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Cienfuegos is the largest barrio in Santiago. 80,000 people live in the apartment buildings and cinder block houses. Most of them have moved here from the campo and are searching for work in the city. The name Cienfuegos means "100 Fires" in English. The Basurada de Rafael is the large dump which neighbors the barrio. The dump constantly burns as the compacted garbage spontaneously combusted one day. Ever since the dump has continued to smolder.
My first impression of Cienfuegos came from my tour of the dump. I was shocked by the reality of feeling the heat of the burning trash, being choked by the smoke, hearing the flies buzz as they swarmed around the waste, cringing as the children walked through the broken glass without shoes, and watching the people scrounge for food and usable items. I was disgusted by these unsanitary conditions and by the number of people who were living, working, and surviving near the garbage and because of the garbage. The powerful influence of the dump never completely disappears because there is always trash lining the streets, because the sky is filled with kites that children have made from scraps of garbage, and because on windless days the smoke clouds the skies. However, the dump does not completely sour the community.
My favorite days are Tuesdays and Thursdays when Lupe, Anna, and I visit our families and friends in Cienfuegos. We stay with Tomas and Mari (in the photo above) on Tuesdays and Guarina and German on Thursdays. We have made many friends through our families and from attending the Thursday night Mass. We have the chance to eat authentic Dominican cooking and drink Mari's coffee (YUM!). The outpouring of hospitality is unequaled, especially when we consider the long hours that our families have spent working in the Zona Franca, which is a district of factories where the workers receive little in return for their tireless hours of toil. As cheesy as it might sound, it is good to have a home, a place where everybody knows your name (probably because we are "rubias", or "blondies", but nonetheless. . .). When we walk through the barrio and recognize our friends, family, and the children from the kitchens, and they call out, "Saludos, Esperanza" or "Hola, Lupe", it is home.
I am teaching an English class for adults on Wednesday and Friday mornings in Cienfuegos. I currently have four students and teach at Tomas' house (he is my star pupil) but have the possibility of gaining more. I am also working with two kitchens, both of which provide some childcare and serve lunch to about thirty children each day. Many of the children's mothers work in the Zona Franca so the children are left to care for themselves during the day. The kitchens also try to incorporate health care by having the children wash their hands before eating and brushing their teeth after the meal. My main purpose is to work with the childcare or crowd control aspect. Pelota and Mautua are the Spanish names (I think!) of our favorite games.
Tomas is especially excited about this opportunity to be on the Internet. He is glad to know that my American family and friends will know that he and my Dominican family are taking good care of me!
