The Smiles of the Dominican Republic by Emma Cerra

        My alarm crooned its annoying little tune, forcing my eyes to open and pick myself up from a comfortable slumber. It was 2:30am, and our flight to the Dominican Republic was in the hours to come! As grumpy and groggy as I was, I was ecstatic to be going. I'd been ardently waiting for this annual trip. We arrived at our meeting point, Tech, to load up the several suitcases full of donations we so gratefully managed to collect. Then, it was off to the airport.
      We arrived in DR, and, after a long day of lugging suitcases and equipment for the necessitous village we'd be visiting tomorrow, we all collapsed into our beds.
       Morning time. Before I knew it, we were off, zooming down one of the many roads that seemed to be without a speed limit... Not before long did we arrive at our destination, Aguas Negras, a poor village placed near a cruise ship port, and whose name translates in English to 'black waters', for their waste ran down the street due to lack of a sewer system. While the town was ever so dilapidated, the people were as friendly as ever. They were kind and sociable and seemed to be having a good time despite their conditions.

            We spend the last two days painting and restoring their school, for once it was finished, the government would finally agree to fund. The last day, we toured the village and saw for ourselves the way the people lived. The streets we took were bumpy and had many potholes, which made it difficult to navigate without getting wet sneakers. Garbage littered the streets and many stray cats and dogs wandered about aimlessly, their coats patchy and unkempt. At one point, we crossed a bridge, and there I saw something I'd never seen before. It was a river of garbage. Bottles, cups, plastic bags, styrofoam. It twisted and turned, looping behind houses and hiding under tall grass, before greeting the ocean. There were even people sitting on the bridges, deep in normal conversation, as if the trash wasn't there but yet replaced by some normal river. It was hard to comprehend until I realized that to them, this was their reality.
      We moved further in and around the village, waving at shy, giggly little kids standing in doorways. As sad as it was to see people live in such a state, the thing that remained constant was their smiles, and their waves, and their general welcoming spirit. It seemed like everyone knew everyone, and most of their days were spent outside sitting on chairs and chatting. It wasn't just in Aguas Negras was this obvious, but rather every village we visited. It was an experience I'll never forget, but rather hold close to my heart!