Mission: Possible

The Dominican Republic is a cultural melting pot of Hispanic, Creole, and African traditions. Although the Island was “discovered” by Columbus on his way to the new world, the Dominican Republic did not possess the natural resources that would later entice the Spanish to settle in Mexico and Peru. That said, the island was at one time home to an indigenous group called the Arawak, or Taíno. Also, the Dominican Republic is an island sharing its western border with Haiti.  As a result, there are many Haitian refugees who reside inside the D.R., including a Creole village near the town of Altagracia called Mata Los Indios.

Dominican culture is very lively and if there are two things that its citizens are most proud of, it would most certainly be baseball and Bachata.

Baseball: Baseball is the national past time of the Dominican Republic and was brought from America to the D.R. around 1912 by wealthy American entrepreneurs. The game quickly took off, not only in the D.R. but throughout other Caribbean nations as well. However, the D.R. has established itself as the biggest producer of major league talent to the United States, in large part due to the passion with which the Dominicans play and the establishment of baseball academies in Santo Domingo. Some of the better-known players to come from the humble raices of the D.R. are Alex Rodriguez (born to Dominican padres), David Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero and Miguel Tejada.

The town of Altagracia and Mission: Possible playing a game of baseball on Day 1

When Mission Possible first arrived in Altagracia, we barely had time to put down our bags before we were invited to play baseball. The town had created a full-size baseball field complete with bases and a pitcher’s mound. Both guys and girls alike had the opportunity to try their hand at the Altagracian version of the game. The locals clearly had the upper hand, as many of the local children could both hit and pitch much better than most of the law students! Altagracia also has a local team called El Patio, which plays in a league with the surrounding villages. We were fortunate enough to watch El Patio crush the neighboring village and Mission: Possible members were involved in a storming of the field to the victory chants of “Aqui venimos… a ganar… El Patio El Patio!” Meaning, “We came to win!”

The El Patio team and Mission: Possible storming the baseball field after an El Patio victory!

Bachata: Bachata is a Dominican style of dance and music that is uniquely rural in nature. It comes from el campo and was, for a long time, viewed as the music of los pobres. Meaning, “the music of the poor.” Looked down upon by upper class Dominicans, Bachata gained popularity with the advent of the radio in the 1950’s and is now seen as uniquely Dominican and a source of national pride.

There wasn’t a night that went by in Altagracia without Bachata dancing. Some group members took to the dancing like a fish in water (Colin R.  was known as La Maquina, or “The Machine”), while others  took a little more time to learn the correct steps. The whole village participated in the dances and even though we were without power most of the time, the local colmado (store) was gracious enough to provide a generator, allowing the festivities to continue well into the night.

One of the most unique cultural experiences the group witnessed was that of the Gaga – and no, I don’t mean Lady Gaga. Gaga is associated with a type of music and comes from Haiti. It is an African/Catholic/Haitian ceremony unique to the Caribbean and the D.R.  It involves a casting out of “dark spirits” and has religious and superstitious value to the Dominicans . The group was warned by some of our host mothers not to take pictures or get too close to the Gaga, and such advice we heeded. Essentially, we watched a group of Dominicans dance, chant, and play music all in an attempt to ward off “evil spirits.”

The Dominican Republic is a truly a culturally diverse place and Mission: Possible was extremely fortunate to have been immersed in the two most important aspects of Quisqueyano (slang for “Dominican”) culture, namely baseball and Bachata.