Last year, six students and two teachers – from Loyola High School in Montreal – went to the Dominican Republic for one week, to witness first-hand the debilitating effects that the Dominican sugar industry had on its workers.

Home away from home
Our host neighbourhood was what would be considered a middle-class area, where we spent our evenings. During our stay there, every night we gathered in the backyard of one of our Dominican leaders. There we would sit around in the warm midnight air, listening to the guitar, and telling each other about the observations we made on our tours of the day. In this area we saw fairly-decent living conditions. Water was brought in every week by trucks; the food tasted good and the people had comfortable places in which to sleep.

Visiting of the “bateyes”
On the other hand, the “bateyes”, the Dominican slums next to the sugarcane fields, were a shock to my North American “sensibilities”. Seeing not only the way some people lived, but realizing that a large number of Dominicans were born into and lived in these squalid conditions, was horrifying.

Still, I saw the candle of faith that burns in many countries like the Dominican Republic. The sense of family was apparent, from mothers standing in their doorways and welcoming us in, to children playing with us. This brought the issue of faith in industrialised countries closer to my attention. Why weren't more people in Montreal as welcoming, as forgiving, or as generous? Though we have more to give, I don't think we have as much to lose.

Work in the fields
Joining the sugar cane cutters in the fields was exhausting. Being exposed to the work that keeps too many families dependant on these sugar companies left me and the other students drained. The men who toiled in the cane fields, worked through the best years of their lives just to keep their families and themselves alive. This was drastically different from the Canadian model, where minimum wage can buy you the food you need, some money to get yourself forward in life, and lots of sugar.

Mountain reflections
The most pleasant memory that stayed with me was our trip to the mountains, where we did some exercises on reflection and talked about what we learned from the Dominican people. We spent some time walking about the top of one mountain and sitting individually to meditate, soaking up the beautiful view and clean air. This was a nice change from Montreal, since you could see the fields that would stay undisturbed by winters, and air would be clean for years to come.

Many individuals suggest that people in poorer countries are “closer to God”. Maybe it's because they have fewer physical distractions. Maybe it's the sense of family that is so prevalent, or maybe it’s just the attitude that many people in poorer countries have towards life. I know that when I stayed for that week, I was enriched by their spirituality, their friendship, and their way of life. I saw a part of what kept them going, their faith and happiness. They helped me take another look at my life. I still have a long journey ahead of me and I have to be careful not to stumble on the objects or riches that lie in my path to happiness.