Thursday, July 24, 2014

The Butterflies



The time has come! I'm sitting on the patio at my hotel in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic ready to embark on what will be one of the most life changing experiences I have ever partook in. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the generosity and selflessness of all my supporters. In February, I was able to successfully reach my campaign goal and off I go. From the bottom of my heart thank you!

I wanted to start this blog to share my trip with you, so you all will be able to get updates on the work being done while I'm there. I'll do my best to update it as much as possible.

In order to come prepared Nobis required the fellows to complete several readings that delved into the history of Hispaniola. The readings also helped us understand the mission of The Mariposa Foundation which is to break the cycle of poverty by educating girls.

Here's what I've been up to since the end of the campaign:

  • Read In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez: This book is a fictionalized account of the lives of the Mirabal Sisters or always known as Las Mariposas (the butterflies). The Mirabal Sister publicly opposed the dictatorship of the perverse Rafael Trujillo who reigned from 1937 - 1961. A dictator who was so obsessed with the anglo-saxon image he would powder his face to appear more white. A dictator who was responsible for the massacre of 15,000 Haitians. The three of the sisters were assassinated on November 25, 1960 in what was staged as a car accident.
  • Read The Farming of the Bones by Edwidge Danticat:  This is a historical fiction piece that follows the life of a Haitian servant during the times of Trujillo. Without getting into too much detail...she must flea the Dominican to save her life. Her only motive is love - as it should be for all of us. I highly recommend reading this book. It is short and brought me to tears at some points. 
  • Read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz: This is a fictional novel that accounted for the life of Dominican immigrants in the US. It is also the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This book was incredibly dynamic. It takes you through epochs of historical flashbacks of the Dominican Republic to the effect it has on first generation American youth.
  • Watched Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided which shed light on the historical racial tensions that exist within Hispaniola.











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