This weekend we spent four days in the impoverished western mountainous region of the DR bordering Haiti. Our visit focused on learning about ecumenical (Mennonite-Catholic) efforts at community organizing and promoting social programs in this beautiful and stark area of the country.

After a four hour bus trip from the capital through the mountains, we arrived in El Cercado, a small city of 30,000 people (about the size of Goshen). Joanne Peterson, a community organizer for the Catholic Church in El Cercado, met us in the Central Plaza with a group of youth who welcomed us with song. We sang a couple of hymns in response to their warm greeting. We were also greeted by Pastor Morales of the El Cercado Mennonite Church.

As dusk fell, the SSTers were dropped off at their host family homes, where they stayed for the next three nights. Students stayed in groups of 2-4 students with Mennonite host families in town and with Catholic families in the rural village of La Guama.

Early on Friday morning we traveled with Pastor Morales to the Haitian border. During the ride to the border Morales shared his personal faith story and talked about the history of the Mennonite church in the DR. At the border we met with Abraham, an organizer who works at assuring human rights along the border. After passing through the customs and border patrol offices, we made our way to the actual border—a small river that divides Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

About half of our group chose to forge the river and made our way into Haiti, accompanied by our guide, Abraham. After crossing through no-man’s land we stood on Haitian soil. In Haiti, we talked with a few vendors, looked at the currency, and sampled a local drink not sold in the DR.

After crossing back into the DR, the entire group traveled to the bi-national market, Elias Piña’s claim to fame. In small groups the SSTers and our new Peace Corps volunteer friend, Jake, wandered the market filled with used American clothes and local food. In a couple of the photos the students show off their purchases—machetes seemed especially popular.

In the evening the group participated in a Toca de Palo and bachata dance held at the social hall in the village of La Guama. The Toca de Palo is a traditional Afro-Caribbean dance with three drums which ‘talk’ with each other and to the dancers. In one of the picture you can see the drum skins being heated by the fire. SSTers quickly learned the dance moves and kept pace with our energetic hosts late into the night. After our second night in El Cercado, we awoke to a beautiful sunrise and full moon over the mountains.