Pictures of: health volunteers who helped me paint my house!, my dog all grown up, youth health promoters graduation, large beetles cohabiting my house!

So what am I up to now?

Well, this fall was somewhat disappointing in that many of my promised projects did not happen (due to delayed funding). My stove project money has not arrived, and my filters are in the country, but are not in my community (hopefully I will be able to pick them up this coming week). I am also waiting for 2 grants to be funded for more youth sex-ed classes.

But, that is not to say I have not been busy! October-November was filled with conferences, meetings and exchanges. In October we had an emergency Cholera training in the capital to learn about the disease and prevention. As I am sure you know, Cholera has made its way to the DR, but not nearly in the numbers as Haiti. I also had a health promoters conference, 1 year heath volunteers in-service training (basically look back on the year and reflect about what we can do in the coming year as volunteers) and 5 days of consolidation in a hotel due to the hurricane (that conveniently missed us!).

I have also been designing the curriculum for the health promotion project that I am implementing. Basically, I train 1 women in a community, have them create a local health committee that uses home visits and monthly activities to spread awareness, and manage about 10 communities at a time. It seems to be working for the most part, but we need to train the health committee members better and have more monitoring of the groups.

Next steps?
December is a time of christmas and family, so probably very little will be accomplished this month. However, I am going to try to be superwoman and install 40 bio-sand filters in 3 communities before christmas! I will let you know how it all goes.

Posted here is a picture of a nutrition graduation with my community women, my completed new house (pictured with boyfriend and pets), a youth conference "celebrando cibao", and a photo of my boyfriend's family (host family)

Hello! I am back after more than 2 months of blog-less-ness. Why? Well, the combination of lack of computer and little money (the new house has eaten up every cent) has really limited my time in the internet cafe.

But no worries! After a 10 day vacation in the USA for thanksgiving, I have a new computer!

Stay tuned the next few days for frequent updates and pictures.

Happy holidays!

IVE MOVED IN TO MY NEW HOUSE! It is fantastic! Cool, breezy and a great kitchen! My host mother gifted me a working stove/oven, and I received plates, cups, pots, utensils from about 10 different community women. I have already noticed a huge difference between having my own home and living in the home of others. Now, whenever people come over I have to prepare coffee, juice or food (as is the Dominican custom). But, I also have the pleasure of entertaining others in my own home! I feel much more relaxed in the new home.

My water filter meetings have taken place! 13 filters are each going to my three communitites, and we only had to raffle off the filters in Guayabo due to huge demand (since there were more than 13 people who wanted them). 1 filter will be going to the local school. I will be ordering the filters this week and hopefully in October we will be installing!!

I went to the dentist for the first time for a cleaning. It was a very modern office with state of the art facilities! No cavities! Woohoo! The best part about peace corps is that they pay for all your medical needs-- no questions asked! And, we have specific peace corps doctors at the capital office at all times for any necessary consultations. They make it so easy!

September is full of beginnings and endings. This weekend marked the graduation of my women´s reproductive health class, my second sex-ed class for youth, and my health promoter training workshops. I have now started the water filter project which consists of 3 community meetings in each of my three communities. In Guayabo there has been a huge demand for the water filters. We will see if it is the same in the other two communities.

Also, I will be moving into my new Dominican house next week! The lighting and water have been installed, only a bit of paint lacks. I am having some other volunteers visit the first weekend in October to help paint the outside of the house. My community women are so great-- many of them have already starting gifting me plates, pots and cups! I probably wont have to buy any kitchen tools! Imagine that! Unfortunately, I wont be able to upload any pictures until Thanksgiving due to my broken computer.

Today I returned to the capital to do a presentation to the new health volunteers who arrived in country a few weeks ago. They seem to be a great group! Tomorrow I take back a volunteer to my site for the weekend to show them what the true "peace corps experience" is like. This will include my escojo class, my health promotors workshop and distributing flyers for a water filter meeting. Hopefully they enjoy!

These last few weeks have been packed with workshops and planning for the upcoming fall. Last weekend I was in Santo Domingo at a Rotary sponsored bio-sand water filter training. Bio-sand filters use 4 different types of sand to trap and kill 90-99% of bacteria, viruses and parasites contained in unfiltered water. The filters themselves look like blue plastic trashcans with a small hose coming out the side.

Advantages: lightweight plastic container. Easy to install. Filters last 30 years. We are getting 40 filters free from rotary.

Disadvantages: once the filters are filled with sand, you cannot move them EVER (because it will disrupt the levels of sand. You cant move them even to mop.). The sand is purified, and thus I cannot store the sand materials in any common house (due to ants, rats, etc). This means I will be storing tons of sand in my shack. Also, we are only getting 40 filters free from rotary (and I have 100 families wanting them). Finally, I am doing this project in three communities and will therefore be lugging hundreds of pounds of sand on motorcycle on unpaved roads.

So, as you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to the program. However, no matter the disadvantages (because clean water trumps all), we are 100% doing the program (and I will most likely have huge biceps by the end). You may be asking yourself, how will Leigh choose the 40 families? Well, priority will first go to families who have children under the age of 5 (since they have weaker immune systems). Next, families that lug their water directly from the river (since many actually receive water in their home through aqueducts). Finally, families that don’t purify their water (since many families buy bottled water).

I have also spent the past few weeks planning my 4-weekend workshops to train health promoters in 10 different communities. My first one is Saturday! My 10 government health promoters will be learning 12 basic health promotion topics (ranging from infectious disease, child nutrition, domestic abuse etc.), as well as how to manage health comities, how to give effective presentations, how to facilitate home visits, etc.
This means preparing for 10 hours of workshopping, including the purchase of writing materials, folders, snacks and drawing the 12 presentations on easel paper. I´m really excited especially because I designed and will implement the educational program all by myself! My first real independent project (not assigned by Peace Corps).

Also coming up in the next 2 weeks are the graduations of my second sex-ed class and my first reproductive health class. I have also been asked to give a presentation in the capital to the new group of health volunteers that arrive this week in country! Finally, in 2 weeks I have a new health trainee coming to my site for 4 days to visit and see what a ¨real¨ volunteer does.

Lastly, I`ve been here for 1 year already! Can you believe it?? Only 15 months to go.

playing with fellow health volunteers at the beach.

rafelito ready to eat a delicious 4th of july meal at home!

so its been a month. sorry! ive been busy and bored at the same time.
updates:
-the house that my community is building me will be done in two weeks! ill be moving by september!
-i spent one week in july working in puerto plata with the university of southern maine medical mission. we visited poor mountainous communities and gave out vitamins, aspirin, athletes foot medication, etc. while doing basic analysis for the patients. there were about 50 medical/nursing students and 10 peace corps translators. it was super interesting and a great mini-vacation.
- this month i start educating current health promotors in 10 surrounding communities. i will have 4 different workshop weekends, amounting to 10 hours of presentation. lots of preparation. they will be learning about 12 large, basic health topics and how to present information in their community.
-this upcoming weekend i am attending a training for bio-sand filters held by the rotary club. hopefully we can build these filters in houses.. purifying the river water we currently drink.

exciting updates:
-my host mother randomly brought home a waffle iron and gave it to me! she had no clue what it was! sunday brunch-- here i come!
- my host mother will also be gifting me her current oven and stove (it is in bad shape, so she wants to get a new one).

hope to type up a better update soon!

its been a while!
quick update:

-spent july 3rd with some volunteers, cooking a special mexican meal to celebrate july 4th (ironic..july 3rd and mexican food. not very american!)!
-started my new ¨healthy homes¨ course with 15 women
-started a second sex-ed class with 12 youth
-met with the doctor to revamp the existing health promoter system

A sad announcement: the next few months will be without many blogs or pictures. Yesterday, my computer died, citing a ¨fan error¨. I will be fixing this in November stateside. Until then, I will be relying solely on internet cafes.

Also on a sad note, the aqueduct engineer stood up my community, once again. Very disheartening.

playa grande beach in puerto plata!


our group at 27 waterfalls!


youth conference at the all inclusive resort!


youth conference!

Okay, so FINALLY here is an update. April-May was pretty slow (as stated in previous blogs), but June is flying by! Thus, I haven’t had much time to write or post!

So what have I been doing?
• Graduated two 11-week nutrition classes, with a total of about 28 women, men, and youth graduating!
• Graduated 14 youth from the 12-week sex-ed class, “I choose my life” (Escojo Mi Vida).
• Hosted and attended multiple sex-ed class exchanges with other communities (and other volunteers)
• Finally got the water system engineer to come back to our community with the measurements, plans and budget
• Celebrated my birthday with my visiting friend from the United States and went to the beach!
• Went to an all-inclusive resort in nearby Puerto Plata for a sex-ed youth conference (beach + American food+ other volunteers!). Paid for by Peace Corps!
• Watched the Celtics vs. the Lakers in my community (yes, some people here live in 3 room houses but still have a dish)

What will I be doing in the near future (in the coming 3 weeks)?
• Starting up a youth sex-ed class in another community
• Starting a new 12-week class “healthy homes”. It ranges in theme from diarrhea to waste management to reproductive health.
• Starting to fundraise for the aqueduct!
• Attend a Peace Corps health promoter conference
• Celebrate patronales (annual community party) in the town next door (think dancing for 9 days straight)!
• Begin to work with the women in my community to make Lysol and Vick’s Vapor Rub to sell locally (economic development)

Other updates:
• My cat and dog have become fast friends. They spend their time scaring away the locally raised chickens and playing together. My cat has even started to catch mice! Woohoo!
• Summer weather has arrived here with a vengeance. 9am and already 82 degrees and rising.
• My family has started to build my little house! Finally they have purchased all the materials and have already started digging. I expect it to be done within 5 weeks time! I’m debating about color choices- mango, yellow or brick red? White trim is definite. Let me know your opinion!

highlights of the past week with my visiting friend, anna;
1. 27 charcos(a nature reserve where you jump off waterfalls over 20 feet high!)
2. baking myself a funfetti cake for my birthday
3. seeing the local brujo (witch) and having him tell me about my future luck
4. going to playa grande in puerto plata (one of the best beaches in the DR.. we were two of 8 people on the beach!)
5. eating lots of delicious food on vacation including sour cream and onion chips, blue cheese burgers and pizza hut pizza!

pictures will soon be posted.

it has also been monsooning every day since i have returned to my village. hmm.

so i left my community this morning having no water, light or gas in the stove. it was a good time to leave!

i will be at the beach in puerto plata for the next 4 days soaking up the sun. vacation finally!

sebastian!

So I promised you I would write about politics. But, in truth, I am tired of the politics that have dominated the DR and my community for the past month (1. I couldn’t participate, 2. Corruption is frustrating, 3. Politics pins community members against community members). I will therefore make this entry short.

There are two main political parties, PLD and PRD. PLD is currently in power, dominating the legislative bodies. This past election was the congressional election, so the people were voting for senators, deputies and local mayors who will rule for the next 6 years. People here are obsessed with politics due to the power and money it brings. If your party wins, you will benefit (as a community and as individuals); if they lose, you despair (jobs will be lost—school bus drivers, govt nurses, town hall employees will all turn over). Here in my province, specifically in my community, we are PLD supporters. My boyfriend was very active in this election and was actually paid for much of the work he did, as registered member of the PLD party (money=good, tainted money = bad). In short, the elections were all around me. My main observations were as such:
1. Many votes were bought on election day with the excuse “if we don’t reimburse people for their transportation, no one will vote”. Many voters actually claim the same excuse, saying “if no one pays me, why would I vote?”
2. PRD and PLD interactions around the elections were petty and violent. I went to a dance where there was a PRD candidate voodoo doll being burned. Also, caravans of both parties would charge through communities whipping and taunting signs of the other party’s candidate. A bit too intense for my liking.
3. Everyone in Guayabo knew everyone else’s political affiliation. This led to lots of gossiping and occasional confrontations between people of different political parties. Drama for no reason, really.

So the election outcomes? PLD won senador and deputy, but lost mayor (which is the most important for me). The current mayor helping with the aqueduct lost the reelection.. Maybe I can woo the upcoming PRD mayor with my “blonde” hair and American accent (lets hope!). Unfortunately, the election outcomes mean that many local jobs are in jeopardy due to the turnover from PLD to PRD which could affect some people in my community. Vamos a ver.

Other Updates:
• I have a new cat as of 2 days ago! His name is Sebastian and he is about 1-2 months old. He is white with yellow patches. I’ve uploaded a photo. While he is cute and cuddly, he refuses to sleep at night and meows frantically for hours on end. Hopefully within a few weeks he will adjust and start catching the rats and cockroaches in the house!
• I’ve discovered that my host family’s house is a black hole. Anything you put down will either be lost, misplaced, or used by someone else (I guess that is what happens when 6 people + 3 animals live in a 4 room house). My boyfriend has lost multiple textbooks, motorcycle keys, papers, etc. Being the detective I am, I found both the lost motorcycle keys (under the bed, duh) and my boyfriend’s textbook that was vital for his final (in the trash.. hmm..). My discoveries were definitely a highlight of this week.
• It has been raining most afternoons which brings down the temperature. Last night for dinner I made tortilla soup for the family and it was surprisingly delicious (and easy/cheap to make)!

stay tuned for blog updates on-

1. the recent congressional elections. in one word- insane. my candidate who was helping me with the aqueduct lost. this could be bad news for the aqueduct.

2.all volunteer conference in the capital last week was rejuvinating in every sense. i feel revived and have some new ideas!

rafa making the hammock and me lying in it!

I’m pretty sure I have hit a wall in this peace corps experience. Not the kind of I-Want-To-Cry-And-Need-To-Go-Home kind of wall, but more of a I-Crave-Too-Much-American-Food-And-Am-Tired-Of-My-Community kind of wall. I guess I need a vacation, really. My work has been really slow the past few weeks, averaging three 1-hour classes a week. The aqueducts have been put on hold (due to upcoming elections and the politics of it all), all my grants have been submitted and either funded or delayed. My walking-group that I was very excited about has died. Too hot. All the time. In the past few weeks I have spent more time in my room, by myself, than with community members (but I’ve seen some great American movies!).

I’ve become a bit tired of my community. Not of the people, but the actual ruralness and inactivity that thrives here in Guayabo. There is literally nothing to do (and I’m not baking for a while in hopes that my rice-belly diminishes a bit). At least the youth have to go to school, the husbands work the land, and wives cook, clean and take care of children. I have none of these roles to fulfill and am finding myself with too much time on my hands (although everyone assures me, “is part of the peace corps experience”). I could always walk the 30 mins-1.5 hours to my nearby neighboring communities, but in the daily 95 degree heat, I just can’t muster the energy (and not like there is anything different there, anyway). Thus, I’ve decided, I need some “learn-how-to” books. If anyone is feeling generous, be sure to ship me “Learn Easy Yoga!”, “Cooking with Paula Deen” or “Computer Programming for Dummies” (don’t actually send the last one- I hate computers).

I also have had a terrible head cold for the past 2 weeks that has put a damper on my enthusiasm. Just last week I called my mother and complained for 25 consecutive minutes. But, I felt a bit better after that! I have even been splurging a bit on food, which I miss most about America/any industrialized nation. I bought some packaged orange juice and finished the 2-liter in 1 day. I also bought a Milky-way Midnight which wasn’t worth the $1. I even dreamed about a turkey sandwich last night, no joke (coldcuts don’t exist here).

Okay, enough of my complaining. My best friend, Anna, is coming in just about 2 weeks for my birthday, which will be AWESOME. We are going to the beach in a touristy town in Puerto Plata (first time I have been to the beach since November – I live on an island, right?) and I will drink some cold beer and hopefully I can find a turkey sandwich or a cheeseburger! I have also instituted a “date night” with my boyfriend once a month, which consists of going about 15 minutes motor away to a shack that serves smoked chicken and cold beer. This will hopefully keep me going throughout the summer when things apparently get REALLY slow and REALLY hot.

Whelp, this upcoming week is All Volunteer Conference which consists of all volunteers in the DR in the capital for one day. Details have been sketchy and I’m not actually sure what the conference is about. But, hopefully seeing some friendly American faces will pop me outta this funk and give me some ideas about things to do at my site! Until then!

So my host mother has been gone for the past two days and you can really start to tell we are missing our ¨dona¨:
1. no soap to wash dishes
2. dogs are hungry
3. my 19 year old brother, 23 year old boyfriend and host father havent eaten anything besides eggs and crackers
4. chickens are running in and out of the house, pooping everywhere.

All of this on top of the fact we have had no water for the past day, due to broken aqueduct pipes. We cant wash the dishes or the floor anyway!

Recent highs: making a delicious potato soup!, my boyfriend completing our grain-sack-hammock, planning my vacation to the beach in 3 weeks!

Lows: deleting 60 photos of my neighbors 15th birthday party, getting a bad cold AGAIN, our acqueduct repairs being put on hold for the next 3 weeks due to elections.

Grant Updates

In the past 2 months I solicited funding for 4 different projects.

Luckily, I have received 3 of the 4 grants I applied for already! I have received funding for my youth sex-ed class, and two individual grants for community members to take a communication class.

The one grant I did not receive was unfortunately the one I wanted the most. Our healthy stove project will have to wait until October when more funding comes in.

However, great news that all the grants will be eventually funded!

pam and dave in the DR!!





out and about with volunteers and boyfriend in santiago

This past weekend I traveled to the deep southwest of the country (11 hour busride because there are no direct roads from the north) to the province of Barahona. There, I met my youth group from my American church, which just happened to be doing a service project during their spring break here in the DR!

While I traveled over 20 hours on bus just to be with the youth group for 24 hours, it was definitely worth it! Not only did I get to see a totally different part of the country (while I like the landscape of the north more, I may like the culture of the south better), I also had an opportunity to tour a batey. Bateys are Haitian communities traditionally employed by sugarcane companies. Up until 20 years ago, bateys were basically slave plantations in which Haitians were forced to work the sugarcane in inhumane conditions. Currently, bateys are the poorest, most marginalized communities in the DR (although are no longer ruled by sugarcane companies). Many of the “Haitians” in the communities are not actually Haitian; they are people have never been to Haiti and were born in the Dominican Republic. However, many of their Haitian ancestors never were registered, and thus, they do not have identification either. Without identification in this country you are unable to attend school past the 8th grade, cannot vote, cannot participate in many social service programs, etc. As well, military checks are ubiquitous in the south, as Dominican police do not want Haitians entering the country and moving east (toward the capital). Without identification, these Dominican batey workers cannot travel freely within the country without being declared illegal. Suffice it to say, these Dominican-haitians live in poverty and fear.

My youth group is actually working in different bateys this week, so we got to meet many of the community members they will be working with. Not surprisingly, for all the discrimination the batey people face, they are the friendliest people I have met in the DR (and that is saying A LOT; everyone is friendly here). We worshipped with them on Sunday, singing and chanting with hand-drums establishing the rhythm. We sang songs in English, Spanish and Kreyol. As Pam Emslie said “these people have made our songs sound infinitely better!”. The bateys have much more visible “culture” than my community in Guayabo. I think this is a product of the rich Haitian culture which is much more prominent than the Dominican culture.

Also, the bateys are needier communities; I felt guilty looking at these children with skin infections and malnutrition (which you do not find in my community). I hope to have the opportunity to go back to some of these bateys (which is definitely possible because there are lots of peace corps members already working there!). Hopefully I can do a bit of health promotion in the future!

Other Updates:
• I made a great corn chowder and calzones (with dough from scratch!). Both were delicious and definitely do-agains.
• One of my host family’s dogs died yesterday of poisoning (from the mean neighbor). Absolutely awful.

Sickness. The way people react to sickness here in Guayabo is very interesting.

Yesterday, I awoke with a mild fever that progressed throughout the day and peaked at about 4pm, with 102 degrees. I slept most of the day in my bed and didn’t see anyone but my host mom that brought me occasional tea, etc. While I felt crappy, I knew I wasn’t going to die, and I knew that resting, drinking water, and taking advil were the best remedies. However, at 5pm was my nutrition class. Obviously, I wasn’t going, so my host mother spread the word to the other community women that “Leigh esta media enfermita” (Leigh is mildly ill). By 5:30 I had about 10 community members in my 1 room hut (meanwhile, it is also pouring rain) coming to see me. My mother pulled chairs into my shack and made coffee for everyone. Soon, it became social hour with little children running around with Florencia in my shack, screaming over the general chatter of the community members. I, meanwhile, was sweaty and unshowered, lying in bed dazed, not talking. Community members kept rotating in and out to see “how leigh was”. I had many people recommend I go see the doctor..or should they bring the community doctor to come see me? No, no, no—it’s just a fever (that I’ve had for less than a day!). I do not need to see a doctor.
Here in Guayabo, it is believed that the sick need company and need to be showered with love and local remedies (lots of tea with weird things in it). It is also believed that pills/injections cure everything and that viruses need to be evaluated by doctors. Hmmm…

All very different from the American mindset that sick people need peace and quiet!

I’ve felt very confident about my status as “health promoter” recently. Not only have my classes been very successful (my youth group was actually excited/participated in our lecture on reproductive organs that included lots of graphic drawings), but I’ve begun to be consulted about health issues outside of the classroom. I’m growing confident in my knowledge and abilities and it seems that other people see this as well! This past week, I helped a community grandmother organize all her medications into a manageable schedule (think: 6 different daily medications with different doses). I felt very capable organizing a color-coded calendar (since she is illiterate), categorizing the various medications into doses, and educating her family members how to properly aid her. Also, I recently had a middle-aged neighbor come to me asking advice on losing weight. We’ve decided to start a walking group, involving not only other mothers but young women in the community (who do not exercise enough). I plan on starting out with rapid walking and slowly increasing the pace/using weights in the coming months. I’m super excited about this (because I definitely need to be exercising more too!).

More and more I have realized my purpose as a Peace Corps member in my community of Guayabo; my role is motivator, encourager and occasionally, backseat driver. While most of the projects I participate in are all created and undertaken by the community, I have found that I typically help the community develop the actual plans. I ask important questions, set dates and send reminders. I make sure the plans follow-through. For instance, the aqueduct. My community has wanted to remodel the water system for much time now. They know the exact steps; asking for assistance from the government, securing an engineer, making a budget and soliciting money. Then, one might ask, is the water system only being addressed now? Well, it was a simple matter of setting a date to go to city hall. I bothered and communicated between the water committee until we agreed upon the date to go. And look how the meeting went- very successful (and not because of me). I’ve found that occasionally the community needs encouragement and needs someone to direct them (because they all have their separate, busy lives). People are much more motivated when they think an outsider is controlling an activity (because they want to please me or think I’m more intelligent or want to “take advantage of what the American has to offer”). I accept all these reasons—the more participation, for whatever reason, the better!). However in reality he best part about my role is that I play such a small role (in the scheme of things); when I leave the community, they will be sustainable due to their determination, energy and intelligence in the projects they carry out. To conclude, it’s exciting to see internal community development from an outsider’s point of view; I’m very pleased with how my community takes on projects! Truly, I’m an adult cheerleader. Hooray Guayabo!

While I support the community, I also have found myself in the role of acknowledging individual accomplishments of community members. In the past month I have had more opportunity to spend time one-on-one with community members. I celebrate in seeing others achieve personal goals; whether it is tutoring a 30 year old completing her GED, watching my little brother learn for to spell, or hearing about a woman’s dream to open her own hair salon, I have found myself encouraging others in ways I don’t think they have been encouraged before. Living such hard lives in the rural countryside, many people here are raised half-heartedly by parents (the parents not having enough time, money or patience to have the parenting style that we support in the US). Dreams and goals that are encouraged in the US are not necessarily encouraged here. I hope that through my encouragement people will have more motivation to achieve their goals. We will see!

Wildlife Updates:
• Florencia killed her best friend, Esperanza (a small chick)! They were playing and Florencia bit too hard. RIP Esperanza (ironically named “hope”).
• I was showering and had a small lizard crawl into the shower. I thought it would be interesting to touch. Well, to my dismay, I touched the lizard—its tail fell off and it bit my finger! Imagine my surprise..no blood thankfully!
•

pictures of my puppy, florencia and playing at the waterfall with rafelito!

So this past week was holy week but there didn’t seem to be anything holy about it. I assumed there might be daily church services, prayer time, etc., but the only religious service I know of was Sunday morning mass (45 minutes long!). Basically, “semana santa” (holy week) is a week of vacation used as an excuse to get together with family and party. Alright by me! Lots of eating was done, and I was inspired enough to make an eggplant parm (fresh eggplant from the garden), and fried green tomatoes with a pesto spread. I also made homemade mochachinos, consisting of coffee, cocoa, evaporated milk and spices. Everything = pretty good.

While I was bored at the beginning of Holy Week (with no classes to prepare for), guests soon arrived later in the week and the fun began. There was a birthday party for a woman turning 60, and daily domino playing. I also went to a nearby river with my host family where we played in this gigantic waterfall! Pictures posted. There was also a large pig butchered and eaten – fresh fried pork skin (I chose to abstain). During lunch, I saw my host father gnawing on an ear…

Florencia has been growing and growing, for the better. Last week she was very sick, not eating, crying and pooping everywhere. But, things have changed for the better! She now sleeps through the night, goes to the bathroom outside, drinks milk and recognizes her name! It’s amazing how fast these animals grow and mature. My host mom is great with her, which really helps. Florencia has also begun to play, not only with us, but with other animals. She has a new best friend, Esperanza, who is a baby chick rejected by its mother (and subsequently being raised by us humans). You can often find them both playing in the kitchen together; its incredible really.

Other very exciting news! Our rebuilding of the aqueduct is becoming a reality! I know I have written quite a bit about our semi-functioning aqueduct, but I will repeat what we have accomplished so far (and what our eventual plans are).
So, our aqueduct was built by the community 20 years ago with the poorest quality PVC pipes you can imagine. While this amateur aqueduct has helped the women avoid the problem of a lack of running water in the houses (before they traveled to the river to wash everything), the pipes are deteriorating and often break (leaving the community with water for hours). Furthermore, the aqueduct was built without engineer supervision, so the pipes literally hang on vines 10 feet above the river at some points (definitely not as efficient as it could be).
Where I come in: As a peacecorps volunteer, redoing water systems are generally projects that can easily get funding (lots of organizations provide funds for building acqueducts). While my community appreciates the classes I am giving, they also like material projects that provide function. So, as of 2 months ago, I began meeting with my community water committee to talk about possible upgrades for the aqueduct (committee of 3 community members).
Steps we have accomplished so far: We went to visit the local city representative to ask for help from a government engineer. Our meeting with a huge success and the representative granted us permission to use the engineer! Then, just last week, the engineer actually followed through with his aqueduct surveying (and came on the day he said he would!). He told us that it was a miracle our system is still functioning because typically, PVC pipes of the best quality rarely last 20 years (and we have the worst quality). In the next 2 weeks, the engineer will write up a report about the acqueduct, including important measurements and pieces of advice, and will meet with the community to present his findings. He is also going to prepare a budget for us (which will help me immensely!). Then, we will solicit funding in the form of grants (I don’t assume the system to cost more than US$3,000).
Probably the most exciting thing the engineer shared with me (he has had 15 years of building rural water systems and often works with peace corps volunteers) is that our new aqueduct with include a main holding tank in which we can put chemicals to purify all the incoming water into the community. Imagine, purified running water in all the houses (a health promoter’s dream come true). Currently, we do not drink purified water.

Well, everything seems to be running extremely smoothly (which is exciting but makes me nervous). I will be sure to update you with more details when the engineer returns.

Until then, enjoy the coming spring!

Raising Florencia: Dominican Puppies 101

So, I will admit from the get-go that I know nothing about puppies, or dogs for that matter. Growing up, I had pets like fish and mice and lizards. Knowing all this, it is probably no surprise that Florencia has been a tough cookie the past few days. Officially, Florencia moved into my casita on Sunday. I made a nice box-bed for her in the corner, bathed her twice with special shampoo to remove her fleas (that her mom conveniently carries) and bought her expensive “Purina Puppy Chow”. Whelp, she doesn’t sleep in the bed, still has fleas, and wont eat the dog food. She won’t eat at all. I woke up to her poop 1 foot from my bed… which Rafalito stepped in. To top it off, my very small shack reeks of dog.

Interestingly, just as I am writing this, my host mother unearthed a rotting turkey foot from under my bed (where the bad smell is coming from!). It is most likely that Florencia’s mom, while visiting today, brought this treat. I have now learned from experience to never look under the bed (see: dead rat blog post).

But, things can definitely get better. My host family, conveniently, had a spare wood dog house sitting outside my shack, so we are officially moving Florencia to the shack OUTSIDE my house. I also plan on getting her a baby bottle with which to feed her milk. So, I’ll update soon with her progress (hoping there is some..!).

antigua ruins, marketplace colors, me overlooking lake atitlan

guatemala city architecture


laurel and I enjoying mixed beers

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volcano smoking from lake atitlan

I’m back! After 11 days of Guatemalan site-seeing, market-going and relaxing in the sun, I’m officially back in El Guayabo.

Guatemala details: Absolutely fabulous! We (my friend and her family) spent a week at a private house on Lake Atitlan, followed by an afternoon in Antigua and 2 nights in Guatemala City. Our rented house on Atitlan was beautiful, and we spent our days swimming, sunning, kayaking, learning how to make traditional Guatemalan food from our housekeeper Maria and visiting various lake-side communities. We spent lots of time in markets buying touristy gifts (Guatemalans specialize in hand-woven goods) and even went to a local music festival that was attended by American hippies… authentic, eh? Fortunately, we had a view of the various volcanoes bordering the lake from our windows—incredible!

On the other hand, I was shocked by how touristy Antigua was… the streets lined with American/European upscale stores. I’m glad we only spent an afternoon there instead of more time – Antigua did not seem like a true Guatemalan city (and was too expensive for me).

However, Guatemala City, in my opinion, is a necessary stop in touring Guatemala. While it may have the reputation as being dirty and dangerous (of course some parts are), there are some wonderful museums and restaurants and gives you the real picture of Guatemala. We did a walking tour of the city one day and ate lunch at a small, dark, bar that Che Guevara used to frequent. Excellent mixed beers!

I was a bit unenthused about coming back to my community. Who wants to give up the hot showers, fruit smoothies, English-speaking, flush toilets and traveling to new places, and instead come back to lots of work? However, upon arriving in my community to fresh flowers in my shack (thanks host mom!), a home-make piece of cake (thanks neighbor!) and the whole community coming to my home to see me (because they missed me!), I immediately had a change of heart and realized how lucky I am to have such a wonderful community. I am happy to be back.

Work Update: So, while I was on vacation, I have planned to have 3 nutrition classes. Guess what? Only 1 actually worked out (but apparently my friend made it really fun!). All that planning for classes that didn’t happen…but that’s life.

lizards in my room!


lizards all over!


at the casabe factory inauguration. me, another peace corps volunteer, and the director of the factory.


my puppy, florencia! growing so big!!


isnt she adorable?

So the last few weeks have been defined through getting ready for my vacation to Guatemala (who ever thought going on vacation was going to be so stressful?). I will be in Guatemala for 11 days, which is quite a long time to be away from site. As luck would have it (I’m being sarcastic here), March is really when my classes are getting off to a start--so it was essential that I plan well so my classes don’t fall apart! March is also a time when many grants are due, so last week I ran to the capital for 15 hours (12 hour journey roundtrip) to turn in grants, pick up papers to sign, etc. I will be missing two weeks of nutrition classes, but I have coordinated with a nearby volunteer to come teach one week, and the local doctor the next week. However, this all means that I was writing lesson plans/drawing presentations/creating games for 3 weeks all at once (I’m not going to leave the substitute teachers without lesson plans!).

To further my stress, the rain here is non-stop, halting my trips to the nearby town to fax my taxes, print necessary lesson plans and have class (with rain, no one leaves there house). This means that my lesson plans are now thrown off because one nutrition class is very ahead of the next. Oh, bother..

But, you learn quickly to roll with the punches. I do have some fun updates though, that include my English class graduation (22 students graduated!). We celebrated with a pineapple cake I made (see photo), music, soda and certificates. While the cake took about 1.5 hours to bake (we were using a huge wood oven with no controls), it turned out to be delicious and fed about 30 people!

Also, this past week was the inauguration of a yucca production plant that my next-door-neighbor/good friend was heading up. This plant was about 3 years in the making and heavily funded by about 6 dominican/international organizations, principally USAID. What was once a little thatched hut that produced casabe (yucca bread) by hand, is now a beautiful open-air building with high-tech machines and sanitary facilities. This plant was first dreamed of by the local cooperative in hopes to help regulate local yucca prices (that is the principal crop of the region). All the yucca that will be used, and all the employees employed, will be associates of the co-op (and thus, will be local farmers). This new plant is an income-generation project to diversify work in the area and benefit the local people. It was so exciting to go to the inauguration and see the plant at work (they demonstrated all the steps of the casabe process). Among the invited were the co-op associates, Peace Corps, the Sub-Director of USAID, a catholic bishop, government representatives, etc. Lots of important people! I guess the most exciting thing about the inauguration was to see how a project, that was once a dream for the local people, became a reality with the help and collaboration of many different development agencies. I’ve learned that while rural development is slow, the final products are worth the wait! Finally, it was great to see the success of my neighbor who had headed up the construction of the plant (after more than 6 months of running around like a madwoman).

Also, my new puppy came and spent the afternoon with me for the first time yesterday, playing in my little house (which will shortly be her home) and she met all the neighbors. Everyone loves her, and its easy to see why (see photo)! While she definitely no longer looks like a chihuahua, she is still adorable with soft, fluffy fur and chubby little legs. In about another month, I will take her to move in permanently.

A last thought: My mind is boggled by the fact that tomorrow, after a flight of only 1.5 hours, I will be in Miami (layover to Guatemala)! Back to the richest, most powerful country so quickly and easily…lets see how I react to “civilization”.

Post note: I will not have my computer with me on vacation (a true vacation!), so look for an update in about 2 weeks!

our water system (PVC tubes) trailing through the jungle. river crabs!

the giant dead rat under my bed!



view # 2 of my house!



view #1 of my house!

Who knew Valentines Day was so important? Well, to begin, Valentines Day in the Dominican Republic is called “the day of love and friendship”. Is it called that in the US? I don’t think so. At least in our community, Valentines Day emphasizes neighborly love and friendship.
Everyone in the community greeted each other with well-wishes, happiness and compliments throughout the day. Everyone wore red. You would have thought it was Christmas/the new year or something. While no couples went on dates or had special dinners (1. because there is no place to go, 2. we are poor, 3. I just don’t think it’s a tradition here), we also had a large celebration in the community center (like, as large as the Christmas celebration) that consisted of a secret-santa type gift giving, jokes, reflections on love, and opportunities for husbands/wives/friends to profess their love for one another. A lot of the bible was tied in with the reflections on love. We finished off the celebration with empanadas and soda. Overall a great celebration.

However, I did not find this emphasis on love to be out of place in the Dominican culture. The more time I have spent here, the more I’ve realized that my community (if not Dominican culture in general) is obsessed with love. People LOVE weddings and boyfriends/girlfriends and they use the word “enamorarse” (to fall in love/to be in love) daily in contexts that Americans would not. It is not unusual for young Dominicans to get married within a few months of dating. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been told at least 20 times that I should be married/will be getting married soon. So, I probably should have guessed that the Valentines Day celebration would be big.

Other Updates:
• Turns out, the rat poison worked! I came home one day to a bunch of dead flies around my bed. I confused, since I hadn’t sprayed any RAID. My host mother, being very intelligent, pulled my bed away from the wall, and there, decomposing under my bed was a huge 8” rat. The flies had eaten the poisoned rat and died. Weirdly enough, the rat didn’t smell (thank god). My boyfriend buried the rat and we mopped thoroughly. Alls well that ends well (except for the nightmares the following night about rats in my bed).

So, what have I been up to these last two weeks? Lots.

This past week was my 3-month Peace Corps Conference that consisted of 3 days of workshops with the 16 water + health volunteers and our project partners. We created visions, wrote plans for the next two years, learned about grant writing and watched movies, made smores and played capture the flag. This all took place in beautiful Jarabacoa, a city in the northwest mountains (also a big tourist city, known for its white-water rafting and proximity to Pico Duarte—the highest mountain in the Caribbean). Very outdoorsy. Obviously, it was fantastic to see all the volunteers in one location—we openly discussed successes and problems in our respective communities. It was also highly refreshing to speak in English and chill out a bit…

My individual presentation with my project partner at the conference went very well. The more and more I heard from water volunteers about their aqueduct projects, the more and more I realized that one of my main projects in El Guayabo will be completely re-doing the aqueduct. Luckily, the water volunteers have volunteered to come to my visit to help design the new water system (I think the current system can be more efficient). Don’t worry, I will be soliciting money from you all soon!

Today I presented my conference presentation to the community. The main purpose was to inform the community about my actual “job” here, and to let them know about the classes and various projects I will be accomplishing in the next 2 years. I think they really appreciated the presentation and many of the community members stood up to thank me for my presence in the community. It was very humbling.

Are you curious about my future plans here? Well, here is what my presentation ultimately concluded:

CLASSES (each 12 weeks)
1. Nutrition class
2. Women’s reproductive health class
3. Youth group/class about healthy decision making/sex ed
From these classes I will be picking the “star students” to become health promoters in each of these areas. I also have 4 communities to have these classes in.. which makes things more difficult in terms of timing/logistics/trying to include everyone.

SECONDARY PROJECTS (each requiring raising money)
1. Healthy stoves
2. Installing water filters
3. Redoing the aqueduct
4. Building home gardens
Also, all communities want these projects, which is impossible. Stay tuned.

Also, this upcoming week is full of activities! I will have informational meetings about 2 nutrition classes I am starting and a sex-ed class for youth. As well, there is a regional governmental health promoter training and 2 english classes! Top that with two women’s meetings! Tomorrow is Valentines Day, and the adults in the community are having a gift exchange. It should be fun—who doesn’t like to receive gifts?

In Other News:
• The tomatoes in the garden are in bloom! Time to brainstorm all the different ways I can use tomatoes in the next week before they go bad (already made a great tomato sauce).
• My puppy, Florencia, has opened her eyes! And, she is beginning to waddle (and is very fat).
• A large rat has entered my little shack. We will see if it is any match for rat venom.

so, my mind has been somewhere else the past few weeks. i lost my USB memory stick, sneakers and a towel in 3 different cities in the past week. suffice it to say, i also forgot to bring my blog update to the city with me. so, no blog update for the next week! check back in around the 22nd.

Well, yesterday marked the first day of the rest of my time here as a proud home-owner (or, rather, renter). I decided yesterday that I would start moving “suitcase by suitcase”, believing that within a few days I would be fully occupying the casita. However, things moved more quickly than anticipated and within 3 hours, with the help of a few young people, I was fully moved in! I realized at this point how little I actually had to fill a space of my own.

People, generous as always, facilitated the easy move. Rafalito built some extra shelves, hammered in a few nails to hang things, and cut down a branch to install as an extension rod with which to hang my clothes. Daisy donated a clothes hamper. Araselis gave me some shoeboxes to store things in. Jani helped me fashioned a bedside table out of an empty box.

After 3 different host families and 6 months of living with other people (and thus being constantly concerned about behavior/inconveniencing others), I FINALLY HAVE MY OWN SPACE! It feels wonderful. My little casita constantly has a beautiful cross-breeze and lots of light. When I woke up to go to the bathroom last night I didn’t have to worry about waking anyone! And, I could sleep as late as I wanted to without being disturbed! The only thing lacking is the garden at the new home. Not so bountiful. I think I will pay my old host-family a bit of money a week to steal some of their vegetables—small in the scheme of things.

Within a day I have also realized the necessity of having my own stove. The new house I am living at doesn’t consistently have gas for their stove (they use an open-fire outside to cook with instead). I originally thought I would hold off with buying a stove until the new house was built, but I don’t think I can last that long! I will start looking into pricing within the next week.

In other news, Florencia is getting fatter and bigger! She is lucky to be the only puppy; she gets all the milk!

I also tried to make banana cookies today. However, as has happened with the past 2 batches, the cookies have come out soupy and flat. What is going on?! However, yesterday I made the best chicken lettuce wraps! I made a simple sauce out of soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar and vinegar and stirfried cabbage, carrots, chicken and peanuts. Wrap it all up in some fresh lettuce. Delish.

Well, I’m currently in town buying a few more items for the casita and preparing for #8 english class. Wish me luck!

Surprise!

My puppy, Florencia, was born this past January 25th! She was the only puppy born to our dog, Ossie. Technically she is a mutt; Chihuahua father and blonde-mangy-footstool mother. Thankfully, she is a very small, dark brown puppy (and looks exactly like her Chihuahua father). While she has not yet opened her eyes, and looks like a small rat, my excitement cannot be contained! Everyone loves her name (“what a large name for a small dog!”) and after a few months, she will come to live with me in the shack! Everyone asks if she will come back to the States with me, and that is a question to be considered in 2 years, not now.

This past week I also came down with a crappy virus that consisted of nausea, a piercing headache around the eyes and stomach troubles. Boo. I didn’t leave my bed and I couldn’t even eat the oatmeal cookies I had made (and for that, you know I was really sick). What caused this? Mystery. Luckily my community is great and they made and delivered soup and visited lots!

In other news, this Saturday I will be going into town for the day to buy all the things I will need for my shack including big plastic tubs, plastic shelves, a mirror, a pillow and lots of hooks! I will be sure to take pictures in the next few weeks of my new housing. My new host family is great and re-did the bed they are giving me (putting lots of padding on the bed—Dominican beds are notoriously old/awful).

Also, last night we had a spontaneous water committee meeting (the committee only consists of 3 town members, so it was easy to plan). I had been wanting to have this meeting for a very long time. The community has been itching to redo the PVC gravity-flow water system (which consists of 2” pipes running through the jungle on vines) that provides all the water for the town. Whenever it rains, the pressure becomes too strong for the pipes and creates leaks/pulls the pipes apart which leads to the town being water-less for hours/days. This is a large problem in the community, and we are working on getting price estimates of new tubes to enable us to write some grants (and I may be asking you all for money soon!).

I also recently attended a “get out of jail free” party which consisted of a welcome-home party for a Dominican man imprisoned in the US for being there illegally (83 days of imprisonment). I felt awkward as the only American there.

Finally, after seven weeks of English class (we took off 4 weeks for Christmas), we had our first quiz! The kids did well; most knew colors, family members, clothing, adjectives, countries and the English alphabet. However, everyone failed the conjugation of the verb “to have”. Grammar is not easy!

Other Updates:
• I can’t believe my large bottle of shampoo and large bottle of body wash have lasted me these past 5 months!

So, lots of exciting things have happened in the past few days!

El dia de la Altagracia (January 21st) came and went with quite a bit of fanfare. For those unaware, Altagracia is the patron saint/protector of the Dominican Republic. It was a high holiday here. The devoted/70% of the town ventured on flatbed truck to a town 45 minutes away to ring in the holiday at the new megachurch. We weren’t the only ones who attended, as probably over 1,000 other catholics attended the mass and the church was standing room only (but don’t worry, somehow I found myself a seat). While the mass was only about 2 hours, the whole morning was taken up by the fieldtrip.

We came back for lunch, and I got off the truck only to be greeted by a fellow volunteer who had found her way to my site, wandering aimlessly (literally, my boyfriend picked her up on the dirt road a few kilometros away). She heard that Antony Santos was playing and came to attend the concert with us! So, after a quick lunch, shower and change of clothes (I didn’t end up wearing the mini-dress to mass) we were back off to La Leonor (where the megachurch is) on motorcycle to attend the Antony Santos concert. One word can describe the night: WILD. Our senador, as part of a “public works” project built a large event center/outdoor party place where the concert was taking place. Thousands of Dominicans passed the night dancing meringue and bachata to fantastic, live music. This party was the classiest thing I have seen yet in the DR. Think: a wedding party at a nice outdoor restaurant. We sat at tables with white tablecloths, had waiters taking our drink orders and paid a cover fee of $10 USD. I ended up spending $45 USD that night. Wow. Especially when your monthly stipend is $350 USD. But, it was definitely worth it. We arrived at the party at 5pm (it started at 3pm) and left around 1am.

As well, I finally got my little house okay’d by Peace Corps! The move in date is set for the first week of February. I need to prepare a bit by buying some containers to store clothing/books, a mirror, pillow, etc. But, I can’t wait to have my own space!

Well hello! What a respite it has been! I am back, mind and body, from winter vacation. It has been a long time since my last real entry; whether due to my broken spacebar, busy with extended family or pure laziness, I just didn’t have the ganas to do anything.

But! This morning after a power breakfast of eggs with fresh garden veggies (tomato, chives, pepper, broccoli) and delicious hot chocolate (with whole milk!), I felt it was time to update everyone, for real. Also, my keyboard has magically come back to life without needing repair. Maybe it just needed a vacation, too.

So, here I am listening to my banging new music collection thanks to my young Dominican neighbors, boyfriend and Anna Talaga. Along with the 450+ songs uploaded over month-long Christmas break (very necessary since I didn’t bring my Ipod to this country), I recommend Laura Pausini’s “Primavera Anticipada” (featuring James Blunt), “Beach Party” by AirFrance and any bachata by Antony Santos (I’m seeing him live in concert tomorrow!).

What have I been doing, you may be asking. Here is an update in order of importance:

Food: Many of you may have seen in my latest email that I have started cooking for myself. I told my host mother at the beginning of the month that rice and beans were 1) making me fat, 2)weren’t tasty anymore, 3)I am missing American food. She, being the nicest woman ever, told me to go for it and eat what I needed! So, I started buying my own food and making my own breakfasts + dinners. My happiness level has improved 10fold, along with my vegetable intake. Typically I eat either veggie scrambles or whole grain cereal+yogurt for breakfast. Dinner is typically pasta with pesto, tomato sauce, or homemade pizzas! Grilled cheese, quesadillas, tuna, peanut butter+jelly also make regular appearances. My next projects will be to make: homemade salsa, bruchetta, and veggie fried rice. The best update is that our gigantic veggie garden has finally come into bloom! I get all the fresh spinach, lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber, cabbage I need! To put our awesome garden into a perspective, a WHITE MAN found our house somehow and took pictures of our garden with my host mother posing in front (I think the man provided us with seeds at some point). Suffice it to say, some man tracked down our garden in the middle of the mountains… and took pictures to illustrate “success”. YES!

Also, this past weekend I bought a recipe book made by volunteers called “It Ain’t Just Rice and Beans” (yeah, seriously), which has about 200+ recipes of easy to make “real food” using available local ingredients. It’s great! I made brownies from scratch yesterday using hot chocolate mix, eggs, flour, sugar, butter and marshmallows (available for a mere $2.50 in supermarkets here!). They blew my community away… brownies were an unknown dessert (but now definitely known!). We then roasted the leftover marshmallows over the fogon (basically a campfire that women use to cook). They were a huge hit! People could not get enough! Don’t worry mom- I made sure to tell them that if the marshmallow started to burn, don’t wave the marshmallow to put the flame out.

Water: The rain has stopped! After about a week of torrential rains (apparently common in January), and inability to travel, things have gotten sunny! Of course the roads are massively damaged and mud is everywhere. But, the cool weather has remained, which is good.
I am also making some moves to investigate the current water system plumbing (the town needs new piping). This is definitely a possible future project. Stay tuned.

Shelter: In a stroke of luck, a Peace Corps employee is coming to my site this weekend to check out the 1-room shack I want to move into next month (I thought they wouldn’t be able to come for a month)! This house is actually on the property of my boyfriend/project partner, which is convenient since I am always there anyway (and it is much closer to the rest of the town than where I currently am). It is mandatory that our homes be looked at by a safety and security officer (to ensure the physical safety of the foundation, and possibility of being robbed). This will not be my final home (since that is currently being built), but temporary housing that is basically the same. I haven’t yet decided if I will buy my stove + kitchen items now, or after moving into the new house.

Clothing: Stuff does not last here. Whether due to harsh washing, humid weather (lots of mold) or being worn out from constant use (I only wear the same 5 shirts over and over again), everything from shirts-underwear-shoes fall apart. Fortunately, within the town there seems to be a constant trade of clothing between people. Just yesterday I received a used pair of white thong sandals from a neighbor, while I gave a young friend a dress that no longer fit me (nor did it really ever..). My extended family brought me 2 used pair of jeans over Christmas, while my hostmother found a cute used totebag for me. It’s so economical to reuse things! (Yes, I’ve reused things in the U.S., but they take it here to another level.). I love it.

Work: Again, many of you read the updated email about my work. In case you haven’t, I’ve basically finished my 3-month base research about the health problems in the 4 communities I will be working in. I have a conference in the beginning of February where I will be presenting my results with possible projects. The projects are shaping up to include: an improved water-system, healthy cement stoves, personal veggie gardens, possible computer center at the school. All of this along with the obligatory health classes (women’s reproductive class, nutrition class, HIV/AIDS health decisions class for youth). My English classes have become a bit flojo after over a month of vacations. I will try to muscle through the last 4 sessions (and pray they have learned SOMETHING).

Play: Lots of playing in the past month! Christmas time here is fantastic, with all the young people coming back from the city (I’m planning on staying next Christmas instead of going home—sorry mom and dad!). Tomorrow I am going to see one of the most famous Dominican bachateros (musician that plays bachata songs) for the opening of a mega-church in a nearby town (that interestingly enough, is very poor). The senator of the province has apparently donated millions (in pesos) to this church+ this concert. So, we are getting dolled up at 9am in the clothes to party in (mini dress+heels), will go to mass at the church, then dance the rest of the day? I asked if it was sacrilegious to wear a minidress to mass and apparently, no. We will see. I can always blame miscommunication if I do something wrong (plus, I’m the crazy American anyway).
I have also read some really great books recently, including “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” and “The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao”. I recommend both. Futhermore, I have seen some really bad pirated movies including “Drag me to Hell” and “2012”. I do not recommend either.

Other Important Updates:
• I GOT MY GREENCARD! Officially dominicana. I can leave and enter the country without paying any tourist fees. Downfall: I have to renew the card every 6 months.
• We are close to capturing the rats that scramble around my room at night! After much searching, this morning they appeared (however our stupid dog failed at killing them). It seems that the rat poison hasn’t worked. We are getting some traps. Yehaw! I joked in spanish about eating the rats to my family. My host parents laughed really hard. This may be the first successful joke I have made in spanish. Yes!

Well, I hope this long entry suffices for the past-month neglect of the blog. Enjoy!

Pictures!

These pictures recently uploaded are of December festivities, including a quincenera (15th birthday party), Christmas and New Years!