Bruins fan? Check. How about the Patriots? Of course! Red Sox too? You bet. I was born and raised in and around Boston. I was taught to love and have the utmost respect for my city and there’s no doubt in my heart that I am a true Bostonian who drinks Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee year round and drives like a complete crazy person. But something about this area never felt completely like home to me. Massachusetts has always felt like a pressure cooker. My school, family, and friends all reside here along with all of their requirements, demands, and expectations. Every face here is filled with worry, their minds spinning with to do lists and chores, while they bury their noses in their phones and push their bodies to exhaustion to get everything…show more content… From the instant I stepped foot onto the property of the orphanage Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) on the outskirts of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic I knew I was going to fall in love with this special place. Even though I was almost two-thousand miles away from anything familiar, a new distinct feeling hit me. It was the feeling of belonging. For the first time, I felt my mental gears stop turning. I was no longer preoccupied with everything and everyone else, I felt completely alive. I live on a small parcel of land just outside one of the larger cities in the Dominican Republic. Within the tall block walls that guard out all bad thoughts and people a small community of children along with their loving caregivers live. Small houses in rows protect these kids from the dark nights and sudden torrential rains, however their steel doors can never contain the love that flows from within. A long park runs through the middle of the grounds where everyday children can be seen playing tag, coloring, and laughing. I live in a world where the children are so incredibly rich. They do not have the newest video system or iphone but instead they are affluent with human connections, laughter, and love in their hearts. They have just enough to
