Students in the Dominican Republic learn handicrafts such as how to weave
their own hats.

Patt Snyder, professor of psychology, was one of three faculty to accompany students to the Dominican Republic. She stands at El Limón, the site of the largest waterfall on the island.

Samaná, Dominican Republic

photos: Lisa Wilder

Samaná, Dominican Republic, a small town on the north coast of the island approximately four hours from the country’s capital, Santo Domingo, isn’t a wealthy area. In most of the homes, electricity is available only a few hours a day. Usually there is no running water and when the water is running, it’s definitely not hot. But for students in Kathy Ozment’s “Dominican Republic Studies” course, the luxuries of home weren’t important. Learning about the culture first hand was.

Living with host families where they were forced to speak only in Spanish, the students’ task was to create an ethnographic study of the language, culture, gender, race and economy in Samaná. With no libraries or Internet to conduct research, Aimee McCalicher ’04, a biology/psychology/Spanish major, says, “We interviewed people all throughout the town.” Researching America’s influence on the Dominican Republic, McCalicher says she learned that America does in fact have a strong influence on the country. “There’s definitely American influence in the clothing, the food items…and they know a lot about American politics. Many of the people favored Kennedy, although they didn’t have good things to say about Bush and the war. But in general, they like Americans.”

In addition to their research projects, which covered topic areas ranging from the relationship between skin color and opportunity to the perception of police in the Dominican Republic, students also taught English in Escuela Primaria Eliceo De Morizi. “Teachers in the Dominican Republic aren’t paid well,” says Ozment. “Sometimes, there are even no-shows.”

McCalicher says her experience in the school was “shocking.”

“There were three classrooms with all different grade levels. Second graders were still learning their numbers and how to count. And the government only provides one notebook and one pencil to each student per year.”

In addition, with colleges and universities located only in the major cities, those living in smaller towns, like Samaná, with no means of transportation, know from an early age that higher education is not an option. “Although they are eager to learn,” says McCalicher, “they know the highest level they can achieve is the equivalent of high school in the United States.” So education is often not a priority.

Living without the comforts of home was one of the most eye opening learning experiences not only for the students, but for some of the faculty as well. “We would conduct class by candlelight,” says Lisa Wilder, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics. “It was a great experience for students to feel what it’s like to be without electricity. You also never knew what was going to crawl out of the couch.”

Special excursions to destinations such as El Limón, the site of the largest waterfall on the island; Los Haitises National Park, where they explored caves with petroglyphs of the Taino Indians; and the capital city, where their assignment was to visit 18 historical sites, rounded out the trip.

“This experience has definitely broadened my horizons in many ways,” says Spanish/ pre-med major Meg Ryan ’05. “It’s taught me to not only be tolerant and accepting of the things I know, but also of the many things I don’t… By adapting myself to many unusual, atypical situations, I feel I have become a more understanding person. I am able to keep an open mind without prejudging people and situations.”