Haiti

The Sun waking up in Las Terrenas

Salina Beach

Playa Bonita in Las Terrenas

Mimi's Visit

6 in the morning at Playa Bonita

I AM BEAUTIFUL

Between getting employed and trying to find a more permanent home, I have abandoned the blogosphere. I am back and more than ready to share some of the crazy stories I’ve experience en este paisito mío. Where should I start...

Coming into this experience I was aware that the Dominican Republic was one of the most racist countries in the Latin America, what I wasn’t informed of was to what degree the racism permeated every freaking aspect of society. A friend came to visit me from the states the other day and as we walked down the streets of La Zona Colonial, a man yelled that he wanted me to tell my friend to “get” with him. He said, “I like white women because black women are a little weird and they make ugly babies.” This was so hurtful and so disgusting that when I got home that night, I looked at myself in the mirror and questioned my beauty. I snapped out of it and told myself over and over again that I AM BEAUTIFUL.

I am conscious of racial inequalities and have a really good sense of where they come from and why they're still here. A little girl, rich or poor, from the Campo or from la Ciudad is probably not aware of why her white friends [and black friends as a matter of fact] think that she is inferior, so how is she suppose to respond to the comments of men on the streets or the treatment by her teachers, peers and even her parents. Wait, there’s more…