Lightening Strikes at the Soul

by Atinuke Naomi Akintola (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Dominican Republic

My experience in the Caribbean was a life-changer. Not a life-changer in the sense of up-hauling my life and becoming the epitome of a humanitarian. But, a change in the way I view the world. Now I regard my previous perception of the world as though my eyes were shielded by an innate mask. My experience in the Dominican Republic roused an insatiable desire to truly explore each place I visit. To see its beauty within the local people and scenery, as well as its flaws. Which in turn, provides an unveiled perspective on each place and the reality of life there. Very often, as tourists, we excite and occupy ourselves with the magical opportunities of booking onto excursions that we otherwise would not able to experience back home. However, these are only snippets of a country’s authentic character. To truly explore a country, one must immerse themselves into the place, and observe the country for all its flaws and allure. To look around and admire the scenery is one thing, but to look around and witness reality is another. I found myself confronted with this lesson on our arrival. It had been my first ever long-haul flight, and I had spent almost the entirety of the flight marvelling over the t.v screen built into the seat in front of me. Nevertheless, when the plane finally reached touchdown, my excitement almost bubbled over. For 12 hours I had yearned for the familiar heat blast that hits you once the plane door opens and you eagerly step off onto the plane stairs and into a new adventure. My family and I gaped over the numerous palm trees, picturesque landscapes and hot weather for the majority of our journey to our hotel. But soon into the journey, this illusion of haven came crumbling down. We witnessed a white and blood-splattered sheet drawn over a man laid on the road. The people around him were stood with a shattering look of bereavement. We shared in their dismay as we drove by and the tour guide announced that there was nothing we could do, help was on its way, and to ‘try to enjoy’ the rest of the drive. Luckily, the image of the man and collision dissipated as my family as I explored the new exotic resort. We even laughed in the small surprises we found, such as the toilet flushing water in an anticlockwise direction! Which was something we had never thought about before. Another surprise which struck me was the difference in humidity and the climate between the Caribbean and England. That evening, the skies changed from tropical bright blue to pitch-black within an hour. I could not believe how fast the night had approached and darkened the resort. Since jetlag had dug its claws into us, we decided to go for dinner at a restaurant perched on the beachfront. The food was exquisite, opening my senses to flavours never known before and music that danced in my mind. Nevertheless, near the end of our meal, a huge flash of white ripped across the sky, making the beach seem intimidating rather than soothing. As lightning lit the skies white, images of the earlier man’s white sheet flashed across my mind. Almost as if he was whipping the lightning across the beach himself. The thunderous sky wept. And I stared on in shock by the raw reminder of what the beautiful country had lost, a real person. Someone who had set off to start his day, but sadly would never come home. To this day, the thunderous rain which illuminated that dark sky is the most bewitching experience I have ever encountered. I could not pry my eyes away from nature’s raw display. I could not turn my eyes away from the reality of local life that is often concealed. Now, I can not forget how life is so unpredictable, much like that day. Consequently, now I strive to learn about a country for what it is. How the locals live, how our tourism affects them, and how we can help. Instead of yearning for that blast of hot air as you step off the plane, I now yearn to learn.