February 24, 2003 - Fredericksburg Front Porch: My experience in the Dominican Republic has shown the importance of family in a world where the importance placed on material goods is less emphasized by RPCV Benjamin Peck

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Dominican Republic: Peace Corps Dominican Republic : The Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic: February 24, 2003 - Fredericksburg Front Porch: My experience in the Dominican Republic has shown the importance of family in a world where the importance placed on material goods is less emphasized by RPCV Benjamin Peck

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My experience in the Dominican Republic has shown the importance of family in a world where the importance placed on material goods is less emphasized by RPCV Benjamin Peck



My experience in the Dominican Republic has shown the importance of family in a world where the importance placed on material goods is less emphasized by RPCV Benjamin Peck

Peace Corps Notebook
We are family
Benjamin Peck

Most of us will spend the holidays with our families; myself included, thanks to a drop in airline prices. So, I thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about family.

My experience in the Dominican Republic has shown the importance of family in a world where the importance placed on material goods is less emphasized. The family unit is far and away much more important than the individual. How is this manifested in a culture?

In the United States, it is expected that when a child turns 18 years old, he goes to college or moves out of the house. If not, it is common for his parents to request that he pay expenses. I explained this custom to many of my friends here and they see it as barbaric. They say, "It's your family, you can't kick someone out of your family."

The Dominican Republic produces great Major League baseball players. Baseball here is life for most people, and seen as a ticket out of the DR to the United States and big bucks. Why? The first thing that 99.9% (my stat) of Dominican ball players do when they receive that first big pay check is build a nice house for their parents in the same neighborhood where they grew up. They usually throw in a nice SUV. Only then does the ball player buy himself a car and house in the States and another one here. Why? Because they have been raised on the importance of family.

The Dominican Republic has a large population of 30-year-olds living with their parents and not doing anything (my neighbor.) This is almost unheard of in the US. Think of all the things you learned before you graduated college: how to open a checking account, how to pay bills, how to search for, locate, and sign a contract for a house or an apartment, making car payments, budgeting, the importance of cleaning the dishes in the sink before they get moldy.

These are things that many adult Dominicans don't know how to do, simply as a function of their dependence on the family. Most Dominicans live with family while they study, so they don't worry about housing, a checking account, or a car. Mother or aunt or sister or cousin cleans the dishes. This can cause a rather rude awakening when it is finally time to leave the house, get a job, and do all these things on their own.

So, this Holiday Season, I ask you to reflect on what the holidays actually mean and what the holidays would mean if Santa got sick and didn't bring any presents… What would the Holiday Season mean then?

I can't wait to spend the holidays with my family (both current and future,) my fiancée, and my friends. ¡Qué no vengan Santa o Channukah Hank! Even if Santa and Channukah Hank don´t come!)

Ben Peck heads home to family in Lexington, VA for the holidays, with a stop in Fredericksburg.



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Story Source: Fredericksburg Front Porch

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Dominican Republic

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