After having been in the DR for a year now, I'm finding that summing up the emotional roller coaster that is Peace Corps can be a challenge. So, being inspired by the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words", and the fact that a handful of different people have told me I make extremely ridiculous faces, I made a little photo project to better illustrate the wide array of sensations us volunteers go through from one moment to the next. While I had a certain theme in mind for each photo, I've left them untitled so you viewers can assign the emotions that first jump out at you. Make sure to leave me comments so I know which emotions you think fit each picture. Enjoy :)

As most of you already know, I work with a local women's group called Junta de Mujeres Mamá Tingó (JMMT), which translates to the Neighborhood Women's Organziation of Mamá Tingó. I thought it might be nice to give you guys a bit of background info as to who Mamá Tingó was and what the Junta does in our community.

Florinda Muñoz Soriano, more commonly referred to as Mamá Tingó, was an active leader in the DR who defended the rights of campesinos (typically poor, rural, uneducated farmers who lived in the country) from the 30's through the 60's. She fought to regain land tracts which corrupt government politicians and militia had stolen from hard-working farmers, who often had no other skills or resources besides farming. Eventually she created the League of Christian Agrarians who worked to support such families and fight to re-gain their land. She was killed in 1974, after a lawsuit against another landowner lead to her assassination. Today she is a symbol for the right to land-ownership and employment, but also the defense of rural women, who have few rights, opportunities and face frequent domestic and sexual abuse.

The JMMT just celebrated her anniversary, November 1st, and the International No Violence Month (November) with a month-long fair, with music, charlas and talleres (presentations), games, fundraisers and other activities (movie screenings, etc.).

So, what exactly is the JMMT and what do they do?

The JMMT is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, made up of 25 smaller associations of women, representing different parts of the surrounding communities of Haina (local municipality) and San Cristobal (our local province). They are a group of women who fight for and raise awareness of gender equality, anti-violence, improving public education, economic development (especially for poor women) and health related issues, like HIV/AIDS and insufficient pre-natal care (from which a large portion of young, pregnant women die each year). This is accomplished through community meetings, presentations, collaborations with government offices, political meetings (local level), discussion forums, demonstrations (marches, rallies), fairs, cross-cultural exchange (having youth from other countries visit), ceremonies and celebrations, weekly meetings of the administrative team (the main women of the JMMT) and a monthly assembly with representatives of each of the 25 associations. We also have a group of youth that participate in JMMT activities and represent to the community the positive values of the JMMT.

The JMMT also serves as a place of solidarity, companionship, safety and hope. Any and all women are always welcome at the JMMT and considered family. During monthly meetings women have the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family and to also make new friends. In addition, participating in meetings and being apart of the decision making process, gives women a voice and increases their confidence. Members (and their families) also participate in activities like beach outings, concerts, church outings and rallies. The JMMT offers not only the human connection, but serious opportunities (via classes, access to information, etc.) the women of this area would, otherwise, never be able to have.

The women that make up the JMMT are generally from poor economic backgrounds with only a high-school education. However, we do have some women that are university-educated who are nurses, teachers, administrators, psychologists, computer specialists, etc. The majority are married with families.Members range in age from early teens to 60's and 70's. We are non-denominational and non-

political organization, so everyone is open to join regardless of religious or political affiliation.

Our headquarters (right across the street from my apartment) is a two-story building that includes a main office, computer lab with 7 PC's, psychologist's office, large multi-use room/dining hall (used for sewing, massage and acrylic nails classes) and a very large room on the second floor that serves as meeting space and classroom. In addition, there is a small kitchen and two bathrooms downstairs.

Not only do these women serve as an inspiration to their communities, their government and their families, they serve as a giant inspiration to me. Every day I am reminded of the increasingly difficult conditions that women face here on a daily basis; domestic, mental and sexual abuse, responsibility of taking care of the home (cooking all the meals, cleaning, laundry, etc.), objectification, not having a voice/being told your opinion doesn't matter because you are woman, raising families alone (being a single mother here means you are the poorest of the poor), general inequality, insufficient healthcare, the list goes on and on. Yet they still find the ability to smile and be happy despite their circumstances. Dominican women are exceptionally warm and treated you like a family member even if they've only known you for ten minutes. So, I want to give a big "THANK YOU!" to all the Junta ladies for all the ways that they motivate, encourage and inspire me to be a better volunteer, a stronger woman and a more humble person.

Florinda Muñoz Soriano, more commonly know as Mamá Tingó

I realized today I do a lot of realizing....have you seen the introductions to my last three posts? Anyway, as I responded to an e-mail from my grandmother, I thought about how I've given a lot of information about my personal life and experience here, but not many specific descriptions of Dominican culture and the lives of Dominicans in general. So, to fill you in, I'll write the responses I gave to her specific questions.

Question #1 - What kinds of hopes and dreams do Dominicans have?

Depending on their economic level, what part of the island they live in, their age and education level (just like Americans or any other nationality) Dominicans have a variety of personal and professional goals. Some want to work for a well-paying company, some want to go to university, and some just want to live long enough to see their grandchildren grow up. My experience is that the average fulano (Joe Blow) simply wants a country he or she can be more proud of, where everyone has 24-hour water and electricity, people respect each other and the environment more, and where education is taken much more seriously. There are also many people who would like to live abroad, either in the U.S. (specifically Nueva Yol a.k.a New York, because of it's hefty Dominican population - tell a Dominican you're from Indiana and they will respond inquisitively with, "Which part of Brooklyn is that?") or sometimes Spain. Living and working abroad often means they can earn significantly more money, have lights and water all the time, and enjoy an overall better quality of life. Not to mention, most families here rely on remittances from other family members living abroad.

Question #2 - What kinds of things are important to young people?

The jóvenes (youth) here don't have a lot of opportunities. There are few outlets for teenagers in the DR, and many resort to using and/or dealing drugs to earn money. There is also a very high teen pregnancy rate (it's not uncommon to have a 14 yr. old pregnant neighbor) and many times those young girls end up dying during delivery. If they graduate high school and get accepted to a university, they may be able to work in the capital for more money than they would make staying at home. However, jóvenes moving from their campo (country) to study and ultimately live in the capital is very rare. Dominicans are very communal, and it's not uncommon for a 35-year-old "kid" to live at home with their parents until they marry...or even after, as I've seen many married couples living in an attached building on the back of their parents house. This is also because it's very expensive to live alone and potentially difficult to find available housing. But as far as what's important to them, I would say the same things as most teenagers everywhere...socializing and going out with friends, texting on their Blackberry, looking trendy in the latest fashions and listening to music every waking moment. However, there is probably a much greater sense of familial responsibility here than in the States, as children here are often expected to do a great deal of the housework and, in some instances, even seek employment outside the home to bring in extra money.

Question #3 - What is the education system like in the DR? Do children attend public or church-sponsored private schools?

As you can glean from my above comment about believing New York and the USA to be the synonymous (I wish I could say that was a joke, but someone actually asked me that when I introduced myself), the education system in the DR is one of the worst in all of Latin America. Right now there is a big push for congress to start spending 4% (instead of the current 2.3%) of the national budget on public education. (Currently the U.S. spends around 5.6% of our budget on education, just to compare.) In my time here, I've observed that, while Dominicans understand how important education is and want to improve it, the current school system is not taken very seriously. Schools are insufficiently supplied, there's a surplus of students and a shortage of teachers (resulting in most any fulano with a pulse to be "qualified" to teach public school) and a serious lack of teacher training (how to use materials, methods, discipline, etc.) This is, ideally, what my sector of Peace Corps (Education) is trying to address...in fact, as we speak, our new Administrative Director of the Education Dept. in the DR is reworking the goals and expectations of the education sector to focus more on teacher training and working directly in schools.

With regard to private vs. public school, there are some kids, if their parents can afford it, who attend private schools. There are non-religious based private schools (for example, English-based academies) but, by and large, private schools are usually Catholic. However, unlike the U.S., separation of church and state is not very prominent here and most public schools have religious classes or teach from a biblical perspective. There are of course a much higher concentration of these private schools in the capital, and, consequently, a much larger population of the upper economic class. But, in general, most kids attend a local primary school (government funded) and then go on to a local high school (also government funded) because in the poorer, rural areas private schools are almost non-existent.

Question #4 - What do Dominicans do for recreation? Are activities like reading, going to the beach and watching movies popular there?

Recreation is a relative term. Once again, it depends on your age, your economic status and where you live. Urban Dominicans living in and around the cities have far more entertainment options than those in the campo. In Santo Domingo, for example, there are restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, shopping malls, the aquarium and botanical gardens, etc. These activities, especially movies and dining out, can get very expensive. As expected, the farther out into the campo you go, the fewer options are available. Most pueblos (like a small town) have discotecas (or clubs) where people come to drink beer and dance and socialize (sometimes until 3 or 4 am on weekends, as I can tell you from personal experience). As you can imagine, people living in the campo very rarely go out to eat because a) they don't have restaurants - sometimes there are little comedors (cafeterias) where people can grab lunch, but sit down dining is nonexistent and b) eating out gets really pricey - you can feed your family of 5 for a week with what it costs to eat out (similar to the States). I would say, though, that most evenings are spent with family...sitting out on the patio talking and maybe listening to the radio if there's electricity. That's also another consideration...when the luz (electricity) comes, you can watch TV, play dominoes or cards, etc. When there's no luz, people mostly resort to sitting around gossiping about their neighbors, politics, telenovelas (soap operas), etc. I've seen many young women dressed to the nines on a Saturday afternoon, only to find out they aren't going to the club, but just to their front porch to people watch (because, God forbid, someone walk by that knows you, or a possible boyfriend, and you're not done up).

I have encountered only a handful of Dominicans that enjoy reading and they are all university students from moderately high class backgrounds. Most Dominicans don't read because a) they find it boring and it's not culturally encouraged (I think this is the most common reason), b) there's no light to read with (when the luz is gone) or c) they are illiterate (this is very prevalent, especially in the campo, and we have a whole sector of education devoted to literacy specifically).

Dominicans enjoy the beach and visit often, however I think (kind of like we are with shopping in Nashville) that it's something that's so everyday that they don't consider it special any more. Many times a big group of family members will pack their lunch, hop on the bus and head to the nearest beach and make it an all day activity. Once again, this can be expensive, as you either have to pay for the gas to get there or pay your bus fare for you an your whole family, so they don't do it often unless they're super close. Back in July the Junta had a fundraiser, where they rented two large buses and took about 100 people to the beach in Palenque for the day. An interesting fun fact...Dominicans usually don't own swimsuits...they prefer to wear their actual clothes in the ocean, instead, because it's a cheaper alternative!

Question #5 - How do Dominicans make money? What kinds of jobs are available in the DR?

The job market here is pretty bad. It's a bit like the States, in that a whole lot of people are competing for a very limited amount of jobs. The unemployment rate here is extremely high. When I did my diagnostic back in the summer I encountered many, many people who didn't have jobs and lived off remittances from family members abroad (like I mentioned earlier) or government aid. Most people, even in the capital, struggle to make it to the next month. Dominicans typically have large families and if you live in the campo, in a town of 400 people let's say, finding employment that provides for a family of 6 can be tricky. In more rural areas, types of employment can include public transportation driver (bus, motorcycle), cobrador (the guy who takes the money on public transport), colmado (corner store) owner/employee (these are on, literally, every corner), painter, hardware store owner/employee, barber/stylist, street food vendor, plumber, electrician or repairman (appliances, household things, etc.). Here in Haina, many people work for the industrial businesses (Haina is known as the industrial zone of the country and we have over 150 different corporations and companies producing a variety of things, from lead batteries to refrigerators and appliances). However, in the capital, there are many more professional type jobs, such as accountants, computer systems administrators, bankers, retail/sales staff, television/radio producers, government workers, military positions, etc.

Question #6 - What are the most obvious or challenging problems facing the DR?

Domestic violence against women and children. Unemployment. Animal abuse. A corrupt, thieving government that only looks out for it's upper echelon. One of the worst educational systems in all of Latin America. Racism and violence against Haitians. Unsustainable environmental practices. Pollution. Undocumented children (prevents them from going to school, having a cédula (I.D.), gainful employment, etc.). Infrequent or no access to resources (electricity, water). Poor health care and unequipped/understaffed hospitals and clinics. Destruction of the island's main source of tourism: beaches and surrounding marine life. Having politicized every aspect of daily life. Inefficient and unreliable public transportation system. Personal accountability and refusal to accept the consequences of personal decisions. Perpetual lateness. (However, I think those last two have more to do with cultural differences, than actual problems.)

To counter that, I should list some of the wonderful things about the DR. Dominicans are incredibly warm and welcoming people; no one is a stranger here. They love to laugh and have fun. They are proud to be Dominican. They can appreciate the "little things" in life because they aren't racing around as much as Americans do. They have an amazingly positive outlook on life, despite their often depressing circumstances. They insist on fixing you lunch even though they don't have enough to eat themselves. This country has an endless supply of cheap and delicious natural food, like mangoes, avocados, pineapple, coffee, cacao, etc. It's always summertime. This island has some of the most gorgeous beaches you'll ever see.

Have more questions? Did I miss something you've been dying to know about? Let me know!

I just realized how horrible I've been about updating, so sorry for that. :/

I finally just got Internet last week, but I'm realizing I'm very limited as to when I can actually get any good out of it. First, there needs to be luz because it has to be powered to function. Second, it's so slow during the day that it's a lucha just to check my e-mail. Now is a good time to write, I've found, as there aren't too many people on the bandwidth of my ISP so it moves slightly faster than a snail's pace, which is great. Hopefully, I'll be able to Skype with you night owls soon ;)

Been living in my new apartment now for a little over a month now and I LOVE it! The location couldn't be better (I'm right across the street from where I work), it's second story (which is safer and means I have a beautiful view of the mountains and stars at night), I have great neighbors who feed me daily, and an awesome roof with a clothesline for all my clothes. I feel really lucky to have found this place and every time I walk through the door it feels like MY space. While there is a certain convenience and camaraderie that comes with living in Dominican households, after 6 months of screaming children, dirty bathrooms and zero privacy, there's nothing quite like finally walking into the silent serenity of your own home. I still struggle with not being a shut-in (although my landlord who lives beneath me just informed me that too many children are coming to see me and I need to just look at them through the bars instead of inviting them in haha) but every day I talk to my neighbors and saludar the neighborhood on my way to and from work. However, that doesn't keep me from shutting the door early some nights and watching entire seasons of T.V. :) Here's some pics of my place:

My stove is still sitting on my floor :(

My teensy tiny kitchen

Closet - to the left you can see my laundry bag overflowing

Shower - Most of the time I have enough pressure for a good shower and don't need to use the bucket

Messy :/

My new bed

The dining room/entryway/living room into my house

Outside view

Neighbors' house

More neighbors

Here's where I was my clothes when there's no luz and the lavadora isn't running

I always wanted a spiral staircase :p

Clothesline

The beautiful view from my roof! This was just as the sun was going down.

This coconut tree is close enough to my roof to make me think I can snag a coconut, but far enough away to know that I'd be an idiot for trying

Work wise, I've been continuing with my English classes. I really love my students and we have such a good time and laugh a lot in class. We're going on a fieldtrip soon to buy the fixings for pizza lasagna so I'm excited to see how that turns out. I'm scheduled to begin a Photoshop Design and Advanced Internet Concepts course for the professors at the Junta in two weeks. I also want to start re-writing the current manual that the Junta profs use to teach the Office Suite as it's a bit outdated and hard to follow, in my opinion. A typing class is for sure on the way, which is desperately needed by all Dominicans. And hopefully I'd like to get a Chicas Brillantes group and an Encargados del Futuro group up and running (but I might wait until the start of next year to get those up and running). Chicas Brillantes is a youth group for young girls and teens that acts and kind of a safe space for them to come and talk and share with other girls their age. We also have different topics like being sexually healthy, making good choices, keeping good relationships, keeping your body healthy and active and believing in your self. Considering the Junta works primarily with women, I think the gender aspect of Chicas Brillantes will be super appropriate given the context. Also, since we have a working lab, Encargados del Futuro (geared towards teaching some more "advanced" computer concepts to youth) should be feasible and hopefully fun too! I'm excited to get started on some projects because I feel like I need to start proving myself, like why I'm actually here, and show that I am capable of doing things and am somewhat useful. At least, that's my hope. I struggle daily with feeling un-useful.

Aaron came to visit, as most of you already know. He stayed for a week only, but it was the best week I've had in the DR. We hung out, relaxed, had moonlit spaghetti dinners on my roof under the stars, went to Samana for the weekend and enjoyed the beach and quiet time, taught English class together and laughed a whole bunch. He posted the pictures on Facebook if you're curious.

Until next time!

After thinking about it, I realized that you guys might be asking that very question, "Where exactly is Blair?" as I haven't given you much detailed description about where I live. So, to help answer that question I've attached a map of the capital to orient you all. Bajos de Haina (in the bottom right hand corner of the map) is a considered an industrial zone. There are over 100 factories there, including the island's only oil refinery and several electric plants which produce 50% of the island's electricity. It is a city made up of mostly immigrants (either from Haiti or various parts of the D.R.) and is incredibly filthy, somewhat dangerous and considered one of the most toxic sites in the world. Luckily, I do not live directly in the city of Haina itself (as you can see on the map, I'm about 30 up the road minutes in a collection of smaller, marginal-urban communities)

I found this very interesting, but extremely depressing, video of the toxic waste problem in Haina, too. It is the trailer of a documentary on of the citizens of Haina did a few years ago.

Once again more old pictures that I didn't have the speed to upload until now. These are all from the Dona Mirkalla's house, who I moved in with after I had my stint in the hospital. She was a lovely lady and an excellent cook, but I saw more wildlife in her house than I've seen my entire time here. Lizards, spiders, centipedes, frogs, roaches...you name it, it was there.

This is the porch where I had Spanish class every morning. Three students to one professor.

My favorite Spanish professor, Marcia. She also lived with me at Dona Mirkalla's house so we got to chat a lot after lunch which gave me some much needed extra practice in Spanish.

This porch was also an excellent spot for watching movies, with the blank wall on the opposite side. We would set up the projector and have our own personal theater right there.

My large room with a fan (didn't realize what a luxury it was at the time!)

Orchids are native to the island and you see types like this growing all over the place.

The big mango tree out back. Mango season was just beginning when we headed back to the capital, bummer.

A spider literally the size of my face that was hanging out next to my bedroom door. These kind of look like tarantulas (which are also common here, bless them) but they aren't. They are completely harmless, unless you take into consideration the time I stepped into the shower and found myself staring at one in the face... I did such a scramble to get out of the tub that I slipped and fell so hard I bruised the right side of my body and broke my flip-flops :(

These pictures are back from my time in El Seibo. Our group took a field trip to a local organic cacao (or cocoa) growers co-op. We spent the first part of the day touring the processing plant where they dry, treat, and package the cacao and then drove out in the country where the raise and harvest the cacao. It was one of the most fun (and beautiful) days I've had in Peace Corps thus far.

This is a big drying shed where they put all the cacao after it comes from the fields to dry before processing.

Cacao beans being filtered into a giant grinder that separates the shells from the meat.

Dora and Keeton standing in front of packaged cacao ready to be sent off into the world. The co-op ships their cacao all over the world and the leftover that isn't 100% organic they sell to companies who use it to make products like cocoa butter, etc.

The beautiful drive through El Seibo's countryside to the cacao fields.

When the cacao pods turn a yellowish color they are ready to be picked. The pod is about the size of a large mango or avocado.

Inside of the cacao pod. You can sort of see the outline of each cacao seed through the white fleshy exterior. When the seeds come out they're very potent and dark purple in color. The white fleshy part is edible, too. Very sweet and tart with a bizarre texture unlike nothing else I've tasted!

View of the surrounding valley where they grow the cacao.

Charlie, Dora, Laura, Keeton and Blair excited for lunch!

These are pics from a trip some of the volunteers took to Isla Saona, a little island off the South Eastern coast of the island, back in April. One of the volunteers in our group was lucky enough to land this very spot as her site for the next two years!

And don't ever forget how hard my life is being a Peace Corps volunteer ;)

So here I am in my new site! I live in a marginal urban zone, which is basically a suburb of the capital. It's only about 45 mins from the capital but far enough away that it's a little more tranquilo. I work with an organization of very strong and progressive women called the Junta de Mujeres Mama Tingo. They work in the various communities around Haina and give lectures about domestic violence, health, sexuality, and offer a variety of classes and other resources at their office in Sabaneta. My job will be to work maintaining the computer lab (of 6 computers) and teaching classes in the areas of computers, English and gender related courses. Working on my diagnostic right now, which is basically and evaluation of community needs and possible projects, which I will present the first week of August.

Some new pics...

This is my little 3 yr old, Kristal, that's my sister's daughter. She is like a living cyclone and never stops talking or asking me to watch movies or play cards with her. Some days I like her, others I don't. However, I have to admit she's really freaking adorable haha :)

My sister, Kristina. She's a very nice person and I enjoy her company. We've been having English classes after she comes home in the evenings.

This is a community further up in the mountains from me called Monte Adentro. It's really beautiful up in that area and very lush. I came on a Sunday to a family reunion and got to meet a lot of new people.

Some of the little girls at the reunion giving me their "model" poses....too funny haha! They LOVED getting their pictures taken. Literally, I probably took 50 pictures of this nature :)

This is from left to right: husband of my project partner, sister Alida with her son Rafaelito (1 mo. old) and spouse Rafaelito, my wonderful host mother Olga in blue, and some other relative I don't know.

My neighbor across the street makes these gorgeous flower arrangements every morning to sell in town...a lovely way to start the morning :)

This is the beach we visited last Sunday. Very beautiful and not many people. Ate fresh mango, laid out, drank beer, chatted with a lovely group of people...it was a fabulous day and hopefully one of many I'll have in this country!

This is the road you take to get to Miches...absolutely stunning! Everything is so lush and green. It's about a 2 hour drive, but the entire time you're gazing at the amazing scenery so it's worth it.

This is the volunteer I visited last weekend, Aidan, and his puppy Bean. He's a really nice guy and a super volunteer. He has a lot of projects going and I really enjoyed my time with him!A local pottery making place where the produce the Taino art sculptures sold throughout the island. Really interesting to watch and very, very hot in there!

This is Aidan's kitchen. He used a bucket of water from the spout outside his house to have for hand washing, dishes, etc. He has a small two burner gas stove with a gas tank attached and a small dorm size fridge. He lives in a three bedroom house, one bathroom with an operating shower, and pays 3500 RD every month or about $97 US. The elctricity comes and goes. He lives in a very small neighborhood that's very quiet. His pueblo Yamasa is average sized, maybe 40,000 people and they have many normal conveniences, Internet cafes, restaraunts, small grocery stores, etc.

This is the home of Heidi, another volunteer who lives about 45 mins from Yamasa in a bateye, which is a very rural and small camp of people with little access to jobs or resources. Bateyes are common places for Haitians to work and live and are located around the sugar cane fields and most of the people who live in bateyes work sugar cane. However, that industry is not as common as it was many years ago and now they are some of the poorest communities in the DR. Heidi lives in a two room "apartment" with no running water, infrequent electricity and uses a latrine on a daily basis. The buckets you see there are how she takes a bath...grabs a bucket from the well, brings it into the house, pour it over herself and has a bath! Very different from Aidan's life. Heidi works with youth and teaches English at the local high school.

These are the training grounds in Pantoja. Seriously, the most beautiful lush oasis in the middle of a god-forsaken, dusty city. It was a breath of fresh air coming to the training grounds every day. Beautiful flowers and palm trees...amazing.

This is where we had class the first three weeks of training, in little aulas. Our language classes were conducted her in small groups of 4 or 5 people.

More beautiful grounds...

Orchids, I think. These grow all over the place.

YAY!!! My first post with real pictures!!! Ok, so this is a shot from the roof of my house in Pantoja. This is what the surrounding barrios look like and a general overview of the streets, etc.

This is the front of my family's house. It is really, really nice considering we live in the slums of Pantoja :) We have running water, 24 hour electricity (luz) and it's SUPER clean. My mother is a teacher and a university student, father is a mechanic. Three siblings, Maikel (20) works on cars, Mayelin (19) who is a student at university and Micael (13) is also a student at a private school.

This is a house on the corner next to mine. It's right next to a giant trash heap. Trash is a big problem here. Trash service isn't reliable and the island is only so big so there's really no where for it to go. People just throw things down after they're done using them...newpapers, wrappers, electronics, etc. This is really accurate portrayal of Santo Domingo in general, just overal pretty filthy and trashy.

A picture of the terraza out the kitchen door. One of my most favorite spots to sit and do homework, write in my journal or eat dinner with my family.

My mom and sister getting her hair done. They love to have straight hair here. There may be no electricity, but they make darn sure that their hair and nails are done before stepping a toe out of the house. Mayelin offered to do my hair, too. Went out in the back part of the kitchen and she dumped a big bucket of rain water over my head, washed my hair, and then conditioned it and proceeded to bruch it out, blow dry it and finally flat iron it. She then proclaimed "This is the new you!" Haha. Actually, it looked really nice ;)

This is a super common site. There a dogs running all over the place here. They're mangy and scratching all the time...they really look horrible. I feel so sad for them. Makes me miss Cricket and Curry :)

Hello friends :)

I am currently writing from the CTC (Centro Tecnologia Comunidario) which is where Aidan (the volunteer I'm visiting this weekend) works. He does a radio program a couple days a week (I had two interviews today on the radio!) and helps teach literacy and also does an English class at the local high school. He's a great guy and a productive volunteer. I hope to do similar types of work in my site.

So, he's informed me that because the Internet is so painfully slow that I will need to wait until I'm in the Peace Corps office in the capital to upload photos :( Internet is much faster in the city and because they have their own server. I've taken lots but I guess we'll just have to wait until training is over in a few more months.

Nothing new to report. Had a stomach bug for a few days. No puking and I'm much better now. Please feel free to call my cell phone if you want to chat. I'm free in the evenings most of the time. You can get a calling card or use Skype, Google Talk, etc. to call. Mom, Dad and Aaron have my number so if you'd like it contact one of them.

Brief calendar of events for those who don't already know:

Return to Santo Domingo Sunday 20th

Stay with host family remainder of the week and have training until Thursday 24th

Thursday 24th afternoon leave for CBT (Community Based Training) in El Seibo

Stay in El Seibo for 5 weeks of technical/education/language training, live with new host family during this time

Return to Santo Domingo for about 2 more weeks of training, receive my project and site location

Swear in May 13th as official PC volunteers

Leave for new site and get to know neighbors, assess needs, etc., live with new host family

After three months, find my own place and begin official service sometime around August

Hope to give more updates soon!

Well, I finally made it! Life here is pretty good so far. My family is very understanding and patient and my house is very nice and has running water and electricity (and Internet sometimes) so it's pretty much the Taj Mahal by PC standards :) Instead of writing a big long boring paragraph I'm going to post a bunch of pictures and make some notations about each one to explain them. I think that will be easier for everyone. However, I think my laptop is overheating at the moment, so I will have to address the pictures later. Gonna go eat dinner, take a shower, and probably watch a movie, I think. Miss and love you all :)

Bienvenidos or Welcome!

My name is Blair Adams and I have been selected to serve as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in the Caribbean country of Dominican Republic. During the next 27 months, I will work, sleep, eat, play, celebrate, learn and grow with my fellow Dominicans. My assignment as an Information and Communications Technology Educator/Specialist is to aid fellow nationals in using and incorporating technology in programs designed to eradicate illiteracy.

This blog is designed to be a lifeline to my family and friends back home, so they may follow and share in my fantastic escapade in (what I have fondly nick-named) The Land of Eternal Summer (a.k.a. the D.R.). However, it will also serve as a semi-personal journal for me to chronicle my feelings along this journey, allowing me a canvas where I can work through on paper (metaphorically) the individual challenges I will face as a volunteer. Because of the drastic changes between my current living conditions (language, hygiene, sleep, food) and my old ones, it's only natural to assume that I will often say things on here that have no clarity or sense of purpose (other than in my highly emotional state of mind) or that may be perceived as rude, unfounded and downright inappropriate. For these comments, I apologize in advance, but hope that you will not be offended without first objectively considering the current cultural and social context within which I was absorbed when the comment was written.

It is my greatest hope that this blog can be used as a way to promote cultural exchange, causing readers to question the beliefs they currently hold about a group of people, an idea, or a place, and promote a new found sense of open-mindedness, understanding and tolerance. Make no mistake, these ideals I fancy will be a struggle for me on a daily basis, too; as a young, single, agnostic, childless, liberal feminist in a country where patriarchy, Catholocism and colonialist tradition run deep, I will have a few disagreements and ill feelings towards others. But it's important for me, and for those of us who wish to make the world a more peaceful and cooperative place, to remember and focus on what we can do to respectfully acknowledge our differences while celebrating our similarities. By truly listening and absorbing my surroundings, and by sharing my life with others, I believe I can make a difference. So, with that, I would like to invite you on a most wonderful, grueling, hot n' sweaty, purposeful, life-changing adventure. I hope you'll join me :)