I know....Its been a while :/

What can I say? I guess there really is nothing to say except ...Its been a while! But the good news is I am alive, well, and still loving la vida en la Republica Dominicana :D ....I've even posted pictures to show you all what I've been up to since APRIL! I know I said this last time but....Entry coming soon!!! Es verdad!

Giving Art Class, Jrey's Visit to DR, Campo Wedding, y compartiendo with the vecinos! April-Oct 2010

Celebrando la Tierra Parte 2 Nov 12.2010

Gira to Boca Chica Aug 15.2010

I put some new pictures up of family/friend visits...and of course more of my life here in the Dominican Republic...Blog entry coming soon!

Peace

Fun in the sun!

Campo Living

Dominican independence is celebrated each year on the 27 of february. It is a cultural time filled with parades, shows, concerts, and carnavals. Yesterday I went to Santo Domingo with my project partners and some girls from the community to see the parade of the armed forces. It was a nice experience, and the sun wasn't blazing on our skin, which was fortunate. I have never been much of a parade lover, but I am glad that I went. More marching band music would have livened things up a bit ...maybe I will include that in my letter to Leonel. haha. Speaking of Mr. Presidente, I was a bit disappointed of his abscence. Not from the event, but from the parade! When the parade ended, I asked why the president had not made an appearance and Lissette informed me that he was at the starting point of the parade, sitting, waving to all of the marchers from a highly secured spot.

What a let down!

After the parade we drove to Manresa for ice cream. There were a good number of people there getting food, ice cream, and putting their kids on the kiddie rides. There was even a carousel! This Brought me back memories of Central Park! After ice cream, we headed back to our wonderful campo in San Cristobal. I fell asleep in the car ( I was soooo tired) but was awakened on the way as I felt the car stop and everyone around me skurry toward the windows on the left side. I woke up to see a red jeep on the side of the road. Nana and Melanie identified the red jeep right away. "Mom thats Ambiodie's(our community's regidor) car." My project partners rushed to the scene as myself and the four other girls watched from the car. Pretty much every male from our campo was at the scene. They carried knives, machetes and other weapons. I did not like the looks of this one bit. "Surely it was a ladron (thief) who they caught and killed," said one of the girls. At this point I am just thinking to myself.."WHAAAAAAAAT??!!" Yup, its actually common here for a community to rally together and kill a thief who has stolen from a community member. Talk about solidarity! People here say that they have to do that because the police do not do anything.

As we sat in the car, one of the girl's brothers came to the car and gave the full story......It turns out that Ambiody was driving and decided to give two guys on the side of the road a bola ( a ride). The guys turned out to be atracadores (bad guys). Out of panic Ambiody swirved off the road. Thankfully Ambiody was okay. Cant say the same for the atracadores though. The entire community showed up to the scence and took care of the rest....

By the time I got home, it was 9:30pm. I was exhausted, sleepy, still a bit nervous, and full from chocolate ice cream. Not to mention I still had to make brownies for the Kermes the following morning and prepare for my english class which would also take place the next morning. I am happy to say that I completed the lesson plan and the brownies... Not so happy to say that I fell asleep at about 3 in the morning! Today I woke up at 7:45am. I took my brownies over to the Kermes (basically a food sale usually for a cause of some sort...in this case , the kermes is for the sick people of our community; especially one woman who is very sick with cancer), stayed to help a bit and then went over to prepare for english class. After class, I went back to the Kermes to help out. For about 2 1/2 hours I stood at the side of the road with a sign asking the cars that passed by to donate to the cause. At about 3pm my feet couldnt take it anymore and I went home to rest a bit. I had been on my feet since 7:45 this morning! Thats 8 hours! I laid down on my bed with the intention to take a quick 30 min nap and them go back to help some more...however, I was awakened by my mothers phone call at about 4:30pm. I waS still extremely exhausted but managed to speak to my mom for about 30minutes. By the time we got off the phone it was about 5:15pm. I wanted to go back out there to help out but my body wouldnt let me. I have taken the rest of the day to sleep, rest, sleep, and rest some more....Boy,from parades to attack scenes to brownines to lesson plans to kermes' to englsh classes....I am tired

My mother and aunt returned back to NY last week after visiting me for 8 days. My grandma came also, but she is actually staying in the country for a bit longer so I wont have to say my goodbyes to her just yet. It was great seeing my family and just taking a little vacation to spend time with them. I introduced them to a lot of community members and to my new apartment...which they helped me fix up a bit (a lot actually!)We spent about half of the week at my site and the other half in the capital. I wish that week didnt pass by as quickly as it did.

I am really glad that my family got to see where I will be living and working for the next year and eight months. I think that the light/water/bug situation caused just a sprinkle of culture shock, but I think that their stay helped them to understand my experience a lot better. The only downside to their visit was my slow, (even reluctant) transition back into the role of a peace corps volunteer. Dont get me wrong, I love my community and enjoy the time that I lived here, but it was just comforting to be around my family and experience life in a way that I have not done in over 6 months. I knew it would only be a matter of time though before I got that volunteer ball rolling again and I am happy to say that this week was my transitional week and today, Friday, that ball is officially rolling. Starting tomorrow I continue with volleyball, girls groups, english classes, the book club, and art class.........Oh, the life of service :)

I have posted pictures from my famalias visit, some chicas at our group meeting,students at the local school performing in honor of Dominican Independence, and and ice cream outing with one of my favorite little girls, Nayeli. She turned 9 on Tuesday so I took to her get some ice cream today!

Family Visit!

Its official!Yesterday my host sister and another girl from the neighborhood helped me move into my new apartment. It is amazing how time flies. It seems like only yesterday I arrived at my host family's door with my luggage. Now, 3 months later, I am here, with my puppy, in my own apartment. Today Michel and I went into the pueblo to buy some stuff for the apartment. I bought a table stove, clorox, towels, cubetas, some food,light bulbs some other little things. I am waiting until next month to get the fridge. Later this week I will go to the hardware store to buy planks of wood. I want to mount lots of shelves around. The apartment is small and shelves will take up minimal space. I am so excited to finally have my own space. Living with my host family was great, but it was time for me to move on. I know I will be over there at least once a week though. They hav been really supportive of me during everything and I know I can count on them! They helped me out with the bed, two plastic chairs, and light bulbs! Yes, I do have electricity (whenever there is luz of course) And I also have running water (also whenever there is luz) My set up is actually pretty nice. I have two entraces, a bedroom, a living room, and a small kitchen and bathroom. There is also an outdoor sink out back. The back yard is really big and has some orange and platano trees too. It think there may be some mango trees as well! Cant wait for mango season! Now it is just a matter of be accomadating all of my things. Right now everything is still pakced because without the shelves, there really is no where to put my things. But thats okay. It was so funny to see peoples reactions to my moving in yesterday. The conversation always went the same...."Ya te mudaste verdad?" >>> "Si, hoy mismo, hace como 2 horas nada mas.">>>>"Y tu companera? Esta ahi?" >>>> "Ay no, ella era alergica a Esencia...Nada mas vivimos yo y Esencia en la casa?>>>>"QUE?!!! Vives sola?!!!" >>>> "No...con Esencia...nunca estoy sola">>>>"Ay dios mio...ten cuidado con los ladrones...no le habras a nadie...Ay dios...Solita" .... Here NO ONE lives alone...It just isnt part of the culture. I always take opportunitites such as the one I described to explain to people that in some parts of the world it is perfectly normal to live alone. Even for women. I am glad I could introduce them to this idea though. I really do feel safe here too. My neighbor is super nice and is always home since she has 4 kids and must take care of them. Last night, at around 7:30pm she yelled my name out because "no me sentia" (she didnt hear me) and she wanted to make sure I was okay. Talk about looking out! So, friends and family...please do not worry about me...Even though, voy a dormir sola...OH and please do not hesitate to send any house warming gifts! :)....portraits...towels...chocolate...posters...movies...music...pillows...candles...you know whatever!

On another note. Our 3 month service traning was last week and it also went really well. I took a young girl from my community with me and we presented the community diagnostic to the other volunteers and some peace corps officials. Everyone really liked it and I enjoyed learning about what everyone else has planned for the next two years! Now with this diagnostic business behind, it is time to get to work. I am starting 3 girl's groups, a women's group, and 2 english classes in about two weeks!I will also be spending some time at the school where I going to see if I cant incorportate a book club and art club as well. Why not before two weeks you might ask? Well, because my mother, grandmother, and aunt will be in town!!! YAY! They arrive on Saturday actually. I cannot wait to see them. I miss them so much. And I cant wait to have some good old Dunkin Donuts French Rolls either! They are only staying for a week, but I will take it! Saturday needs to hurry up already!

Check out the photos link for pictures of yesterday's move!

Moving In

Welcome 2010! I am happy to report that Christmas and New Years in the DR was quite the experience. I enjoyed experiencing Noche Buena here (had dinner at 10pm!...ha) with my host family and campo friends and spending New Years with other fellow volunteers in Cabarete. I brought in the new year by the beach! That was a first. So, now with 2009 behind me, I am looking forward to this year and everything that it will bring. It is a time for new beginnings, new experiences, new journeys, chances, opportunities, lessons, friends, and everything else! I am working hard on my community assessment and am excited for the upcoming months to really get started on some projects. This month I am beginning my English seminar with some local youth who are currently already taking an english course in the pueblo. I will also start my girl's group this month, which I am really looking forward to! :) On top of that, starting this week, I will be helping out my project partner at the school where she teaches 2-3 days a week. I am looking forward to being in a classroom setting helping out the little ones! I held volleyball practice this past Saturday and that is still going strong gracias a dios. The girls really enjoy it, and although we practice really early on Saturday mornings (8am!) they are really pumped about it so thats enough for me. Today I was in the capital printing some surveys and getting some additional resources for the girl's club and english courses. Tomorrow I will head back to my site. I think I will stop by the mercado on the way and get some fresh fruit and one or two bottles of honey! The honey is 41pesos...thats a little over one dollar! Mmm, I can taste it now...Nothing beats a natural tea with a dose of honey.

Today I also spoke to my future landlord. Yup, thats right...come february I will be moving out on my own...si dios quiere! I am really excited about this. Essence doesnt know it yet, but she is going to be a much happier dog in about a month when she is able to run around the apartment as she pleases any time!

February is going to be a busy month though. I will be moving into my new place, My family is coming to visit, and I will be in the midst of initiating my girl's club and english class. The following month, one of my best friends is coming to stay with me for a while.

I sense that the next couple of months are going to keep me very busy, but thats a good thing.

Well, that is all for now. Life here is good. It has been a rather cold winter here in the DR. It even gets into the 50's - 60's(F) in the early mornings and late nights. Though its not as astonishing as the snow that has recently fallen in Orlando!

Be sure to check out the new photos I posted (The link is on the top right....above my mailing address)There I have pictures from Christmas Eve, a visit to a private campo of a family friend, Dia de Reyes, and a family Reunion that I went to with my host family on Saturday. We went to a campo called El Jamey about 30 minutes north of my site. It was fun. I took lots of pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Here in the campos of the Dominican Republic, during Christmas time, it is common practice for Catholics to take part in Aguinaldos. This is an event that takes place each morning during the week before Christmas. A group of about 40-50 adults and children gather together their tamboras and guidos (Native instruments)and make their way to a pre chosen household to honor the inhabitants with songs, orations, prayers, and lots of hugs and smiles! Each visit usually follows a theme. For example, according to the scripture, on the 23rd of the month, the church is to dedicate an aguinaldo to a foreigner visiting the country or a pregnant woman. So yesterday at about 3p.m. a young boy came by the house to let my host family and I know that at 5 am the next morning the aguinaldo was going to be held at our house! We were going to host the aguinaldo! Yup,thats right, the aguinaldo was going to be in my honor! And what an honor it was!

Later that night I helped my host mom and sister make the te de jengibere (ginger tea)that we would brindar (offer) to the group at the end of the aguinaldo. By helped, I mean I watched, asked questions, and took photos ! I learned that at every aguinaldo,it is tradition to compartir (share) ginger tea (with chocolate mixed in! yum!) and crackers. Ginger tea is very common here, especially during December because it helps alleviate people from being cold. I watched as my host mom filled the giant pot with water, limoncillo leaves, orange tree leaves, and ginger. She then put it over the stove to boil and later added the chocolate. By the time we went to bed, it was 11:30pm. I put my alarm clock for 4:30am to make sure I didnt miss the big event. My host family assured me that I would hear the tamboras and guidos from far and would surely wake up in time. They were right. At exactly 5am the group was outside our door singing, playing..clapping, waiting for our invitation to come inside. My host dad let me do the honors of opening the door to our guests. One by one they walked in. Some sat down and the rest stood. The event last almost two full hours. The group sang many songs, read scriptures from the bible, and did special prayers in my and Paul's honor. Toward the end, we were even asked to share some Christmas songs from our country. Paul and I sang Jingle Bells and We wish you a Merry Christmas. They were both crowd pleasers :) As the group left the house, they took a cup of te de jenjibere and crackers and went along their merry way. I am glad that I got to experience an Aguinaldo and was extremely honored to have it dedicated to me. It was a really heart warming ceremony that really made me feel welcomed and gave the home that holiday feeling. It was really nice to witness such community solidarity and even more so, it was a honor to be a part of it all...

CLICK ON THE TAB ON THE TOP RIGHT ("The Journey Starts Here") to see photos from the Aguinaldo and some other fun stuff ! :)

Hospital Visits & Public Transportation

Later today I met up with Julia (a fellow volunteer from Germany)in the pueblo of San Cristobal for brunch. As we ate our grilled cheese sandwiches and sipped on our coffee and hot chocolate, I got a call from another volunteer who wanted to know if I would like to join her to Santo Domingo to pay a visit to the families we stayed with during our first month in country. I thought it would be a great idea and I would also take advantage of the trip to visit PCV Miguel at the clinic, who has been sick with pnemounia since Monday. Poor guy will be spending Christmas Eve in the hospital :( After my hospital visit, Gitana and I made our way over to our old barrio in Santo Domingo and spend the later evening there. At 5pm we made our way back to SAn Cristobal so that we would make it before nightfall. To save time, instead of going all the way to the peace corps office and taking the bus to san cristobal from there, we followed the instructions that our family in the barrio gave us which would be more convenient from our location. Two carro publicos later we ended up at Pintura, a bus stop where every bus passed by except the one we wanted! After waiting a bit and asking around, we learned that Bus Ruta A San Cristobal does not stop there. There were other buses that head to San Cristobal, but not to the part of town that i needed to get to. Finally a bus stopped with a sign that read "RA San Cristobal." It didnt say the usual Expresso Ruta A San Cristobal that we are used to, but it was close enough! Before hopping on the bus Gitana and I asked the cobrador if the route stopped at her stop and later mine. "Para en el PArque de San Cristobal?" I asked. The cobrador said yes and Gigi and I hopped on. About 5 minutes later...the entire front half of the bus started arguing with the cobrador for telling me that the bus stopped there when that route in fact did not stop at the park of San Cristobal. At this point I had about 5 Dominicans telling me alternate routes to take in order to get to the park, and though perhaps at some other point in my life I would have panicked right at that moment, after being here for 4 months I have just learned to flow with the waves...because everything always works out...one way or another. The Dominicans were genuinely more worried for me than I was. Thank you, you caring souls! In his defense, the cobrador wasnt completely flawed. The bus did stop at Gitanas stop. So after she got off, it was just me, my Dominican bus companions, and the lying cobrador. By this time it was about 6:15pm and it was getting dark. I'll admit the approachind nightfall made me a bit nervous since i had no idea where this bus would acutally leave me in relation to where i actually needed to be, but I just left it "en las manos de dios" (in gods hands) and listned as 3 Dominicans continued to bad mouth the cobrador for lying to me and trying to figure out the easist way for me to get where i needed to go. Finally, we came to a stop at the side of the highway. Outside was a line of 3 motos. The cobrador told me to take one of the motos to the park and I would get there within 5 minutes. As I walked off the bus, a young woman got off with me and told me that it wasnt a good idea to take the moto there and told me that she and her husband would drive me to wherever i needed to go........ Holy angels, they do exist! At this point I was both thankful and a bit apprehensive and even a bit confused by this woman's kind gesture. She had clearly been going home from a day at work, she didnt know me and driving me to my stop was clearly out of her and her husbands way, but still, she was doing me that favor. She and I talked a bit as we made our way to her apartment. She explained to her husband what happend and how the mean cobrador lied to me and my other american friend so that we would get on the bus and now i was far away of where i actually needed to be. And then with no questions asked he grabbed his keys and we headed toward the car. Pretty much The car ride i expressed my thanks and told them how they really were two angels. My this time it was almost 7pm and I was just hoping that there would still be carro publicos going toward my campo at that time. I have never taken a carro public past 5:30pm so this was risking it. When the nice couple dropped me off at the stop, there it was, a carro publico just waiting for one more passenger before it drove off. I thanked the nice couple again and got on my carro publico. I made it home safe and sound by 7pm. So even though I took the wrong bus and was lied to by a corrupted cobrador, I did learn an alternate way to make it to San Cristobal and I was filled with joy to be in a country where there are caring people with pure intentions looking out for me. You see...didn't I say everything always works out in the end? ;)

Hi there! These photos document my initial site visit to my campo in San Cristobal, Swearing In, and me just out and about at the campo! Enjoy! Peace

PC DR I'm A Real Volunteer Now! Site Visit, Swearing In, My time at my site!

Written 11.25.2009

Thanksgiving…new puppies…and experiences…

I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving week for 21 days and it is finally here! Though it did not start off as I had anticipated, that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be a great 4 days. Indeed I lost my Peace Corps best friend to the states and it will be hard adjusting to not having that one person to talk to every night that can understand and relate to everything that I am feeling and saying. Still, somehow I know that I will learn and grow from this and add it to the long list of Peace Corps- DR experiences that have and continue to challenge me, and essentially, at the end of the day, help me become just a little bit stronger… wiser…

Which brings me to Essence! My new puppy! This morning while I was taking care of some errands at the PC office, a fellow PCV came in with a cage full of puppies that she brought from her site to save them from being someone’s campo dinner. In the midst of puppy cage havoc full of varying volumes of barking and aimless attempts to escape from the cage, one puppy abstained from this behavior. Not only was she the smallest of the bunch, but as the rest of them barked and moved around in all sorts of directions, in the background laid a teeny tiny honey colored pup, tranquil as can be.

I took her out of the cage and held her in my arms. Something just felt right about this. Even though I wanted to tell Kaitlin at that instant that she had one less puppy to find an owner for, I withdrew from my impulse and told her that I would let her know by the afternoon. As I made my way to the computer lab upstairs my mind was already thinking of possible names for her. Only one name really came to mind – ESSENCE – the very soul, spirit, and fundamental nature of someone; or something. Most of us spend our entire lives trying to figure out and solve…to really understand why something is the way it is.

Reaching that moment of “Ah” – and successfully breaking down the subject matter, whatever it may be (love, life, yourself, calculus problem, etc) down to its core – is rewarding. Challenging?

Yes…impossible? No such thing

So, my mission here for the next two years (for the rest of my life really) is to search inward, outward, and all around to reach the essence of everything that I will do here. I will do so openly and humbly.

Essence came into my life at a very crucial point in my service. Sometimes I think that I may need her more than she needs me. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Happy December

Written December 1 2009

Whoa… I have been at my site for one month now! Its December! just yesterday it was Thanksgiving. Time…you just fly by! Two days ago I went to La Sirena to get Essence her bed and some shampoo. She is so smart. She goes straight to her bed whenever shes tired or is going to sleep. I am trying to train her not to bite my toes (she really likes to do that!) and that she can’t sleep with me on my bed. This morning she barked and scratched so that I would pick her up and have her lay with me. I didn’t let her and now I think she is upset with me. I opened the door this morning and she refused to leave the room. Every time I’d walk into the room shed get up from her bed and her body away from me. I hope she doesn’t stay upset too long.

Today I am working on my seasonal calendar and community map with the help from my community partners. Yesterday was such a weird day. I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to see or speak to anyone here. I just wanted to be alone…with Essence of course! It’s crazy how one day can be so low and the next day can be great. Today I am feeling a lot better. I feel good, motivated, and ready to work. I will admit, it has been a little rough getting used to my site again after being in the capital for 4 days. Everything was so comfortable there. Being with all of the other volunteers just made me feel at home. When I arrived back to my campo on Saturday, it was almost like starting anew again. Which let me just say, is not a good feeling. But I am glad to say that I am getting back into the groove of things again.

I am really just trying to change my outlook on this experience. All along I haven’t been looking at this as my job. I’ve been so busy just trying to adjust and get by without totally stressing out that I have lost sight of my purpose here. I am here to help the community by creating sustainable development through English/arts/etc classes, presentations on health issues (and other issues), sports clubs, and other educational and social activities. I am here not only to teach people, but to learn from them. I am here to listen to what they need to make their community better and do everything in my power to help make that happen. My community wants English classes, a youth center, arts classes, help with documentation, a sala de tarea, a girl’s group, an Escojo group, a reading club, and oh yea, they want to build a community center! I am excited that they are so motivated to help with the progress of their community but sometimes it just feels like they forget that I am just one person and that development is a time consuming process, which doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes I have to remind myself of all of this as well. Today, I see clearly. I feel good, I feel comfortable with why I am here, and optimistic about all I will do. I’ll just end with saying that Peace Corps wasn’t lying when they said this would be the hardest job we’ll ever love.

Follow my photo story of my life in the peace corps thusfar

I have LOTS AND LOTS of photos so bear with me, but here are some of the very beginning!

PC DR The Very Beginning

PC-DR CBT in Constanza 9/11-10/16

I have skype now!

SKYPE ME AT PEACEFLOWER710!

Oh I just adopted a puppy too. Its a good day!

Written November 22 2009

It is guandule season here in the DR. In the past week I have helped pick, de-shell and eat guandules like no other! My favorite part is the de-shelling process- or degranando. A circle of 4 or 5 women/young girls gather ( usually outside the house or in the galleria) around a big platter of guandules and together begin the degranar as they talk, make jokes, and gossip. Though the job can be done alone, it takes a lot less time with 3 or 4 extra pair of helping hands. As the guandules are picked out of their shell, they go into a container and the shell is thrown on the ground until the process is completed. At first none of the donas wanted me to help degranar because the shells can be dirty and sticky sometimes and they didn’t want me to “manchar” or stain my hands. I insisted and told them that with a little water, that would come right off. I am now a pro at degranando guandules.

Yesterday I vistited a school in the neighboring campo where one of the women of the community work. It was really neat to see how the schools here operate. Her class of preschoolers were adorable. I had arrived just in time for recess and ate some arroz con leche that the school prepares (their daily snack). After that, Delia read to them and then had them draw images from the story. Delia did a great job in decorating the classroom. It was full of dynamic colors, games, and decorations. I told her that one day I was going to bake cupcakes and bring them as a treat for her class. The school is really small. It goes up to 6th grade and has 5 teachers and around 200 students. The school was recently expanded and remodeled so it is in pretty good condition. However, there are no bathroom facilities yet so whenever the kids have to go they either run home or go across the street to use the neighbor’s bathroom. All of the kids live within a 5 minute walk from the school so at the end of the day, they are released and they just walk home. Delia saw how shocked I was to see little 4 year olds walked home by themselves.

This week I also shadowed another volunteer to learn about the documentation process. There are currently 200,000 undocumented people in the Dominican Republic. Kaitlin and I made our way to the Ayuntamiento and Oficialia of San Cristobal to help 6 Dominicans get documented. We arrived at 8 in the morning and were finished by noon. The process can be a bit time consuming because a lot of people arrive early in the morning. First they hand in all of the required paperwork to the Oficialia to make sure that they are not missing anything. Then they are interviewed by the judge to verify that they know their name, birth date, local mayor, place of birth, etc. After that they go to another office where more paperwork is filled out. After seeing how it all works and the role that I as a PCV have, it is definitely something that I want to continue to work on. When the applicants come in accompanied by a Peace Corps volunteer, the Oficialia takes them a lot more seriously and is less likely to deny them their papers and make them wait hours and hours to be seen. A lot of the time, Dominicans feel intimidated to go to the Oficialia alone. When they go accompanied they feel a lot more confident and sure of themselves. Kaitlin introduced me to the two key people in the Oficialia; the judge and to office manager – I told them that they would be seeing more of me.

So everything is going well here. Last Sunday I held my first volleyball practice andtIt went really well. The girls seemed to have enjoyed themselves which is the most important thing. Tomorrow some other volunteers and I are going to Kaitlin’s despedida party. I bet her community is going to be really sad to see her go. On Monday, Paul and I will be in Santo Domingo taking care of some loan deferment business. We will then be there again on Wednesday where all of the volunteers will reunite for Thanksgiving week! I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. Oh, how time flies!

Today was a good day. Paul and I went to visit a fellow volunteer in a campo about 30minutes from us. We attended Joanna’s community center inauguration reception, which was absolutely amazing. It was so inspiring and motivating to see the fruits of her two year long labor. It was also heart warming to see her interact with her community. It was apparent how close they have grown and how well she integrated over the course of two years. It is hard to imagine that one day, two years from now, I will be in a similar situation. I just hope my community grows to love and adore me as much as Loma Verde loves Joanna!

Today was the first day since I have been at my site that I have felt free and independent. As silly as that sounds when I say it aloud, its true. Since I’ve been here, I have constantly been surrounded by a neighbor, a host family member, a kid, a friend of a neighbor, a family member of a host family member, a friend of a neighbor, etc. I have been walked or driven everywhere and have been accompanied at home any time that I have been perceived me to be lonely. Its been a great experience because I have met tons of people that way, but it has also made me appreciate the little things that I have done for myself for so long like: go to the store, prepare a meal, or just go for a walk.

But today was different. Paul and I walked down the road until we found a shady spot to wait for our camioneta or gua gua, and just waited…and waited…and waited. We actually waited 2 hours until our camioneta passed by. It was great. We hopped on the back of the pick- up truck and joined the 6 passengers that were already seated. One of them immediately knew where we were going. “Vas a donde Joa verdad,? Ella es amiga mia.” It is amazing how the people of the community get to know us and look out for us. Once we made it to our stop, Paul and I decided that we would opt out of the motor ride and walk the loma verde instead. The hill that everyone warned would be way too long to walk turned out to be a serene 15 minute walk. Once we made it to the community, before we got a chance to realize that we couldn’t find Joa’s house, a man standing outside his colmado walked us right to her doorstep. Paul and I had made it! On our own - with a little guidance from our Dominican friends of course – but overall, on our own.

*a week-in review*

It’s crazy to think that I have been at my site for a week now. So many different emotions have circulated through my inner being in the past 7 days, whenever I stop and try to make sense of it, it just gets more confusing. The emotional rollercoaster has been quite a ride, but I am thankful for every dip because it makes the high points that much more meaningful. Even though I have learned and grown so much since I arrived, I feel like this past week has been a special growing period in my life. My mental and emotional states have been challenged and pushed to greater heights. It’s a great feeling to be able to surpass those challenges and look down at them from the top. It is also reassuring because it gives me the confidence to know that despite any challenges that may arise, in the end, I will make it through.

Written on 11.6

And then there were 4

Today I rode a moto with three other people. That’s right, not 1,not 2, but 3! Its actually pretty normal here.Nairobi (host sister’s bf), me, Nicol (9 yr old from the community and drawing buddy), and Michel (host sister) fit perfectly on Nairobi’s motor. According to everyone, its totally normal for 5 people to be on all at once! Even though I am not a fan of the motor, I strapped on my helmet, sucked it up, and took the ride as an adventurous journey!

Written on November 5, 2009I know that it has been a lifetime since I have written and so much has happened since Times in Constanza. I am finally at my site. I have been here for not even a full week yet. My campo is really beautiful and everyone is really supportive and hospitable. I have already met tons of people and youth and I meet more every day. But before I get into that, just a quick recap of the last 5 weeks of my life. My time spent in Constanza was great. The night before it was time for us to go, we had a despedida where the volunteers and the community gathered together for a farewell party. It was a really fun night with food, music, and tears! I am really going to miss my host family there and allof the amazing people that I met. But I also know that I am going to visit them whenver possible so that makes me feel a bit better. Swearing in was the next big event before finally moving into our sites. It was a really nice ceremony which in a way, made all of this real. It marked the beginning of another step in our peace corps lives. We are no longer trainees. We are no longer following a structured schedule, and we are no longer all together. Everyone is at their site, marching to the beat of their own drum. This still doesn’t feel quite real to me. Once again I am in twilight zone mode where it has yet to occur to me that I am going to be living and working in this community for the next two years. The same thing happened to me when I got to constanza. It wasn’t until half way through week 2 that I realized the reality of this all. I’ll admit, it was quite a scary realization. But somewhere between swearing in and now, I have falllen back into that surreal life mode. I expect that sometime next week, reality will strike again. So now I am sure you are all curious about my campo. Well, it is about 30minutes away from Santo Domingo (by car), 2 hours away by public transportation. It Is really green with lots of fruit trees and greenery everywhere. Every house has a nice back yard with avocado, coconut, cherry, platano, mango, and orange trees. It really is pretty amazing. Some people have entire land plots (un parcel) where they grow just about every fruit or vegetable you could think of. Walking by the house one would never imagine that behind it, there is land that stretches out hundreds of square feet. There is one main road in my community which is mainly occupied by motoconchos. I am close to a river, although right now it is just emptiness. It fills up during the heavy rainy season and becomes really dangerous because it interferes with the road that people take to enter/exit the community. There is a cancha (basketball court) for the kids to play, but other than that there is no other recreational outlet for the youth. But hopefully that will change soon. The youth of my campo are all really excited and motivated to get projects started. They are all really excited to learn english especially. The girls are also enthusiastic about forming a volleyball team. I already got a solid 10 girls that want to play so Volleyball should begin in 1-2 weeks, si dios quiere, as they say here in the DR. My main focus/purpose these first three months however is just to get to know my community and integrate as much as possible. I am responsible for conducting an assessment of the community to identify its priorities, strengths, and needs. It will also help me get better acquainted to the people and will serve as my baseline to identify future project areas. Once I have completed my diagnostic, I will have a much better understanding of the communities needs and priorities, which will allow me to work alongside them effectively. There is so much work to be done and so many people are depending on me. Sometimes it is a bit overwhelming. On top of that, trying to adjust to a totally new and different environment with new people and customs, is no easy task. Luckily, everyone has been super supportive of me. But still, even with that, its just hard sometimes. Life for me right now really is a rollercoaster. Even though I expected this to be difficult at times, I guess I really didn’t know what to expect or just how difficult it would be. Just being around my host family is bittersweet. On one hand its great because they’re great and do everything to make sure that I feel comfortable and like part of the family. But on the other hand, I sit outside the house with my host mom, my host sister, and my other host sister who has a 7month old daughter and talk and listen as they drink coffee, eat crackers, and look over store magazines for specials and it makes me think of my own family back in the states and how much I miss everyone. I am really grateful Peace Corps gives us cell phones and that I have a powerful signal where I am so that I can talk to my family everyday. As for everyone else who perhaps didn’t know that I I have a cell phone, now you do so I hope that everyone will get a calling card and call ! I even have texting. My schedule here is so different than our schedule at technical training. Every day I wake up about 9am to 2 little girls who just wait for me so that I can play with them. Nicol and Nicauri are 7 and 9 but they are two main reasons why I wake up and my day starts off so well every morning. Seeing their smiling faces and the excitement in their eyes when they see me just makes my day. I always bring out some markers and paper and we draw together usually for 2 hours until it is time for them to go to school. Then I usually eat lunch, talk with the host family a bit, and then walk over to one of the neighboring houses to talk to people who I havent met yet. After that I will come back home, sleep for an hour, read over some diagnostic materials, and then visit some more houses and just chit chat for 2, sometimes 3 hours at a time. Then I return home again, read a book ( currently reading “Como agua para chocolate,”), or write in my journal. Sometimes some girls will stop by and we’ll sit in the galeria and talk or walk around the community. Everyone is so sweet here. I never leave someones home without them giving me a bag of fruit or some sort. Today I received “jagua.” Yesterday it was bananas . I wonder what tomorrow will be. Well that’s a recap of how life in the campo has been. Today has been a pretty good day so far. Although Nicol and Nicauri are in the mist of an argument so I didn’t get my double dose of happiness this morning. Hopefully tomorrow things will be back to normal. Also, tomorrow my host sister and I are going to do some exercise. We are supposed to leave at 7:30am. We’ll see how that goes! I hope everyone is doing great and that life is treating you all swell! I really do miss you all! Love Valerie

Eating at a local place at EL Conde in Santo Dom. (Kind of a throw back picture now)

My Constanza host family!

Crossing the teenie tiny bridge...

About half of the group. The other half was resting after the 300 steps (not an exaggeration!!) we had to climb. This photo makes me realize how small I really am.

Me, Spring, and Gitana!

Donny with his host brother and my host sister, Gali

I cannot believe that I have been in Constanza for a week already! Constanza is everything that people said it would be. In the early morning hours and late at night temperatures drop to as low as 30 and 40 degrees. During the day, there is a constant cool breeze, which I absolutely love. The people here are also really sweet and and endearing. My host family here is really sweet. I have 2 host sisters (one is 13 and the other is 16). We get along really well and often have talent shows and sing along to Selena and Michael Jackson. Yesterday some volunteers and I went to the basketball courts to play basketball with one of the youth groups. Jenny and I were the only females playing so we were representing the ladies!

Last week my group and I presented our community diagnostic. I thought it went really well and it got me excited for the weeks to come. My group and I will be working with an eco-club for the duration of the time that we will be in Costanza. The group, though really small, (only 3 members) is really .

Last week, a bunch of us went to La Presa ( a river).We had to cross over tons of rocks and a really sketchy bridge to get there, but it was lots of fun. The water was freezing cold, but the spot was really beautiful and not to mention really really clean.

The river was surrounded by moutains and tons of green which just made it somewhere to relax and enjoy nature!

Here are some photos of the river trip !

the kids and I in front of Alison´s home

Me and Olgah, Alison´s project partner.

Today marked the end of CORE training for our group of 48 aspiring PCV´s. Tomorrow we will begin CBT where we will spend the next 5 weeks with other members of our program (in my case YOUTH). I am really excited about living in Constanza for 5 weeks because I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it. Mountains, cooler climate, fresh fruits, waterfalls, etc. Finally, after hearing so much about it, myself along with the other 15 youth development promoters will finally be in Constanza. We will be introduced to our new host families, meet our youth groups, and begin working more specifically in terms of youth and community development. Not to mention, we will get a break from this HEAT! I have been told that the barrio we will be living in will have internet accessibility to I will definitely update you all once I am there!

This week is exciting because I will be visiting a fellow volunteer at her site. I will be taking a 4.5 hour bus ride to a batey in the south of the country to get a more in depth look at the typical life of a pcv. Bateys are communities in the south of the country, with a mostly Haitian population, where the most common form of making a living is working in the sugar cane fields. i expect the experience to be educating and eye opening.

next week i will begin CBT training in Constanza. I will spend about 5 weeks there and I am really looking forward to that because it is located further North in the country so the weather will be cooler. I will miss my host family here in santo domingo though. Especially the delicious natural teas that my dona makes me every morning! But I look forward to the change of scenery. Time goest by really slowly here. At first I thought it was just me but after speaking with some other volunteers, they feel the same way. After doing some serious thinking as to why this might be, I came up with an answer. Pace of life in the U.S.( even if you´re from a small city) is so much faster than life in the DR. In the states, people are always doing something, even when they´re not doing anything ie..computer, watching tv..

But here, since surfing the net and watching tv for hours just isnt part of societal living, people do other things to pass the time such as go outside and sit in the porch, walk around, or hang out by the colmado. Based off of my experience it seems to me that Dominicans really live each day more and take life each day at a time. I never really see anyone in a rush or a hurry. This is very different when compared to the U.S..... especially NYC. I have therefore come to the conclusion that the reason why me and other volunteers that i have spoken to feel that we have been here for over a month when really its just been 11 days, is because we are adjusting the the change in pace of life. I think that with time, we will grow accustomed the the pace here, and I personally look forward to it. A couple of days ago I thought to myself, ¨the days go by so slow here.¨ But now I know better and think that Dominicans live each and every day in a way that we could never understand.... unless we lived it too..Talk about giving a new meaning to the tem living life

Hello everyone! I am writing to you all from an internet cafe which is literally like a 5minute walk from my new home! It is my third day here in my new barrio right outside of Santo Domingo and I love love love it! The barrio where I live is relatively big and there are a lot of stray dogs around. They seem sick whenever I pass by and don´t bother anyone. Almost everyone rides un motoconcho and there tons of colmados on the streets. There are also two panaderias in the barrio, in fact, one of them is right across the street from this internet cafe. The other one is right around ¨El Parque de Toronja¨. I live with a wonderful woman named Dona Diga and her granddaughter Lorena who is right around my age. I live right across the street from 4 other girls so we pretty much go everywhere together. The other girl´s host mom´s and my host mom are all related so the families are all very close. I lost count of how many primos, tias, tios, and hermanas I have met. And the children....they are wonderful! Dona Digna says ¨que le cai muy bien a todos¨ so I am pretty happy about that. Yesterday me and the other girls were playing futbol with them, singing to them, and even did some dancing! The kids love to listen to me sing in English. I sang some Chris Brown, Ciara, and even some Michael Jackson. haha.

Dona Digna is really sweet and a great cook. And get this, the four trainees that she housed before me were all vegetarians as well so she is a pro in vegetarian meals. My first dinner consisted of yucca topped with onions, berenjena, cheese slices, and a side of tomatos, mangos, and a banana!

Yesterday me and the other girls rode the carro publicos for the first time. Carro publicos are like taxi cabs but are less expensive and follow SOMEWHAT of a designated route. I still haven´t ridden the gua gua or motoconcho but I look forward to both!

Today Lorena, Gitana, Andrea, and I went to La Sirena, which is equivalent to a Walmart of Target in the states. I bought some post cards, some instant oatmeal, and candies for los ninos.

I am really enjoying my time here so far and I feel lucky to have been placed with such a nice family. I have already become a pro at taking bucket baths! You will be amazed at how clean you can get with minimal water. The people around my barrio are all really social and endearing. In the evenings everyone goes outside to talk, listen to music, and just try to keep cool! It has been raining on and off today and the weather was the same yesterday. Still, it is always humid, humid, humid. But I don´t mind it that much at all. I think living in Miami for three years helped prepare me for this weather. It might also have been my own little summer pre Peace Corps training where I slept without any AC! My family thought I was crazy for doing so, but it is paying off now =) I am off now, but I will try to write once a week while I am here so keep a look out for new posts. I will try to post some photos tomorrow when I ask to borrow a fellow trainee´s laptop at ENTRENA. By the way, our group is awsome. There are about 53 of us, 30 something females and 19 males and hopefully that number stays the same! Ahora si que me voy!

PS' If you wish to send me mail (PLEASE DO)

The address is the following. There was a mistake in the address I posted before.

My name, PCT

Cuerpo De Paz

Apartado 1412

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

I love and miss you all very much

In approximately 3 hours we will leave D.C. and head over to Santo Domingo. It hasn't hit me yet that I will be living on the island for the next 27 months ...si dios quiere.

I think that it will take me stepping foot on Dominican ground for it to really sink in. Everyone seems really nice and I am excited to officially begin this new chapter of my life. Don't get me wrong, saying goodbye to my family this morning was no easy task. What can I say...I laughed...I cried...But honestly, I feel like I am right where I should be. I just cannot wait to arrive and get to work. I can't wait to breathe Dominican air. I imagine it and it seems so wonderful! But really, I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Earlier this evening me and a couple of volunteers walked into 7Eleven and as I walked over the DVD section, one of me and my mother's favorite movies was there...just waiting for my attention. The movie by the way is Evening and I highly recommend it. Anyway, estatic by the awsome and RARE find, I bought it. What are the odds that was going to walk into a 7Eleven today (in Arlington, VA I might add)and find one of my favorite movies of all time? Some may call it a coincidence. Not me. It was something much more powerful than that. It was a sign and it said, "Valerie, you are here for a reason."

But enough about that. This time tomorrow I will be in the DR! Yay!

p.s.- thank you to all who called me today to wish me safe travels! please write!

-the framepack

I did it. I finally did it. After a good month of deciding and then not deciding to get a frame pack (those big backpacks people use for hiking trips), this morning I ordered a black High Sierra 45L. It should arrive between August 6 -12.

For a long time, I couldn't decide what travel equipment would serve me simply and comfortably on my two year long trip to the DR. I thought, "Big roller luggages? Too big and heavy!... Small roller luggages?...not big enough!... big Framepack?... Too expensive!...Duffel bags?...Too much hassle..." You get the picture...

But alas, after all of the mental confusion, I finally got my stuff together. My luggage goes as follows: 1 framepack, 1 medium sized roller luggage, and 1 everyday- style back pack (thanks Chris!) Now all I have to do is get a real move on the packing. I have already begun to select the clothes that I will bring with me, but that in itself quite the process. A part of me wants to bring 4 or 5 bottoms and 6 or 7 tops and call it a day, but another part of me wants to brings so much more! I have a plan though. Each day I am going to go over my current pile of potential peace corps attire, and weed out the pieces that will stay nice and unworn here in NYC.

The frame pack that will assist me with my travel needs in the DR.

-the haircut

Females know what I am talking about when I say, maintaining hair is a job that requires time and effort. During my service, I would like to minimize the amount of time and effort devoted to my hair as much as possible and that is why a few days ago, I asked my mom to cut it. Now I wash it, put on some frizz-ease, and 10 minutes later I am all done. Not to mention my head feels so much lighter and cooler :)

One more month before the big day!

While I am in the DR please send any postcards, letters, packages (padded envelopes only) to

the following address:

(My Name), PCT

Cuerpo de Paz

Avenida Bolivar 451, Gazcue

Apartado 1412

Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic

DR, I will there soon!

Hello and Welcome!

On June 5, I received my Peace Corps invitation to serve in the Dominican Republic as a Youth Development Promoter. I will begin my two year long adventure on August 18 2009 and I can't wait! I will use this blog to keep everyone updated on life in the DR- Peace Corps style!

I still can't believe that I will be living and working in the Dominican Republic for two years ! I wonder, How will my community be? What will my host family be like? Will this really be the toughest job I'll ever love? Come August, my life will change completely. How exciting!