Saturday, January 30, 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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!
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!
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!
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