It has been a while since I last blogged, so here is another post. I spent the weekend with the other interns at a beach on the souther coast in a town called Juan Dolio. It was good to see everyone after our first few days living on our own. I found out that I am basically living in a Hilton compared to everyone else, and I am grateful for what I have now even more. At the same time, I can't say I have lived with the poor, but, I am happy for my pseudo warm showers each morning. I got a ride down to Juan Dolio from my boss, it took us four hours to get there. We stayed at a hotel called the Fior di Loto. It was like a mashup between Indian and Italian culture. The lady that runs the place is Italian but loves india and so everything was decked out Indian style. Keep in mind this place is in the DR... It was an awesome hotel, she was like a mom to all of us and it was only a five minute walk to the public beach. The beach itself was nice, fairly clean and it wasn't crowded. But the sun was hot and I got really really burned. The water is a clear light blue and warm enough that you can just walk right in. It is very calm, and makes me realize just how big the waves are in North Carolina. So we just spent Saturday and Sunday resting and catching up. I am honest when I say it couldn't be a better group of people to be experiencing the DR with. I really enjoyed my time and it was good to get to the beach. I came back Sunday evening and got some rest.

Today I have worked on my schedule for the week. It is going to be a busy week, with interviews tomorrow and Wednesday and writing up stories in the evening. It is only a three day week as Thursday and Friday are national holidays and I am heading home for my brothers graduation. It will be good to go home. I have to admit I did start to freak out this morning a little, the Spanish and crazy accent was getting to me. But a quick call to one of the interns reminded me that everything will be good.

Speaking of the accent, we met up with three girls from San Diego that are Mexican. What Spanish we learn in the US is Mexican Spanish. So it is already easier to understand. But beyond that, Mexican Spanish is much cleaner, they pronounce everything, and even though they talk faster, because they don't cut words short it is so much easier to understand. Seriously, when they spoke to me, it was like English. Just a side note.

So a busy, but short week is ahead. And then when I return to the DR Sunday the long stretch of work begins.

And everything comes together

So I now have a great understanding of not only where I am and who I am living with, but also how things work with HOPE and Esperanza International.

To begin, here is a quick outline of what I am doing for the next two and a half months. I will be writing up stories for the most part, a few for HOPE International, a few for Esperanza, and mostly for Kiva's website. Since Esperanza uses Kiva for donations, and Kiva asks that the status of each loan being paid off is told throughout the loan process, I will be interviewing clients and then posting their story and how their loan experience is going on Kiva's website. Actually, if you check out Esperanza's profile on Kiva.org, you can see my name along with the other interns under field agents. Kind of legit huh? So, gathering stories will be a part of my internship, and from what everyone says, and what I have experienced so far, while it may appear to be redundant, it is the most rewarding part.

The other part of my internship is my project. I am going to be observing just how things are run at the office in Santiago and comparing them to the manual that Esperanza provides. The sole reason is to see what is different, what is the same, what works, and what doesn't. Ben, one of the other interns is doing the same at another branch in the eastern part of the country (which is only about two and a half hours away. We are then to compare our own observations and results as well as present our own results to a few of the staff at the central office.

I am living in downtown Santiago. It is the second largest city in the DR, with about 2 million people living in it. It is, I think, a beautiful city, set right in a valley amongst the tallest mountains in the Caribbean. And it is only an hour from the beach, and some of the best beaches in the DR. I live right above a Christian School. I live with Daniel, one of the managers at the Santiago branch. He is 26, and lives with his family. He has a younger brother and sister, I believe 23 and 20 respectively. His father is a pastor at the church right next to the school and so the entire family is crazy involved. It is a very conservative church. For example, many of the women wear a covering over their hair. I already feel at home with his family, even if my Spanish is horrible. His brother and sister both speak English fairly well, but they can understand it perfectly.

Another good thing is if I ever miss home I can always go out to McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, you get the picture. This city is very Americanized. There is even a movie theatre I can go to should I ever miss Hollywood while over here. So I am very excited for this summer, I think it will be a great experience. The Spanish is frustrating at the time, because I can't understand it perfectly nor speak any better than a four year old. But time will change that.

The Time Has Come

So tomorrow three of the five Dominican interns will leave to head out to their respective villages. I will be furthest away from Santo Domingo but will be in the second largest city. Ben will be out in the most rural part but closer to the city, and Laura will be right on the coast. I am incredibly nervous and excited. I cannot wait to live with another family, to be their guest for three months. But this time will be hard. Beyond the new culture, beyond the new climate, there is this language that while isn't new, it is certainly foreign. There is no doubt that these three months will be difficult. But I have stated that before. And also as I said before, these three months will be a time to learn to rely on God whole heartedly.

So there isn't too much to write about, more will come once I get up to Santiago tomorrow.

I got here safely last night around midnight. My flight was delayed in Philadelphia, and then we sat waiting to take off for a half hour. I got my first taste of Dominican culture on the plane. The flight was about 99% Dominican. For one, all announcements were made in English and Spanish. When they first announced our wait to take off, it was in English and there was little response. But when it came on in Spanish, everyone was up in arms complaining and groaning. I couldn't help but laugh. This is definitely a much more expressive culture in certain areas. Sitting across the aisle from me was an elderly Dominican. When the flight attendants came around with customs forms, she tapped me on the shoulder and told me she couldn't write. She handed me all of her paperwork and I filled in her forms for her. It was my first test of Spanish, and I fared quite well for my first time. The flight was almost a party non stop. One man had bought a bottle of rum and was sharing it with anyone who wanted some. And when we landed in Santo Domingo, the entire plane erupted in cheers and clapping.

I woke up this morning with a little scare, I couldn't find my passport. But, surprisingly I wasn't too worried. I figured there was no point in freaking out about the possibility of me losing my passport. I will get a new one eventually so why let it ruin my day? So we started the day off with Claire Henry meeting us at the hotel. We had breakfast at a nearby restaurant, I had some sort of beef with a mashed plaintain dish like potatoes. After that, we walked down to the colonial section of town, sort of like the old town and saw the local shopping street, much like the ones in Europe. Our hotel is about s five minute walk from the ocean, but there are no beaches here, and for good reason. It started raining this afternoon, right once we got back to the hotel. I took a nap this afternoon and this evening we are heading out to church and a concert. Tomorrow, training for two days begins and then I leave for the field!

Today is the day. Gone is the pit in my stomach. Don't get me wrong, I am still nervous. But most of my hesitation has been replaced with mere excitement. The idea of working in the Dominican Republic, meeting entrepreneurs that have made it, that have a passion many CEOs in the States could only dream of, is very exciting. Moreover, these men and women have such an understanding of God's great mercy and love. To receive a loan from an institution and begin a new life of a wealth so unobtainable before brings about a sense of commitment and responsibility that provides the drive to be so successful.

I am exited. My time will be a great learning and stretching experience. Ironically enough I am writing this post yet again from 30th Street Station, yet this time most of the anxiety is gone. Three months is s long time. But it will be enough time to pursue God and his plan for my life on a much deeper level in ways that will forever change me. Sounds very lofty and almost too cliche but it is true.

Next time you hear from me, I will be in the Dominican Republic.

And so it begins

I have sort of begun my internship with HOPE International. I am sitting in 30th Street Station in Philadelphia waiting to head out to the airport to be picked up. I am not quite sure how I feel about this coming trip. I think perhaps it isn't a trip but more of a job for three months. I think the three months is what gets to me. I have done three months traveling all around Europe. I have done three months participating in an intense internship of prayer. But I have not done three months in a relatively poor country working and living among the people. Oh,and they don't speak English. I woke up with a massive knot in my stomach and it hasn't gone away yet. This is not like me at all, to be so nervous. But I suppose I deserve it. For two years I have told people how my time at the monastery taught me how to rely on God. How He purposefully puts us in situations where we are forced to rely on. And for two years I have felt relatively relaxed. So, He says, practice what you preach.

Trouble is, no one is comfortable when forced into any new situation. I think this plays such a large role in economic development and why the Bible says there will always be poor amongst us. Consider this, full employment, from an academic standpoint, is considered to be when around 90-95% of those able to work are working. There will aways be people that while could work, chose not to. Why? Because they are comfortable where they are. As I struggle to remember how much I went through the months before I devoted a summer to prayer, I realize that my desires to stay home stem from a universal fact: I am a sinner. I desire situations of comfort because I am in control. God reacts and places me in such unfamiliar times, such as three months in the Dominican Republic and removes my god of idleness and comfort and forces me to replace it with Him.

Wow, what a way to start an internship.

Disclaimer: The Title of this Blog is Misleading

This is not a blog about extreme poverty. This is not a blog about malnutrition or illiteracy. This is not a blog about straw huts.

This is a blog about the human being. The reality is that as a human being, one falls short of the glory of God, due to the entrance of sin into our world. My little time on this planet so far has brought me to one large understanding: to successfully pursue God, one needs to be poor in spirit and meek in will.

What do I mean by poor in spirit and meek in will? You must feel totally helpless and powerless in order to fully understand who God and what your massive role in this world is. Don’t get me wrong, not all will starve each day, not all will struggle with an addiction, nor will many come to a “breaking point” as drastic as can be seen on reality TV. But the arrogance we all experience needs to be shattered and thus we must become poor in spirit. The pride in us all must be squashed and thus we must become meek in will – our own will.

I apologize if you come to this blog looking for stories on the poor of Ghana, the Dominican Republic, Cambodia, or Peru. Certainly, those will appear here, but not for enjoyment or education. They will be a part of a large discussion on the human being, sin, and God. After all, that is what we are here on this planet for, correct?