When I told people I was going to the D.R., I think many of them thought we would be right near Haiti. The border is far away, but the Haitians are an intergral part of the Dominican culture. They are the worker bees. They do the jobs that the Dominicans do not want to do, similar to Mexicans in the southern border towns in the United States. The Haitians here stand out like sore thumbs in that their skin tone is very black and they speak French unlike the Dominicans who are lighter toned and speak Spanish. Most Haitians are here illigally but a blind eye is turned to it. I was told occasionally, they round them all up and send them back just to be politically correct. But the next day they find their way back over the border and continue their tough jobs. They are the ones working in the fields clearing brush with machetes for every hour the sun is up, perpetually soaked to the bone with sweat.
I did a lot of 10-12 mile runs into the countryside and the Haitians would always stare at me like I was nuts. But I made a point of saying, “hola” and I always got the brightest smile back at me and an “hola” in return (along with a big wave). Man are their teeth white. So it got me thinking, who is happy here and who is not. I think even though they are working in the fields doing intense labor, they are in a much better spot than if they were over the border in their home land. It also makes me uber-greatful to be living in the United States. If you havent seen third world poverty first hand, you really dont know how good you have it in America.
