music. It was powerful. It was beautiful. And it was all in His name. Through the beat of the drums and harmonizing voices, I felt the glory from all His love, and tears began to stream down my brown skin. I then knew that this trip was going to be more than just building a playground.

12 p.m. The service was over, and we were given some free time to explore the neighborhood. Cielo is a small community near Bayona. This place has been transformed through the love and dedication of God's servants. It beyond amazing what seventeen years of service in God's name has done for the Dominican people.

2 p.m. As we walked, every home opened its doors to our presence. Children and Adults took in the rays of the sun with us, and we eager to meet us.  I vividly remember a moment. We decided to continue on this uncertain path. We walked, and the path began to dwindle. The woman skinning the chicken did help either. Little did we know that the only way to keep on walking was to journey through a puddle of mud, trash, and sticks. I began to wonder how I take for granted the paved sidewalks we have back home. Stuff like that usually never crosses our mind. Later, Me and Sonya happened to stumble upon this small dirt path which was in way better condition than the first. A young boy Ismael rushed to us. He was quiet and observant. He spoke no works to us, and just caught all the glimpses he could of our appearance. Happily, Ismael let us take some quick snap shots with him. Bright Ismael was one of the first children I encountered in Cielo, and I was excited to meet more.

6 p.m. The other teams arrived from across the US on Sunday morning. The MBA group came from Tennessee. The Ohio state university team came from Ohio, of coarse.  As we met in the small room not equipped for the people inside, the differences in our personalities and characters were evident. Like the iceberg of differences, I could only see the top of their identity which is their race and gender. Seventy  five percent was hidden under the water of their stories and actions. The different talents, dreams, beliefs, work ethic, culture, and thinking styles were not visible to my eyes, and I could not wait to uncover the other parts to their identity. We were all different, yet so alike. Our mission was to give ourselves in service to the Lord, and the differences between us would not stop us from accomplishing our ultimate goal. This thought would be a central theme for me throughout the rest of the week.

8 p.m. Our crazy mode was on full attack. Me and my Salem sisters decided to all wear our Salem gear and walk around the hotel with absolutely no purpose. We rapped to Lupe Fiasco's hit "The show goes on." It was beyond epic. To finish off the night, Me and Sonya took the picture of all pictures. The theme being "Mexican cholas for life." It's memories like this that will forever live in my heart.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”  

- Marilyn Monroe