Everything's Changed

One of the most valuable lessons to learn as a Peace Corps volunteer is that everything can change at any given moment. Last week I was reminded of this lesson twice.

I was first reminded of the quick changes that can occur upon giving a charla to my Chicas Brillantes group. I struggled to establish this group for a solid four months, so when over twenty girls and two women from my Hogares Saludable group showed up to the group last week, I felt like something had shifted. Finally, the group was going well! I felt the same shift with Hogares Saludables, or my women’s group. We recently made soy-meat tacos and the women had a blast! After nearly eight months in Las Tablas, things were finally going really well.



The day after my successful girl’s group, everything changed again in a matter of 30 seconds. My friend and I were robbed in the local sanctuary and, because of the various events that unfolded that day, I am no longer allowed to return to Las Tablas.

This news is obviously devastating. I had planned out my remaining eight months, from the four graduations I would organize to a workshop on domestic violence. I even had begun planting lettuce and basil plants, and they had been growing at a really fast rate. Now, I am living in the capital as my boss decides where I will spend my last several months in the Dominican Republic.

I realized how much I have valued my Peace Corps experience when my boss offered me an early COS (close of service). The idea of leaving the DR felt so wrong, even though I had no idea why at the time. I mentioned this to my friend Jess, and she reminded me that Peace Corps is more than the work that we do in our communities. It’s about forming relationships with Dominicans and Peace Corps volunteers, exploring a new corner of the world, learning a new language and culture. How could I leave such a rich experience, merely because of one armed robbery?




What happened in Las Tablas is devastating. The tragic result of one crime is that the entire community suffers. It is unlikely that Las Tablas will ever receive a new volunteer, a fact which feels unjust. In reality, the situation is unjust for everyone involved. It’s unjust for my friend and me, who were traumatized by the event. It’s unjust for the suspects because they will likely be imprisoned for the next year. And it’s unjust for the guilty men who robbed us, because they surely committed the crime out of desperation.

You see, everything that happens in this strange experience offers opportunities for more contemplation, new ways of viewing the world and forming expansive perspectives on poverty and the work of a volunteer. Life here is certainly never boring. While the past week proved to be one of the hardest, I refuse to make it my last. I expect things to get better as quickly as they got worse.