Post-Dominican Republic Project Reflection by SBS

Our D.R.O.P. journey began in September of 2009.....meetings....interviews.....selection of candidates for the trip.....all those fund raisers....then the reality of getting on the bus to Miami and then on the plane and arrving in Santiago.

Not only did we have our own suitcases, but each of us had a suitcase full of school supplies, shoes, clothing, and arts and crafts materials for our projects that we had planned for the children.

So many memories will stay with me forever...Lazaro and the Hotel Colonial.

the smells, the sounds, and tastes of the Dominican Republic....

But more than that.....the children we worked with and played with....

The children have left their marks on me as I reflect on so little they seem to have and so much they give to others. I connect with a Haitian boy who speaks no Spanish. We speak in French of his life...his work...his family far away. He gives me his name on a piece of brown paper that we had as part of our monster costume on Monster Day. Peter is one of many who leave their mark. My mark is the painting of the cancha (the basketball court and the mural). The children's green handprints...the leaves of the tree....our white birds flying from the trees....a painted mural of our 10 days in the Dominican Republic sharing who we are and learning about who they are. We share the same values....a respect for one another and the dignity of our fellow man.

We see the poverty everywhere but in that poverty is the possibility of a future where one can pursue one's dreams. The laughter and music that is everywhere remind us of how appreciative we should be of what we have. We bring back more than what we came with though our suitcases are fewer. We know that the staff at Accion and the children who are always welcome there have taught us more than we have taught them.

We have made enormous small steps in making a difference to those around us. Where there are children, there is hope for a better world.