informe de gil

8/10/2019 Informe de Gil

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INTRODUCTION

An internship is a very important step in the academic life of a student, it

is this first contact of a studentpupilwith a real- work environment where he/she

can put intopractice a big part of his/her knowledge, besides a challenging an

enriching experience for any one. Furthermore make this periodhaving an

experienceabroad is a double challenge since it can give the student a new

perspective of his/her professional life, potentialities and opportunities.

For the students of modern languages with a minor on International

rgani!ations there are different options, one of them is related to with the tourist

and hotel business. I considered this kind of organi!ations a good option to make a

good internship,

"he #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana, in 'ominican (epublic was the

organi!ation that I chose to domake my period ofinternship. It is a new hotel in of

the region that according to its characteristics it is considered, positioned since its

inauguration,the first hotel in occupancy of the area, and according to the target

of its guest represented a good option in order toofpracticing the languages learnt

at the university.

"his touristic complex providesdnot only the accommodation service to the

visitors of the island, but it also offersit has a variety of services in a huge

property that includes )*+ bedrooms distributed in different categories from the

tandard unior uite,to the &residential uite. "he #a$estic %olonial offers six

restaurants two buffets and five a la carte:"he supreme uffet, &ortofino uffet,

"aino, 0e 1ourmet, #atsuri, (odeo 1rill and "res %arabelas (estaurant. esides,

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it has eight bars around the property including a swim up bar. Also, this resort

gives propose to its its guests a variety of services such as a gym, casino,

discothe3ue, pa, shops, business center %atholic chapel, wedding ga!ebo,

supervised kids club for children, tennis courts, pharmacy and medical center.

'uring my internship#y position as inat the intern in#a$estic %olonial

&unta %ana I worked at thewasin &ublic (elationsoffice,the1uest ervice and

in the Front desk. "he internship period lastedcomprehendfrom August )thuntiltill

'ecember 4nd,4556.

In this report I am going to describe my internship experience in six

sections., Ffirst, I describe the host institution, its historical background,

ob$ectives and organi!ational structure. econd,ly I offer anyou will find an

explanation of my principal tasks as an intern at the &public (relations and

1guest service 'department.

I"hen in the third section,I present a reflection essay about my whole

experience wof working for the first time in the hotel business at the #a$estic

%olonial &unta %ana,describingshowing allthe process of learning and adaptation

to this organi!ation, as well as how I put intopractice the knowledge ac3uired at

the 7niversity.

"he fourth section ispresents theconcern of the conclusions that I made

afterofthe whole experience.,besidesesides,I provide some suggestions to the

#a$estic %olonial &unta %ana,and to the school of #modern 0languages.

Finally, I present a cultural aspect of the 'ominican (epublic that I

consider very interesting and that deals with theconcerning, about the

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'ominican8s anti- 9aitian attitude whichpre$udice ,thathas serious implications

for the respect of human rights of the 9aitian immigrants who lived in the

'ominican (epublicthat country.

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PROFILE OF THE HOST INSTITUTION

"he #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana is a five-star hotel located in ;varo

beach, 'ominican (epublic that combines luxurious accommodation with the all

inclusive modality. It belongs to atle group which is a series of tourism-oriented

businesses based on the alearic Islands and with over *5 years of tradition. ia$es

y "urismo alear, and "ransunion.

atle group manages nine hotels, eight in #allorca and one in #enorca. In

'ecember 455*, they expanded its business opening its first hotel on the beautiful

%aribbean sceneries of ;varo beach a new brand of *-star resorts with the name

of ?#a$estic.@

"he #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana each (esort, golf, casino and spa was

designed to be integrated into the exuberant scenery of the island it was planned

to get an exclusive kind of tourist who is looking for the best beach resort in order

to relax, practice a3uatic sports, taste the %aribbean gastronomy, and en$oy the

daily and nightly entertainment.

ne of the main characteristics of this enterprise is the fact that it is a

family business. #r. aime atle, 'oa (osa de atle, antigo atle, and

Francisca atle always have the last word in any decision related to the hotel, and

they pay particular attention to every detail when offering a ma$estic service.

As a business that offers an intangible good such as accommodation,

entertainment and vacations in general, main ob$ective of this enterprise is to offer

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a 3uality service that can compete with the numerous 3uantity of hotels and

resorts of the !one and other %aribbean destinies as %uba, &uerto (ico or Aruba,

%onse3uently, they try to offer the highest standards of 3uality and excellence to

the guests.

At the #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana, details are the key to provide an

excellence service, so the area of public relations and guest services, with its

entire staff, accomplishes numerous activities in order to guarantee 3uality and the

total satisfaction of the visitors. "hese two departments are unified to provide all

the information, special attentions, and all the re3uirements to the hotel8s guests.

"his department works from 6=:5 am to 22= pm in two shifts= from 6=:5 to

B=55 pm and from B=55 pm to 22=55 pm. Among the main activities of this

department there are=

#aking reservations of a la carte restaurants, golf, cars, and briefings.

&reparing orders for special services like= birthday cakes, romantic dinners

on the beach, flowers8 decoration, honeymooners8 breakfasts and dinners.

&reparing a daily report of operation.

&reparing a list of special attentions for >I&s, honeymooners, and

anniversaries

"aking room service8s orders.

&roviding general information about the hotel and tourist attractions.

(eporting incidents like accidents or robberies.

#aking courtesy calls to the guests.

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(eporting problems and needs in the rooms.

Answering e-mails of guest coming to the hotel, travel agents or $ust

people in general.

"ranslating the mass on undays.

#anaging complaints

#aking 3uestionnaires of comments for the guests leaving the hotel.

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ORGANIZATIONAL CHART MAJESTIC COLONIAL PUNTA CANA


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NATURE OF THE INTERNSHIP

I was assigned to the public relations and guest service department during

my internship my position was hotel concierge. ince the first day of my

internship I was introduced to each activity of the department which includes

tasks of direct attention to the guest as well as office work. Also I had a two-week

training period at the front desk which includes other different responsibilities as

receptionist.

At the guest service department I was under the supervision of #iss

%ortCs, #anager of the department, and her assistant, #iss (odrigue!. "here were

five concierges who carry out all the activities of this unit.

ome times I had to work in the morning and others in the afternoon and

during each shift I had different tasks to accomplish. For instance I had to make

principally reservations for two of the a la carte restaurants G0e 1ourmet and

#atsuriH, also I had to give all the information that the guests re3uired and I had

to make golf reservations for the guests who demanded for this service.

Also all mornings I had to give 3uestionnaires of comments to the guests

checking-out for them to evaluate the services of the hotel. "his activity was very

important since the maintenance of 3uality standards are an essential part of

ma$estic direction.

In addition, early in the morning I had to ask for the re3uired flowers for

each day, delivered the orders of birthday cakes, special attentions and the orders

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for romantic breakfast and dinners for honeymooners to the main kitchen and the

main buffet. "hen, it was mandatory to ask the doctor, at the medical center, for

the daily medical report. "he guest service department was responsible for

verifying any irregularity in the guests8 health such as recurrent stomachaches or

people falling down in the hotel8s installations, because any person could suit the

hotel for some accident during their vacations or if they had food poisoning.

I&s arriving to the

hotel, the list of courtesy calls made each day, and the briefings expected for the

next $ourney.

esides, during both shifts, the department was in charge of receiving and

reporting any problem, inconvenience, and needs in the guests8 rooms, thus I had

to follow the following steps in order to solve any kind of problems= making a

report with each incident, taking note of the room8s number and the department

and person in charge of the solution, such as house keeping or maintenance. "he

final part of this process was calling the guests in order to check if they had been

taken care of.

Another main activity during the day was managing all the complaints. If

any guest was unsatisfied with the service they could talk to us and fill a form in

order to explain the incident or problem. o, if a person talked to me, I had to try

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to solve the problem or talk to the manager in order to find a solution or

compensation for the guest.

It is important to point out that the guest service department was a support

for the reception and for the commercial department. o we helped with some

activities of latter departments such as making check- in and sight inspections to

travel agents in order to show then all the installations and services offered by

#a$estic.

ne of the ob$ectives of the room8s division manager was that guest

service and the front desk have a staff that can support each other and work

together to offer the best service to the guest. "hus I made two weeks8 training

period in the reception where I learnt how to make some of the basics activities of

this department as make check- in, check-out, prepare the envelops for guests

arriving, makes room8s keys and sell tickets of internet.

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REFLECTION ESSAY

My Internship Experiene !t M!"esti C#$#ni!$ P%nt! C!n!

From the beginning of the degree I have had a lot of expectations about the

internship as the first step of a good professional experience. 9owever, choosing a

place for this important period is not an easy task since the alternatives are

limited, especially for the students of the minor in International rgani!ations.

o, I started to analy!e my possibilities inside and outside of the country, I

wanted to go to a place that would allow me to practice the languages studied,

develop my capacities as intermediary among different cultures, facilitate the oral

and written communication in nglish, French and panish, as well where I could

demonstrate my potentialities as a professional with new ideas and perspectives,

besides that it could show me good working opportunities.

In my case, as a technician in tourism, I never discarded the idea of

working in the hotel business. Although I did not have experience in this kind of

organi!ation, I had worked with public before and I knew that I had good

perspectives in the tourism field.


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period, despite the comments of many professors of the chool who consider

working in a hotel something inappropriate for a modern language student.

Finally, I arrived to 'ominican (epublic on August B, "h4556. After a 24

hours wait at the airport, I was exhausted but excited about the things that were

waiting for me. 9owever, my first impression was confusing and overwhelming I

got to the lodging and I had no idea of what to do, fortunately one of my

roommates was very kind and took me to the 9uman (esources department and

introduced me to the manager. 9e gave me many paper works for me to fill out

and sign. "hen, he asked me about some medical exams that I was supposed to

bring with me, but I knew nothing about it. 0ater, he sent me on aMoto Concho, a

motorcycle the most popular way of transportation in 'ominican (epublic, to a

laboratory in the nearest town to undergo some analysis. "his situation made me

feels uncomfortable, because I only had been there for a couple of hours and I was

a little scared. "hey should have informed the internship office of the university

about this re3uirement in order to avoid this unpleasant situation.

0ater, after having lunch, I was called to the back office of the reception in

order to meet my boss and institutional responsible, #iss %orte!. 9er welcome

was warm and kind and she told me that I had to star working the next #onday

and that I should rest during the weekend.

'uring my first day of work I was a little nervous, but I was ready and

disposed to learn everything that I need soon as possible to make a good

impression. 9owever, I did not have a formal training. I $ust learnt by watching

others and be doing some easy tasks as make 3uestionnaires of comments of the

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guests leaving the hotel. #y boss, #iss %orte!, showed me the hotel that first day

and gave me a fast introduction to the characteristics of the position. he was

strict and very clear, she did not want any fault, and she even threatened me with

sending me back to >ene!uela if I made a silly mistake.

"hus, I felt a lot of pressure, besides when I arrived to the hotel it was high

season, and the occupancy 255K, which meant that each room of the hotel was

occupied, so everybody was stressed and busy. 9owever, my partners were very

kind and they tried to teach me all the process and tasks of the department. "he

problem was that there was a lot of information that I had to handle and I was

petrified of making some mistakes after the threat of my boss who was not very

good at teaching and lacked patience.

I started to reali!e that working at a hotel was not easy and less guest

service department where although the ma$ority of the activities were simple to

handle, there was a lot of pressure from the guests, the managers, and the owners

of the hotel. I think that the beginning of the internship could be improved if the

direction were more conscious about the importance of giving proper training to

the staff. nough preparation can generate better levels of efficiency for the

organi!ation avoiding recurrent mistakes and the dissatisfaction of the employees.

Levertheless, in a couple of days I was adapted to the routine of the

department and I could take care of the guests by myself giving then all the

information that they re3uired as well as making their reservations and providing

all that they needed.

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As a modern language student one of the first difficulties that I had to

overcome was trying to understand the different accents of the guests. I listened to

nglish from different parts of the world G1reat ritain, %anada, and the 7..AH

and from people who were not native speakers of nglish like 1ermans or

(ussians. ometimes it was not easy to comprehend what they wanted, especially

on phone, and some of then got upset and I had to handle some unpleasant

situations. ven so, I analy!ed the situation and I reali!ed that the problem was a

lack of vocabulary of the terms used at a hotel, because I had $ust started working,

so I began to study every night when I arrived to my bedroom and after a couple

of days practicing and listening to the guests demands, I got used to the

vocabulary and I did not have problems understanding them.

After two weeks at the guest service, I was transferred to the reception

department without any warning. I felt uneasy about this change because I was

barely starting to manage all the process at the guest service when I had to start in

a different department. esides, this change implied a further knowledge of the

hotel business. 9owever I tried to be positive and to learn everything I could.


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#r. &ollantis was really kind with me, he likes to teach and I consider that

he is a really good manager since he is reasonable as well as considerate with the

the staff under its supervision. 9e made me feel comfortable working at the front

desk, however I had to take an important decision, because although I feel better

in that department I also reali!e that I did not practice languages as at guest

service, because the principal contact that I had with the guests where at the

moment of the check-in and the check-out, conse3uently, I only can use a couple

of repetitive phrases, in that way I decided that working at guest service were

more challenging and enriching.


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Analy!ing all the activities that I had to carry out I think that some of them

were truly enriching as share everyday with people of different parts of the world,

as put in practice my nglish and French and feel that my communication skills

were really useful. For instance, I really en$oy when I had to do the inspections for

travel agents from 7..A or %anada, "his was commercial activity and according

to my performance the hotel could gain important contracts with tour operators

and travel agencies, I regard this activity interesting because I had to give my best

in order that they had a good impression of the hotel and its staff.

Also it was really rewarding when I serve as a link when people wants to

communicate something really important in their language, for example I helped

some people in the medical service to describe their symptoms to the doctors, or if

somebody had specific re3uirements for the restaurants, the animation team or

even the house keeping department.

(egarding the service field I think that I had a lot of empathy at the

moment of organi!ing special attentions for the guest, because usually I were like

an accomplice for somebody who wants to prepare a romantic dinner, flowers o

$ust a cake for their wives, husbands or friends. #aking these activities I could

prove myself my vocation for the service, making feel good people in their

vacations was a wonderful experience.

n the other hand, I had to carry out some tasks which I was not prepared

for, such as translate from panish to nglish the mass of undays. At the

beginning this was not a $ob of the department, but since ctober the room8s

division manager ordered that somebody of guest service must to be every unday

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in the mass. "hat situation was a huge polemic among my coworkers because

nobody felt the capacity of doing that task. I told my boss that translates

simultaneously was not an easy task, moreover, that a translator was a prepared

person in that field and although we studied languages we had not the tools to

make a good translation.

ut without any right to protest, our boss told us that the interns had to

accomplish that assignment because we studied modern languages. o, I decided

not discuss and make what she asked for, then I looked for some vocabulary and

instructions about the catholic service, at the end, I only had to translate the main

sermon and it was really easy, of course that more than a translation I made a free

interpretation of what the priest said.

0ike this situation, many of the managers8 decisions were taken lightly and

without planning, for instance they order that we have to help the front desk at the

time of making massive check-in, but then they told us all the contrary, they said

that was awful seeing many people at the reception. I $ust not could understand

this kind of management.

#oreover one of the characteristics of #a$estic is being a vertical

organi!ation where every decision must to be approved by the general #anager

#r. osC #arDa 1utierre! and by the owners. %onse3uently he has to sign almost

everything. o in my opinion I think that this situation slow up many of the

process in the hotel and making them less efficient.

"here was also some activities that I considered totally frustrating,

particularly when I reported something that some guest want in his room to the

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house keeping or maintenance department, and those department did not

accomplish its labor, as a result, I had to deal with unsatisfied, irritated guests.

"his problem was a constant issue of argument with the personal of house keeping

and maintenance, they did not do their $obs and it seemed that the staff of guest

service had the fault.

o, I had some discussions and disagreements with the employees of those

departments, and even with its managers because I felt totally frustrated by the

lack of teamwork and cooperation, but at the same time I reali!ed that the root of

the problem was a lack of motivation of the employees. It was shocking listen all

the complaints and the dissatisfaction of most of #a$estic workers.

"his issue was something that really concerned me, because after a short

time I began to feel the discontent of the ma$ority. &rincipally, due to the situation

mentioned above, as well the irrational behavior of my boss and some factors

related with the food, transportation and the lodging that the hotel provide me.

For example, when I arrived I was assigned to an executive lodging it was

a very comfortable room, ut one day the owners and the manager of the hotel

decided that the executive building was only for managers and they moved all the

staff living there, including the interns, to a new building that was unfinished, the

bedrooms were small and they assigned as many as six persons per room, they

only had one bathroom, without closets or place to put the personal ob$ects, It was

a really depressing place. GAppendixH

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"his situation discouraged me a lot, $oined to all the pressure in the hotel I

decided reduced my period of internship to four months, instead of the six months

that the hotel demanded me because I felt that all my effort was no appreciated.

Another fact that made me reflect about the challenges of a real work

environment, was the attitude of my boss, for me it was clear that she could not

tolerate much pressure, she avoided a big part of her responsibilities letting the

interns and the other employees of the department resolve all the problems and

hard situations. #any times I and my partners got angry with the selfish and

arrogant attitude of our boss but I took all the bad and unpleasant moments that

she made us go trough and I wanted to show her that I was able of succeed in my

$ob and give much more that she thought.

9owever I can not say that everything was negative, regarding the

experience as a whole I reali!e all the things that I learnt and I consider that my

performance during the entire internship was really good I was always disposed

to learnt and accept the changes that the managers propose although I not agreed

with some of then.

Furthermore I tried to have a good relationship with all the staff of the

hotel, despite the bad moments. besides, I overcame the difficulties and I gave my

best, in fact, in ctober I was selected as the employee of the month Gsee

appendixH, ut what made me feel better was the smiles, gratitude and

encouraging words of many of the guest who felt totally happy with my $ob and

the treatment that I gave them. ven some guests write good things about me in

the web page trip advisor, Gsee appendixH that is an important site for the hotel

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because many people who visit #a$estic is due to the recommendations of that

web page.

"o conclude I think that as a student of modern languages and my

knowledge of the tourism field I made a good combination. I think that this

experience showed me a new perspective for a future $ob in the hotel business or

even in another kind of organi!ation. ince I could manage different situations

and challenges which allow me grow up professional and personally.

Also this internship encourages me to follow my preparation studying

other languages as 1erman, Italian and &ortuguese and in that way continuing

giving my best, in order to be prepare for the competitive labor market of theses

days.

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CONCLUSIONS

'uring four months #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana was the place where for

the first time I developed myself as a modern language professional, offering it all

my knowledge ac3uired at the university, while I learnt many things about the

hotel business and not only at the guest service department but also I had contact

with the daily activities of other units as reservations, commercial, reception,

animation and administration. All this contact and relation with the different areas

of the hotel open me a door in an organi!ational world that it is really interesting

and presented me new $ob opportunities in the tourism and hotel field.

Furthermore, I consider that with this experience I grew up as a person and

as professional, since I had to take many important decisions in a work

environment and I went through differences hard situations, which taught me and

show me things which I prepared for and the things that were I real challenge.

'efinitely my internship at "he #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana made me

more responsible and conscious about a real work environment, now I am aware

for example of how to behave in front of superiors or how to show courtesy and

respect with co-workers, and how to relate myself with any person using the

languages learnt at the university, as well as the responsibility of being an

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important part of a team work, and what is more, the disposition of helping

everybody to achieve the ob$ectives of the organi!ation.

In addition, due to the nature of my $ob in ma$estic I not only could share

with people from different cultures, but also I had the opportunity of learning in a

real context different varieties of nglish and French that I had never used in the

classroom, as well as idioms and informal expressions. At this moment I feel

myself more confident and I think that I improve my public speaking abilities.

n the other hand I understood that not everything could be as one

expects, and even though my internship experience was in an organi!ation that has

some failures in the area of its administration of the human resource, I reali!e the

importance of enduring all the difficulties and to give the best in order to obtain

good results.

I regard e3ually important, the fact of living in a different country that

allowed me to know its way of living, customs and some aspects of 'ominican

society like the theme of my cultural essay about the anti-9aitian pre$udice.

"o conclude, I $ust can say that despite the limitations I am very pleased

with the results obtained after this process of internship, now I reali!e that

learning goes beyond the classrooms and that I have begun the path to accomplish

my professional goals.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

After this important experience of my internship as the last step of my

academic formation to obtain my degree, I would like to give some

recommendations, first to my host institution #a$estic %olonial &unta %ana and

then to the school of #odern 0anguages of the 7niversity of 0os Andes.

I consider that the biggest deficiency in #a$estic %olonial as organi!ation

is related with the treatment to its human resources. %urrently the staffs of the

different departments of #a$estic %olonial have a lack of motivation and

identification with the organi!ation most of them work $ust for a salary and to

receive tips of the guests. o I think that in order to improve this situation the

direction of this hotel should=

1ive much more value to its human resource, implementing training

programs in different areas, as languages, or specific labors of the tourist

service, in order to give the opportunity to its workers of growing up with

the organi!ation.

(egarding the guest service department they should have a proper office

where the employees as well the guests feel comfortable, and with enough

spaces for developing the tasks of the department.

Also I think that if they want to follow hiring interns from our school of

modern languages they should give them a better treatment, in relation to

the lodging, food and transportation.

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T# the sh##$ #& M#'ern L!n(%!(es)

In order to improve the academic 3uality of all modern languages8

students, as well to motivate them, especially those of the International

rgani!ation option, the school of #odern 0anguages should=

9omogeni!e the criteria of International organi!ation8s professors, thought

meetings between then, because so far they do not know each other and

they do not have and coordinate scheme and a main ob$ective of the

option.

&romote seminars and conference related to the area of International

rgani!ations, for example on public relations, management, $ust to name

a few. "hat could help a lot to improve the profile of the students

graduated from this option.

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CULTURAL ESSAY

The D#*ini!n Anti+H!iti!n Pre"%'ie

very culture is characteri!ed for different manifestation that can

differentiate one from another and that make it uni3ue and shapes its identity.

'uring my period of B moths of internship in 'ominican (epublic, I had the

opportunity of share with its people who are very friendly and kind. Also I could

appreciate some aspects of their culture as music, gastronomy, dialect and so on.

In this process of knowing and adaptation to their way of life I could appreciate a

phenomenon that really surprise me and belongs to 'ominican identity the

discrimination against 9aitian immigrants or anti - 9aitianism.

According to rnesto ag;s, ?Anti - 9aitiansm is actually the present

manifestation of the long-term evolution of racial pre$udice, the selective

interpretation of historical facts, and the creation of a nationalist 'ominican false

consciousness@. Gag;s, . 2JJJH

In other words, the problem of racism and re$ection to the neighbor

country and its immigrants is a result of a long historic process that has developed

a wrong 'ominican national identity, full of pre$udices, intolerance and in$ustices

that has brought with it a series of problems related with violation of human

rights.

In this essay I $ust pretend show the perception that I had about this issue

as a part of the 'ominican8s identity, explain its origins, and give a general idea of

the problem of human rights violation as well some perspectives for this problem

in the future.

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Perei,in( ! pre"%'ie

In every 0atin American country due to our past as colonies of uropean

emperies, and the influence that they made in the construction of our identity, we

have something that the experts call ethnic shame, that means that we are no

proud of our roots and many people always think, even if they do not recogni!e it,

that the uropean or north American cultures are better than our.

9owever in >ene!uela I had never feel o see an obvious and notorious

re$ection for any ethnic group, so when I start to see how was the conception ant

treatment that the ma$ority of 'ominican have for 9aitians and even some black

natives from the country, I was totally surprise, because it is very clear that

'ominicans have strong African roots and a ma$ority has a dark skin color.

At the moment that I arrived to the island, in the transfer that picked me

up in the airport, I listened something from the driver ?Los haitianos nos quieren

cojer el pais@ that means that the 9aitians want to take the 'ominican territory. In

a short time I reali!e that that sentence reflect the sentiment of the ma$ority of

'ominican people.

"he anti M 9aitian pre$udice can be appreciated since racist8s $okes as a

constant scorn from the language, religion and any cultural manifestation of the

9aitian people. I could observe how 'ominicans some times treat 9aitians as they

were animals saying that they are stupid, smell bad or that they are like a pest for

the country, that came to 'ominican (epublic to occupied its $obs, increase the

poverty and social problems as health and education.

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I had to see this phenomenon every day in the streets or even in the hotel

that I worked where the employees of 9aitian origin where the blank of continues

offenses and many discriminations, so I started to in3uire and asked about this

issue to my 'ominican partners that although they said that they were nor racist,

all the time was evident all the pre$udices that they have.

0ikewise, I had the opportunity to meet some 9aitian people and I found

that the problem goes beyond simple pe$orative commentaries the violations to

human rights have been a common issue in the country for many decades, and it

seems that nobody have the solution for this problem rooted in 'ominicans

identity. "he 9aitian has a lot of resentment and many of then rather be in their

country but the difficult situation in it, promote more emigrations each day.

9owever, I think that for having a better comprehension of this problem it

is important to know the origins and causes that have generated this pre$udice.

The Ori(in #& ! Pre"%'ie

'ominican (epublic and 9aiti are two nations that shares the Island of 0a

9ispaniola, located in the %aribbean and that is politically divided between those

countries. ut they also share a complicated past full of conflicts and struggle for

dominating the territory, that marked the historical identity of 'ominican people.

"he first expressions of anti M 9aitian feeling was born in the colony

times when the paniards considered the black African slaves an inferior race and

the status of each person was determinate for its skin color

ut what is considered the true origin of this phenomenon was the 9aitian

occupation of anto 'omingo in the 2J thcentury, from February J, 2+44 until

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February 46, 2+BB, leaded by ean &ierre oyer, a president of 9aiti who wanted

unified the territory in $ust one nation. 9owever this unification only took

disaggregation and restriction for 'ominicans, who became second rate citi!ens,

and were a minority at the same time 'ominican elites who were white panish

descendants not tolerate that people who they considered inferior occupied the

important positions in the government and in the army.

o after twenty two years and a hard independence war commanded by

uan &ablo 'uarte, 9aitians were expelled from the eastern part of the island, so

the govern and the high powerful elites started to disseminate the ideas of

re$ection for 9aitians in order of exalt the national patriotism and increase the

cohesion and the feeling of unification of 'ominicans, this added to repeated

9aitian attempts of invasion, increase the hate and re$ection that most of

'ominican felt about their neighbors.

ut many years later although 9aitians did not wanted to invade

'ominican (epublic any more and even they helped 'ominican patriots in their

struggle against the panish. "he anti-9aitian feeling increase due to the pre$udice

that the high elites propagate, creating stories that were supported by the writers

of the that time, like the myth of the 'ominican Indian portrayed as the ancestors

of 'ominican instead of the African slaves, although all the native population of

the island were eradicated in the first 255 years of the uropean occupation and

ma$ority of 'ominicans are the fruit of the mixture among whites and black

slaves. 'ominican mulattoes started to think that they descend from those first

Indians and the paniards colonist.

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Another important factor in the process of straightening the anti-9aitian

sentiment of 'ominican people was established during "ru$illo8s dictatorship

between 2J:5 and 2J)2 when this anti-9aitian pre$udice became a politic

ideology that pretend exalt 'ominican nationalism trough the re$ection of any

foreign influence. "he government of "ru$illo then initiated a policy of developing

the border region by encouraging light-skinned 'ominicans to settle there, this

process finished in 2J:6 with a massacre of 26.555 till :*.555 9aitians, the

numbers change according the different versions of historians.

Also he started to include his racist ideas in the educational curriculum,

reinforcing the theory of a false 'ominican identity and the pre$udice about

9aitians and black people in general. o for more that :2 years 'ominicans were

victims of a brainwash, and although today the anti-9aitian is not a government

policy, sadly it is part of its culture and national identity.

Anti - H!ti!nis* T#'!y) i$$e(!$ i**i(r!ti#n ,s. h%*!n ri(hts ,i#$!ti#n.

'ue to the miserable socio-economic situation of 9aiti as the poorest

country of this hemisphere, since the beginning of 45thcentury many 9aitians

have migrated to 'ominican (epublic looking for $ob opportunities and better

living conditions, traditionally they have been used for working in the sugar

plantations and more recently in construction and tourism business.

"oday some population reports estimate from *55.555 to a 2555.555

9aitians living inside 'ominican territory however official figures are not

available. #any of these people are third, fourth or fifth generation

9aitian/'ominicans who have never been to 9aiti. thers have legal papers to

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work as migrant workers and many were born in the 'ominican (epublic, which

gives them the right to citi!enship at least in theory.

ome of the most notorious and concerning problems with these

immigrants and their descendants are the inhumane conditions of working and

living that they have, plus the massive deportations that the government made

with any consideration and violating a big part of the most important human

rights. According to the Amnesty International report issued on #arch 42 of 4556,

International 'ay for the limination of (acial 'iscrimination, ?each year, 45,555

to :5,555 of 9aitians workers are deported, with no $udicial supervision@.

Another issue that worries all the 9aitians immigrants is the problem of

identification, when 9aitian a woman get birth a baby in 'ominican territory is

almost impossible that she obtains the birth certificate of the child, so that boy

grow up without the papers that prove his nationality. According to the testimony

and denounces of many people many children have no access to education or they

can be included in one of the massive deportations. o in this way is violated a

right that any child born in 'ominican (epublic has according to the law.

9owever, 'ominican authorities denied these allegations made not only by

International Amnesty but for many other international organi!ations including the

L7, for instance in recent declarations made by 9omero 9ernande!,

Ambassador of 'ominican (epublic for the L7, denies that in his country exist

racist conditions, alleging that the government has migratory policies as any other

country in the word and that they respect the human rights.

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3ually, although denounces are more fre3uent each day, the government

wants to make invisible this huge problem $ust to protect the image of the perfect

tourist destination. In fact while many tourists en$oy the paradise in the big

paniard resorts built by 9aitian labor, thousands of men, women and children

suffer the stigma of having a different culture and skin color.

ometimes while I was living there I sought past the trucks full of 9aitians

workers so I felt that I was in the colony times, $ust that the sugar and cacao

plantations were substituted by the construction of touristic empires. In fact for a

moment I felt myself infected by the racist pre$udice against 9aitians, because

everybody told me that they were dangerous people, without education and

usually killed many people. %onse3uently when I saw a big group of black men in

the street I felt nervous and a little scared.

In one occasion I had to see a totally disturbing image when the police beat

violently two 9aitian men because they tried to rape an American tourist by the

beach of the #a$estic 9otel. For me that situation was confusing, besides the

comments of my 'ominican coworkers who yell that ?the police should kill those

animals@. bviously I did not agree with the crime of those men but I neither

support the brutal behavior of the police and the cruel thoughts of my partners.

o I started to analy!e the situation, it is very clear that many of 9aitians that

arrive to 'ominican republic are people without education and opportunities of a

good life, so they usually end inside the criminal world, selling drugs, stealing etc.

thus I felt shame of myself for having in a way or another some pre$udices against

people from a culture that I did not know.

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It is hard to believe that in 42stcentury racial and discrimination issues

follow being the head lines in the newspapers of world, this reality is beating in

'ominican society and the future for this problem it is not clear yet, negatives and

positive aspects shows a contradictory but hopeful scene.

F%t%re Perspeti,es

very day the case of anti-9aitians with all its implications is

denounced by the most important International organi!ations, governmental and

non governmental, For instance, last year, 4556, two L7 experts in minorities

and racism visited 'ominican (epublic, #rs. 1ay #c'ougall and #r. 'oudou

'iNne, which investigations8 results show a discouraging panorama with all the

problems mentioned above, however both experts agree that it is possible start a

real fight against these issues making emphasis in education and media in order of

erasing the pre$udices and profound re$ection that the 'ominican people have for

its neighbors. In the same way they made a call to the authorities to respect all the

different treaties about human rights sign in different opportunities.

3ually, inside the borders of 'ominican (epublic are emerging many

civil association in order of defending 9aitians8 rights, as the movement for

'ominican-9aitian women, G#7'9AH for its abbreviation in panish. o it is

possible that the hope of a better solution lye in the empowerment of those local

rising L1s, and of course of important rgani!ations like L7, 9(< or

International Amnesty.

Levertheless the 'ominican and 9aitian governments probably are the

responsible to find the appropriate solutions to this endless situation, supported of

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course by the international community. Also it is important to mention that many

'ominican citi!ens are taking conscious about the situation and are trying to

change the long history of pre$udice and abuses, however it is not easy since the

greater part of the population are still influenced for a manipulated past.

Finally, I can say that this theme is really broad and has many directions,

with a problem that includes from the re$ection for the African roots till a covered

racism that ends in multiple human right violations.

informe de gil

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