Ryan Alexander, Volunteer in Pedernales/Anse a Pitres.

Ryan Alexander

Now that my 3 month summer internship has come to an end, I look back at my experiences on the border in amazement, and cherish all that I have accomplished and experienced. The cross-border lifestyle and the southern coastal hospitality are a perfect blend of characteristics that are sure to generate experiences never to be forgotten.

An event that makes me smile to this very day is an incident that occurred late one night. The culprit was a cow: Cows roam the streets of Pedernales every night (to avoid people and the hot sun) in search of food. On one particular night I had left the fence door open; a huge mistake. A cow had entered the premises of my home that evening and took huge chomps out of my 2 foot high, newly planted banana trees, trees that I had been caring for since the very beginning of my internship. Surely enough, due to constant watering, good soil, and the resilient nature of banana trees, the trees grew back their leaves and will live to bear bananas (if the fence door remains shut).Since the banana plants were too small to bear fruit, I would do my shopping for bananas and other fruits and vegetables at the ‘bi-national’ market.

The ‘bi-national market’ operates every Monday and Friday mornings. It is a market that was strategically set up so that Haitians from Anse a Pitre and Dominicans from Pedernales could sell their goods biweekly and collaborate amongst one another. There, I would buy many pounds of fruits and vegetables, and spend the morning walking around the section of the market where used clothing was sold. The clothing industry is an important and one of the more lucrative industries in Pedernales and Anse a Pitre. Clothing of all sizes, colors and styles from the USA are found at the market. It was entertaining to search for t-shirts that displayed names of universities, high schools, concerts and other American events that I recognized or had attended; every now and then I would find clothing that displayed familiar writing.

It is events and occurrences like those mentioned above, no matter how small and simple they may be, that made me appreciate the simplicity of life in Pedernales. However, experiences, like the clothing at the bi-

At the local Hospital in Anse a Pitres (Haiti)

national market, come in all shapes and sizes:

I was invited to spend the day at the medical clinic in Anse a Pitre, a government owned clinic run by two Haitian doctors. I crossed the border into Anse a Pitre to find a group of about 15 people carrying a bed with a woman on it. She was being carried from her home to the clinic and had just given birth to a child; the umbilical chord was still attached to the placenta. Regardless of the gathering of people outside the medical center, I entered the clinic. I was asked by the doctor who had invited me if I wanted to observe the delivery of a baby: to everyone’s surprise the lady was giving birth to twins, and one had yet to come out. Without hesitation I agreed to observe: it was a sight I will never forget.

The conditions of the clinic were humbling and the tools and technology basic. So basic that it was my job to head into town to replace a burnt light bulb of a desk lamp so that the twins could stay warm.

From waking up to find my banana trees eaten by a cow, to witnessing the birth of twins, I feel I have lived my three months on the border to the fullest. Working with PADF and living on the border for three months have been one of the most rewarding summers of my life. I will return home with a positive outlook on life and development work and will forever remember my work, the social endeavors, and the humbling experiences on the border.

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