About 6 months later, we arrived in the Dominican Republic to live in a city named San Pedro de Macoris. I just looked it up in Wikipedia, and it is well known for its excellence in baseball - you can read about it here: The Craddle of Shortstops Here's a map of the entire island of Hispaniola, showing Haiti and the DR.
Maybe it's surprising that I have many memories of living in this warm, balmy place with incredible sunsets, latino culture including wonderful music and stark contrasts of the "have's" (mostly Americans) vs. "have not's" (mostly Dominicans). This will likely be an exceptionally long post as there is so much I can write about. I will supplement my actual memories with details that I've gathered from Grammie and Grandad over the years.
Politics: The history of the Caribbean islands (what transpired with their native people, colonization, slavery and economic development) is incredibly sad. As with all the native populations, relatively few colonial settlers benefited from the toil and sacrifices of many, many unfortunate others. There had been a violent dictatorship, followed by some of years of turmoil during which the US Army and Marines occupied the DR. In the late 1960's, it was not completely safe for Americans - at least one time Aunt Julie and I stayed with friends outside of San Pedro. We had limited awareness of the troubled times, but it was certainly stressful for Grammie and Grandad.
Culture: I can't describe all the cultural norms, but will mention what comes to mind. Society was dominated by men, who might have multiple sets of 'wives' and kids. Lighter skinned people were considered more attractive and had greater opportunities than darker skinned people. Overweight women were considered beautiful (which is understandable in a country where many don't have enough food). Most people were poor. Housing was very simple, often concrete block construction with limited plumbing. It wasn't unusual to see very young kids going around naked. Anything of value (such as church items) should not be left unattended or accessible, due to risk of theft; and if this did occur, the unfortunate person who failed to secure the valuable item was considered to be at fault. As an example, clothes hung out in our back yard to dry could be and were stolen. I remember hearing a lot of Cuban music. Christmas is primarily a religious holiday; a bigger celebration with family, friends, food, music and gifts occurs at Epiphany or Three Kings Day (Dia de Los Reyes).
Geography: San Pedro de Macoris is on the southern coast, not too far from Santo Domingo. Outside of town there were sugar plantations, where men were still cutting fields of sugar cane using machetes. Kids would chew on raw sugar cane (imagine the tooth decay!). Downtown, there was an outdoor market with all types of food items. I remember trips to Santo Domingo for shopping and to visit family friends, as well as trips to La Romana where we also had friends. In particular, an Episcopal Bishop Kellogg and his wife who lived in Santo Domingo were very close friends; they were very generous to all of us. They gave Julie and me a fabulous doll house. In La Romana there was a country club-type place with a pool that Aunt Julie and I loved to swim in. The DR was prone to earth quakes (none serious while we were there), and everyone knew to run outside if the ground started to move.
Weather: It was generally Hot, although there was often a breeze. During the hottest part of afternoon, there was a quiet siesta time to rest. Although it didn't bother us much as kids, I remember Grandad sweating a lot. There was a rainy season in the fall, and tropical storms were fairly common (I don't remember any major damage). Really, it was beautiful around our house - we had a garden with hibiscus and other tropical plants. There were also small lizards and plenty of bugs (the nastiest being centipedes). One very unpleasant memory is accidentally stepping on a centipede and getting bitten (maybe this happened twice); I think this is why meeting the occasional house centipede freaks me out, and I make other boys and men in the house deal with them. We went to some absolutely gorgeous beaches, in particular I remember day trips Embassy Beach. Just like in the movies, local boys would shimmy up palm trees to knock down coconuts - they would be split open, and we could drink the "milk" inside. Actually, I don't like it at all. We would play in the ocean, somehow eat our sandwiches including sand every time, and I remember Grandad going spearfishing nearby,
The Church: Grandad's church was San Esteban, of the Iglesia Episcopal Dominicana. The church sponsored both elementary and secondary parochial schools; the elementary school was directly across the street from our house. Grandad dealt with some significant labor problems related to the secondary school, which may have involved a strike. His work certainly was not easy. Here's a nice photo I found on the Diocese website. Looking back on his time there, Grandad has said that he believes the time of the American missionary in the Dominican Republic was over. He understood that Dominican clergy would be leading the church from then forward.
Our House: We lived in a beautiful, large home with a lovely back yard, about half a block from the church. I understand it had previously been a diplomat's home. The front porch wrapped around our house, and wasn't completely level. After storms, Julie and I would take turns sweeping rain water off the porch. One of the most disturbing memories from my childhood was waking up to find a man walking around in our house - a burglar had broken in. Julie and I ran into Grammie and Grandad's room and climbed into bed with them. I was absolutely terrified that he would hurt us, which he didn't as he just wanted whatever money and valuables he could steal. The next day, the police thought I could potentially identify him and I remember looking at photos of men in a large binder, trying to see if there was anyone I recognized. Since it was night time, I didn't get a good look at his face and doubt this could have been successful. In retrospect, I don't understand why a girl about 5 years old would be asked to look at mug shots. For many years afterwards, when I heard unfamiliar sounds at night it was very frightening.... I would lie awake shaking. Here's a picture of us at home in 1969.
Family: When we arrived, it was Mom, Dad, Julie and me. Diana was born in 1970 (a baby had been lost to miscarriage a bit earlier). Given Grandad's stature (and given the size of the house & grounds, with limited appliances), it was normal to have servants. I remember just a couple of them, but in particular Henny was a nanny to the kids - a sweet person who loved all of us. A birthday party picture from the DR that's hanging along the stairway was from a joint "half" birthday party that Aunt Julie and I had along with neighborhood friends including Henny's children. And inserted below is a 1970 picture of all us kids, in front of Henny's house. There was an earth quake after Diana was born, and I remember Henny running to get her from the crib. Grammie worked as a teacher for a time (maybe one year?) while we lived in the DR, which was possible due to Henny. Grammie was also a girl scout leader - I think she enjoyed this, and it was certainly fun for Julie and me to spend time with the big girls.
Food: First of all, it was not safe to drink water unless it had been boiled. This had to be done daily. In our pantry, there was a large cistern on the counter for storage of sterilized water. Locally, most people seemed to subsist on a popular dish - rice with a kidney bean sauce (moro de habichuelas). We had a fairly normal, varied diet although some foods were difficult to get. Chicken and rice (arroz con pollo) was a particular favorite, and we did have rice & beans regularly. Staples could be purchased in Santo Domingo. Produce came from the downtown market. Grammie and Grandad were very careful about what we ate; Grammie tells me she is proud that Aunt Julie and I didn't get any food-related sickness.
Visitors: My Nana and Grandad came several times - this was a highlight for us, very special! Nana regularly made clothes for Aunt Julie and me, sometimes matching. (She also knitted us mittens as we grew up; I still have a pair of which with "CR" knitted into them). Later, Nana laughed about being told "You must have been very beautiful when you were young.", which meant that she must have been quite fat as a young woman. My Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary came, along with cousins Bruce, Brian, Mary Lee and David (you have met the boy cousins at our Grotto Restaurant parties). Although they lived relatively close in Florida, Grannie and Grandad Zeller did not come as the strenuously objected to this missionary stint. Here's a photo from one of Nana and Grandad's visits.
Neighborhood and School: There were a few other well-off families living in attractive houses across the street, with kids around our age. Julie and I played with them and also with Henny's children. I started school at the San Esteban elementary school probably when I was just turning 4. I went to kindergarten and first grade learning Spanish at school, while talking English at home. Julie also started school at San Esteban. We wore blue school uniforms. I do remember occasionally riding the school bus bringing kids home at the end of the day - and seeing some desolate houses on dirt roads and young kids hitting baseballs on dirt lots. I learned to read first in Spanish, then picked up English - I'm told I could read from the New York Times but with a Spanish accent. Our house was relatively close to the ocean, which had rough beaches. There was an open-air cantina along the beach a few blocks away, were Grandad would sometimes take Julie and me. It was a great treat for us - we had soda (one of us liked grape, the other orange - can't remember which was which). In a different section along the beach, there was very desolate looking wharf built out over the ocean which we were told used to be a slaughterhouse. We understood that sharks still frequented this section of the beach, as they had been attracted by blood. Outside of town, toward the East I think, there was a rocky section of the coast with many blowholes. Here's a picture that's similar to what I remember:
The Princess Phenomenon: As daughters of the "padre", Julie and I were treated as being quite special. We had nice clothes (many of which Nana had made for us) and shoes, particularly as compared to local kids. We had a fantastic yard - mostly the kids came over to our house to play. I remember feeling free to walk around the school building. Our Mom was pretty and wore nice dresses. We probably got away with some bad behavior. In short, I remember feeling like a little princess. It was fleeting time in my childhood, but fabulous while it lasted. We did eventually learn that we couldn't get away with Everything.... one day Julie and I decided to skip school, and instead played in the yard next to the house. We were throwing our school bags up into the air to celebrate, when Henny noticed us from the window. She immediately came out and marched us over to school, where we arrived late to our classes.
Favorite Memories:
- Going to the market in downtown San Pedro. I remember picking our bananas from large fronds. Also Grammie would drive the car, which caused some mayhem - the policeman directing traffic in the middle of an intersection near the market would jump down from his concrete block and run to the side of the street when she drove by (as it was very unusual for women to drive at all).
- Getting fresh chicken. Well, one way to get fresh poultry was to go directly to the farm. This was quite an experience, and you might not think young girls would find this nasty process so riveting. But we did. So upon arrival, there in front of us was an enclosure full of live chickens. In Spanish of course, the farmer would ask which one you wanted. Your parent would pick it out, and then with one swift twist of the neck, it was dispatched. The chicken's head was them cut off with a large knife and its body was turned upside down in a metal cone for the blood to drain out. (If by any chance the chicken somehow escaped from the farmer or the cone after its head was removed, it would run around without its head until re-captured. Completely fascinating!!! ) The chicken body was then dropped into boiling water - this scalding loosened feathers, after which a group of women continued to process the chicken by removing all the feathers, cutting off the feet, removing entrails, washing and wrapping it paper. Then you bring it home and make dinner - it doesn't get any fresher than that!!
- Celebrating Three Kings Day. I never believed in Santa (I don't think Grammie and Grandad encouraged this), but I did believe in the three kings. I remember watching the lights from a passing ship out on the ocean the night before Epiphany, and being so excited that the kings were coming (and bringing me presents the next day).
- Ship Tour. On a not-so-favorite note, once when Nana and Grandad were visiting we toured a large ship (maybe a military ship, I'm not sure). Anyway, Julie and I were walking ahead of the family up to the bow, where there was a large crank. Julie suggested I should turn it, which I regrettably did - turns out, it was a horn which was deafeningly loud and scared me to half to death. I'm telling you, Julie was a handful.
Another favorite story, speaking of Julie.... On one of Grandad's trips to Santo Domingo, Aunt Julie stowed away in the back seat of the car and popped up to say "hello!" when he was well on the road. I'm sure he was not too thrilled when this happened. Grandad stopped at a gas station with a telephone to call Grammie, so she would know where Julie was. Meanwhile, Julie walked around to the back of the gas station and was very excited to meet a kitten (or kittens?). Once the way on to Santo Domingo, there were suspicious sounds from the back seat and Grandad asked "What was that?!" Julie didn't want to let on right away, but eventually had to admit that it was a cat - which rode back and forth to the city with them, and then we ended up adopting.
On the whole, this was a magical time in my childhood. I had my sister, a built-in community and friends, great living and playing space, and active, young parents. I'm glad I could share some of these memories with you both.
No comments:
Post a Comment