I apologize greatly for not posting lately. The last week has had all the bumps, twists, turns and loops than I could have ever imagined. Yes, the grapevine is right: I am back in Chicago, safe and sound! Now, I am not sure how to go about describing every moment, memory, cramp, scare, or sentiment that went along with the past week. I am still wrestling with this and another thought of, "Did I do what was best for me and my health?" As each Central hour passes, I have begun confirming that I made the right decision...yet, the pesty diablito y angelito [little devil and angel] remain hopping up and yelling into my ear otherwise. So, you ask for the dirty details huh?, here they are...

P/S: I included a lot more pictures for those of you who are more visual like myself. ;)

"Hello Richie. How Do You...Gut Someone?" [An Altered Quote from the 1996 Horror Film "Scream"]

My very own horror flick began with stomach pain and then a call. As my avid Blogger fans know, I was still very ill with little proof of why. My 24-hour schedule would be as follows: Eat a starchful dinner at 6:30 pm, hang out with the host family afterwards, bed at 9:00 pm, wake up at 12:30 am, run to the bathroom with a pillow for my head, sleep on the toilet until 5:00 am, waddle back to my mosquito-safe bed, wake up at 7 am for training, and training from 8 am until roughly 6 pm. This was my cyclical routine, day in and day out. I could not sleep well because I would feel as if a knife was taken to my stomach and twisted clockwise. I had the "D" or "Rea" (whichever code-name you choose to use) constantly throughout the night that I could not bear to make it back to my room without another calling. I followed all the Peace Corps Diarrhea Commandments that were set in stone on our Medical Handbook tablets:

Eat small meals of only starches and carbohydrates. In my case, oil-free/plain white rice, bread, mangú [mashed plantain], mashed potatoes, soup, and bananas.Keep well hydrated. I drank Gatorade as much as I could but with each bottle costing $DR 45 and us volunteers making $DR 35 a day, it became a struggle. So I followed the cheap homemade Rehydration Salt Solution: 8 teaspoons of table sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 liter of water. Each household had those ingredients. I always topped it off with a naranja agria [sour orange; Dominican orange that's smaller and sour] to add some flavoring. This probably only added to my stomach ache. Obviously no pop, coffee, tea, alcohol or many other liquids were consumable.Do not take any medications for 24 hours (including Imodium or Pepto Bismol).After the D/Rea slows down, introduce a bit of chicken into the diet. Unfortunately, I never got to this point in 3 weeks!!Since my abdominal cramps and D/Rea continued into week 2, the PC nurses had me taking spasmodic pills after each meal to ease the digestion process and half an Imodium (a whole pill would constipate me--that was all I needed!) to keep it in. Still, I woke up at the same hour in the night in extreme pain.

On the night of September 9th, I was in tears due to the pain. I thought to myself, "Is this worth it? I am not able to help others if I cannot even help myself..." To be a successful volunteer, I have to be physically and mentally stable, and my condition did not allow me to be either. I could not continue to picture myself as a failure because I'm not. I just reminded myself that things didn't work out as planned and God has other plans for me. The next morning, the entire training crew were set to leave for their CBT (Community Based Training) sites. I was all packed, well possessions but not my excitement. I feared leaving for Baní (an hour and a half away from the Peace Corps hospital in Santo Domingo) when if I got more sick or changed my mind, I would have to go alone, jump on a motorcycle then two gua guas with my suitcase, find my way to Santo Domingo, take another gua gua to my Pantoja host home (an hour northwest of Santo Domingo downtown) to get the stuff I was leaving there, return to Santo Domingo for the Clínica Abreau (the only hospital PCVs are allowed at since other hospitals in the country could do crazy things to Americans to charge much more and due to the uncleanliness including HIV infection) , then go through the process of leaving. I later found out that where my CBT was was super rural and poor, almost everyone got ill sometime during their 5 weeks in the last training group, and how most of the families could only afford to serve rice and beans (not very nutritious).

Tiny Map of Baní (Volunteers Outside of Baní, But Here's An Idea)

I decided to call one of the 24/7 nurses who preached honestly and lovingly, "See how you feel in the morning but keep in mind that with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) it is strongly recommended that you learn/know how to control your digestion system or you are better off going home. After all, if your medical records read that you had a preexisting case of IBS, you would not have been sent to country. Furthermore, your stool sample came back negative." I agreed and found myself dreading a final decision and the rough night ahead.

**Cramp, Squeeze, Grumble, Twisting --AH!**

I could not withstand the pain no longer! I first spoke to my host mother and then picked up the phone, used my 6 minute $US 1.50 calling card to ring my mother, who called Jorge to call me right after. I explained my situation and they both supported either decision that I was to make. Comic Relief Side Note: Jorge revealed to me that during the past week he had been experiencing the D/Rea. I told him it was the symptoms of sympathy for me, but then I forgot he had gone to Puerto Vallarta, México on vacation and probably brought back Moctezuma's Revenge. He made me break a smile on the phone by joking about me either sending my fecal/parasitic water to his Chicago sink or that I misused a Haitian Voo Doo Doll, LOL. Back to my story: that night, I squatted with tears running down my face while contemplating on when I had the energy/force to pick up another full bucket to lower the toilet water. Staring at the cockroaches dancing around the bathroom floor so gaily, I realized even those who have the worst life find ways to enjoy themselves. For does a cockroach know he what he is and how others perceive him to be??? I found my eyes following the critters paths causing me to fall into a deep, sleepy daze of confusion that led to pure despair.

Splitting Of Two Paths

The next morning, I woke up drenched in sweat (well I hope it wasn't toilet water) and listening to the quotidian norm of dogs barking, roosters cock-a-doodling, and the across the street colmado metal doors sliding open. I ate my powdered milk oatmeal and met the other neighboring volunteer with my PC Medical Kit, Mosquito Net, motoconcho helmet and Spanish books in hand to return. The volunteer looked at my palid face and said "You're not going to CBT are you?" I explained my case for the first time (and what would be told over and over from then on) and walked the trashed dirt street of La Isabela for one last run.

An Entrena Classroom

When I got to Entrena, I went to see the training director who hugged me and said, "It's ok. Your calling is elsewhere." From then onward my tears produced more running water than my barrio faucet had in a month and a half. I handed out all the items my real mom had sent via correo [snail mail] (well except for the Fiber bars that would later be an asset) to all the other volunteers who cried, hugged and loved along with me. This proved to me how strong of a bond I had created with this group of 51 strangers. We all had mutual understanding from being in the same boat without running water, electricity, an abundance of food and more "luxuries." As me dio cuenta más tarde [I later realized], one volunteer went down the secretive path of slipping a farewell note into my bag. It was along the same lines as other volunteers said to me: "You are the excitement/heart/soul of the group; You remained so strong through illness and rough times; The girls mentioned: We'll miss our gay (in both sentidos [senses]--smiley/happy & sexually) boyfriend; You were the one person I could tell anything and everything to; I can't survive without your daily hugs!" These comments filled me with the oxymoronic "happy sadness" emotion. I spent an hour and a half despidiendo ["farewelling"] all my strong-willed friends for life with hugs, teary-eyed photo shoots and chatty walks around the gated-in training center natural paradise.

During this time, I came across another volunteer named Kelley who was balling. I assured her that if being a volunteer isn't for her, then she can feel free to come back to the States with me. After she talked it over with the training director and such, the PC driver took us both past our host homes for one last goodbye and to get out belongings. That's when the true fun began.

Checklist To Nowhere

The Peace Corps DR Office

When Kelley and I arrived to the Peace Corps office in Santo Domingo, we were given an ET (Early Termination) checklist to complete. This list included seventeen items requiring the initials of eight people (the training director, CD country director, CD secretary, Programming-Training director, APCD Health director, nurses, financial officer, financial officer secretary). Coordinating all these people who have different schedules and take 2 hour lunches was quite the aggravating task. The nurse's receptionist joked, "It's more difficult getting out than in!" (That comment was hard to believe after I had spent 2 years in the endless application process). Kelley and I began our medical reviews which required three stool samples. We were not allowed to leave the country until we had three. So we were given two days to stuff ourselves to produce enough specimen. We also had to provide everything health orientated that we had submitted to enter the Peace Corps (my friends and family remember that 3 month process). In addition to the three stool samples, we also provided a urine sample and several vials of blood.

In My Favorite Seat Producing Stool Samples

(At Least On A Flushing Toilet)

That evening and the next day were super hectic with trying to catch all the people we needed to initials from, going back and forth between the one hospital PCVs are allowed to go to (during the day only due to safety--which is scary in itself since people hiss/whistle at Americans, pull you into their gua guas as an advertisement gimmick to get primarily male riders to get on, and pedestrians possess hand guns "for fun?!" in the streets), and trying our best to eat anything and everything that would produce three stool samples (my mom's fiber bars, dairy, greasiness, coffee galore, fresh fruit like papaya). My hospital results came back the next day with my second stool sample coming back with blood, yeast and some bacteria in it; my blood with an infection; an ear infection. Here's the kicker! My favorite nurse deemed that she does not believe I have IBS but instead Crohn's Disease. Since all I needed to get rid of the infection were antibiotics, I was offered to stay as a PCV. Without thinking, I continued strong by mentioning that I had already made my decision after my health was not improving, telling my family back home and partially accepting my decision myself.

Clínica Abreau (The Only Hospital in the DR PCVs Can Use)

That night, Kelley and I were placed in a hostel with our own private rooms, instead of the multiple person rooms. However, my room had its own bathroom yet no AC, while hers had AC and a shared bathroom. I ended up staying in her room since there were two beds anyway. For me, this place seemed luxurious with AC (that was barely kicking but did something) and a shower (without a shower head but did have water shoot out of it). The rooms had tons of mosquitoes to dodge (mosquitoes are not like in the States but similar to robotic insects which don't allow you to feel their presence and fly in strange patterns that allow them to escape your clapping hands) and no mosquiteros like we were used to since we had to give back our PC issued ones. Everyone says that mosquitoes don't bite when there is AC; I don't believe that for one second after my night experience. Secondly, I wasn't worried about Malaria since we are on Aralen pills (which I still have to take for another 28 days) and because Malaria supposedly doesn't exist within the city limits (perhaps due to pollution, but I don't fall for that one either). I was just freaking out about Dengue Fever day mosquitoes and... Well I saw the beds in our room and the comforter and sheets had past visitor's hairs and stains. I tore back the top two covers and the sheets were so thin that I could see the floral mattress through them. I joked saying, "This seems like bed bug conditions. Watch we get bed bugs and Dengue and are not able to ever leave!" Kelley wore long scrub pants and a hoodie to bed while dumbie me wore my pajama shorts and a white tee. Later that night I woke up scratching with burning skin. I threw on my dress pants and socks to survive the rest of the night...while running between the bathroom and the room all night long and trying to catch each sample in my little plastic cup. Let's just say neither Kelley or I caught much shut eye.

Kelley & I Dodge Bed Bugs On Night 2

The next morning I found myself back in the Peace Corps clinic. It was first revealed to me that I had bed bugs so I had to use some spray and cream on my skin and clothes. The following night was spent in our clothes covering every part of our bodies. We did get a lot more sleep at least. I was also told that my third stool sample was lost by the clinic so they wanted me to produce a fourth. I told them "unless you want me to have hemorrhoids too, don't ask." Still, Kelley had her third left and we supported each other, to the point of showing each other our droppings out of excitement. We were so desperate that we were thinking about purchasing suppositories, laxatives or even paying another volunteer for their excrement or finding dog poop on the street (the last idea was my mine but then we thought that both volunteers and animals probably end up with some parasite and amoeba and then we would be doomed by not receiving departure permission and taking some nasty medications). That day at 6 pm, Kelley and I FINALLY received our last initials and plane itinerary.

Kelley and I awaited a long day since my plane was to leave at 9 am from Santo Domingo and I would arrive in Chicago at 7 pm Central Time. We took the same taxi to the airport at 6:30 am so she wouldn't be alone in Santo Domingo until she had to catch her flight at 1:30 pm. We said our goodbyes and I hopped on my plane that had an island-hop layover in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Believe it or not, this one hour and 15 minute flight was not as easy as I thought it would be and this wasn't due to the bratty, loud infant on his mother's lap behind me. Everyone on the plane smelled a strange burning smell and saw smoke in the cabin. It just so happened that someone's bag with hairspray in the overhead compartment spilled and bled into the air conditioning unit. This started a small fuego [fire] which the flight attendant thankfully found and put out. Everyone on the plane was freaked out but kept their fingers crossed that we would arrive shortly since we had crossed the Mona Passage (the waterway separating the Dominican from Puerto Rico) and could see the crystalline Puerto Rican shore. For me, this was not just any shore but United States territory. I celebrating stepping off that plane and seeing organization, a Starbucks (even though I'm not a fan, but they were handing out a yummy taste sample of some Cinnamon latte and pumpkin cake) and a drinking fountain with potable water! I was just about to kiss the ground until I thought to myself, "I'm still not on the mainland." I later had issues with customs because my infection pills did not have an accompanying prescription. Prescriptions are only a developed world deal. Anywhere in Latin America you can walk up to a pharmacy, tell the pharmacist your symptoms and get cheap pills in seconds, WONDERFUL! Customs ended up tossing one packet of my other stomach cramp pills but allowed me to keep my infection pills, thank God, since I need to continue taking them until the regimen is over with!

A Random Plane Part In My DR Barrio Making Flying An Even More Scary Experience

When I returned home ON TIME (that's a first; especially with all of Gustav's or Hannah's aftermath rain and flooding...All the departure planes were delayed) to O'Hare, my baggage had actually arrived successfully. I found my mother and aunt and gave them big hugs. My family went out to dinner at Applebees (I was dying for a salad from which I could eat the lettuce--Cheers for the Oriental Chicken Salad) and everyone said "Ew you smell purely musty and like moth balls." My sister Lindsy wouldn't get near me because of the whole bed bugs fiasco. I had no idea, for my nose had just simply adjusted.

Con La Boca Arriba

All my 'welcome home' anxieties had not come to peace all so easily. I had no cheap, walk-up pharmacy remedy for the morning after culture shock effects. I opened my eyes to find myself 6 pounds lighter but not surrounded by a olive green mosquitero, a dripping ceiling, wet sheets, spying/itchy insects, or a tin roof. I stood up, looked out my house window onto the extensive, blue Lake Michigan and thought, "Man, if only I could send bottles of that fresh water to the Dominican." I threw some clothes in the washer, turned on the dryer instead of the washing machine, and found a stone in my throat. I began to ball...as if someone close to me had passed away... I sucked it up, wiped the tears off my chin, and whispered to myself optimistic thoughts. I headed to the bathroom of pearly white and took my DR toothbrush, pitched it in the garbage like nothing and wet a new one...again I cried uncontrollably. In the DR a toothbrush cost me $US 3, I had running water and better yet, one that I could wash my mouth out with. I was able to calmly go to the washroom, without having to hold it in or push under pressure, then to simply push down on the flush lever. It was all too much...too easy...for me. We are soooo blessed and spoiled and you cannot fully comprehend this thought until you lose it all--electricity, access to food (or that which is nourishing), potable water, access to money, and the list goes on. Next time, when you wash your hands, eat a salad, drive instead of walk, take a second to reflect on how your daily life would be different if you were in the shoes of a Dominican or PCV.

Since I have had access to speedy Wi-Fi, I have FINALLY put up all my trip pictures. Obviously there are not as many as I hoped to have but it can give you a good idea. Check them out at: http://flickr.com/photos/puroticorico/collections/72157606702747718/.

If you know of any good jobs, keep me in mind!

BUENA SUERTE to all the current Dominican Republic and world-wide Peace Corps volunteers! You're in all our hearts, prayers and memories!

Vivan los Tigueres!

This post is going to be a brief one. I am sitting here sipping my Dominican chocolate caliente (Hot Chocolate; written the same as in English but pronounced cho-ko-la-te), dodging sporadic rain drops seeping through my zinc [tin] ceiling and watching the Miami based Spanish news show “Primer Impacto.” I feel that watching TV is one of my few methods of: 1) passing time; 2) remaining “social” among the host family (in my case, with my grandmother Roma) versus occupying myself in my room, 3) understanding the Latin American culture and 4) the only thing to remind me that more exists beyond the Caribbean azure (or in my case, Santo Domingo smog). First off, we are now dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. It has been raining cántaros (making much sense in Spanish meaning “buckets,” especially since one hole in our ceiling filled a bucket twice, but I like the English phrase “cats and dogs” more) practically non-stop since it touched land Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately our entire volunteer group of tigueres [a slang word meaning many things including youngin’s, brats or pests] was “put out” after the CD (Country Director) gave us a “no-go” on our volunteer visits. All the current volunteers are either under consolidation (united to stay together in a hotel during an emergency, in this case a nation-wide Alerta Roja warning—here it is not as ridiculous as the Airport TSA terrorist colors) or stand-by (volunteers stay where they are at until they receive further information). Almost every single river in the country has surpassed its safety level and is beyond its flood zone. In addition, many bridges nation-wide have fallen apart or remain impassable. Most volunteers are either not able to travel back to their villages from the closest city or are stuck at home with no method to leave in case of an emergency. This is primarily why we newbie volunteers were not given permission to leave the training center today and another even better reason is because the Peace Corps doesn’t need anyone else too far out of reach. So today was spent in Entrena sitting around, reading new books, playing Dominó, cards and UNO, playing on the pokey Wi-Fi, listening to music, gossiping, and napping. We did receive positive news that EVERYONE passed both the Spanish language proficiency and Peace Corps Policies assessments by earning a score higher than 80%. As of now, they hope that our technical sector groups will head out to CBT (Community Based Training) on Thursday since we are ahead of the game. I will keep everyone up to date.Update: All of our CBT groups will be heading out tomorrow morning for our sites! The Water group will be staying in a hostal until their main road covered due to a landslide is cleared. Other than that, I hope to be able to update my blog once a week from now on. Supposedly I have to go in to Baní for internet so we'll see how that goes. Cheers!

We have received notice that tomorrow at 10:30 am, us trainees will be able to visit a current volunteer from our sector.  Unfortunately due to Hurricane Ike, we will only have until Thursday evening at their site, however, it will be a great experience either way.  This is our first chance at freedom.  I will be visiting a female Health volunteer near Estero Hondo in the Province of Puerto Plata.  Friday morning all volunteers will leave for their Community Based Training (CBT) sites.  The Health group will be in a small rural village outside of Baní (don't worry, we will not be near where the recent narcotic tragedy occurred).  The rest of the sectors are as follows: Youth-Constanza, Water Sanitation-San José de Ocoa & Community Economic Development-Moca.  Wish us (and my stomach) good luck! :)

Oh and be sure to check out my two new documents.  Parents: You can always pop one of these phrases in your child's email!  You can also find these in my blog's links on the left side of the page whenever you desire.  I will update it throughout the trip.

Dominican Republic Survival Traveler Guide

Dominictionary: Dominicanismos Phrases & Words

I have officially switched over to the popular quava con miel (honey soap). In addition to the Vitamin B Complex tablets, I hope that I will begin to smell a little more Dominican compared to using the pleasant aromatic Dove scent. These two tricks, along with the excessive, digested ajo [garlic] seeping through my pores should hopefully do the trick *knocks on wood*. The Dominican nenes [children] began school last week. I find it quite sad that in the United States we spend triple the amount of hours per day in school as they do. My niece goes to a private school, pays a fee of DR$600 (roughly $17) per year and has class only 2.5 hours a day. That's including a 30 minute recreo [recess/break]! Her classes contain about 30 students, while public schools have up to 70. Somehow most the children, at least here in the city, are not illiterate and know how to write, but still something is wrong with the picture. As one older neighbor said, "I have 10 children. In my day, we had nothing better to do; No TV to occupy us." I chuckled and thought to myself that the hypersexuality is worse with the TV demonstrating dirty dancing (and I don't mean the movie), sexual novelas [soap operas] and violent American films (they never show any of the good, original ones). I can hear my Doña's voice, "Laura!," resonate in my head while Laura flips through other channels just as bad. Hurricane Ike, who whipped back into a being a Category 4 hurricane, has moved on to Cuba. Out of all the tropical storms/hurricanes that have passed since I have been in-country, it was the least noticeable here in Santo Domingo. (I am sure it did its damage, however, in the northern part of the island.) We only had some spotty strong rains and breezes. The only issue I had from the storm's path was basura [trash]. Here the trash crews are supposed to come twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday), yet we are lucky if they come once a week. They were here earlier in this week but had a full truck one third of the way through the barrio. Next to my neighboring colmado, across the street, sits a growing pile of garbage. My mom remains on the ball with our trash organized at the side of our yard in little plastic baggies. She listens attentively for the passing truck to run out to and hand the trash over. The wild mutts and roosters don't make life any easier since they search through the piles for the smallest portion of food, dragging smelly, moldy milk boxes and other items directly to the front of our yard. Since my house is located lower than the dirt street, the aguaceros [downpours] pour down, start a little stream and bring the garbage "closer to home". When I wake up in the morning, I find my house with some water on the floor and trash here and there. Every day is a new adventure but I enjoy it since it keeps me on edge. Just Do It One of the key goals of Peace Corps is to learn another culture while sharing your own. I would say a second goal is learning to live with what you have available. Luckily, I have been blessed to own some technology to occupy my free time after already reading two training packets. Tonight I invited a neighboring volunteer, Laura from Tennessee, to my host home to watch the classic David Bowey/Jim Hensen movie, The Labyrinth. Wow, the movie just fit perfectly. Ike was over us causing thunder, rain and wind just like the beginning of the movie when the baby disappears. Then, we smelled the horrible smell from the garbage outside, just like the Swamp of Stench. Lastly, the little trolls/creatures squeaked crazy little words and languages just as the Dominicans screamed back and forth outside. Due to the downpours slamming onto my house's tin roof, we could not hear the movie even with my laptop's volume being maxed out. Laura went and got her miniature portable speakers and that was too quiet too. Then we took my I-Pod, plugged in an FA transmitter, matched up the Labyrinth on my I-Pod with the one playing on my laptop at the same part and still the transmitted volume was too soft. Finally we ended up sharing a pair of ear buds and using an ear plug in the opposite ear to block out the external noise. Now that's an movie Peace Corps style!

The Devil Called Machismo My mom is a "María of All Trades." While hurrying along, ill, through the Miami airport security lines, my laptop bag's zipper broke. Today my mom fixed it in two minutes. I told her, "What am I going to do without you when I move houses?" She chuckled and responded "A la orden [At your service]." I respectfully snapped back at her, "Please don't say that, it's too machista!" She smirked and agreed. On a daily basis, while I sit here bored and guessing where to put the next bucket for the next drop of rain that will drip through the tin ceiling, I do everything possible to concentrate a tad on breaking down the existing cultural machismo. Some other few steps I take are by assisting my mom in cooking (Men are usually not allowed in the kitchen but I changed that within the second day just by helping her wash my dishes—This in itself is quite the job when having limited water available and four different bowls for each washing phase), telling her that I refuse to eat alone (often the women sit by themselves in the kitchen to eat), clearing off the table, filling buckets with water, and exterminating the sneaky, unwanted mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches (believe it or not!). Her and I are becoming closer and closer by the day. The Lighter, The Better I have recently become face to face with two more huge issues here in the Dominican Republic: Raza y Inflacion [Race and Inflation]. Throughout Latin America, and the rest of the world, the lighter one's skin is is usually better. When I am in the capital or passing a university, I noticed that lighter skinned citizens were by far a majority. Dominican mothers always hope their children go out and marry someone of lighter skin to "better" the family's future. Girls desperately have their hair straightened and fixed through the use of dyes and chemical treatments. All this came about during the reign of Trujillo who preached about la sangre pura [pure blood] and the perfection of a nation of Hispanidad: White, Catholic, Spanish. Trujillo not only assassinated enemies and rebels but also over one million Blacks (primarily Haitians). Since Trujillo and independence from Haiti, Black is simply seen as Haitian. If someone has very dark skin, a wide nose, big lips, curly hair, looks ill, is extremely skinny or possesses several other traits, they are simply treated as a Haitian. The Dominican Census does not even have the word Black as an option. Instead everyone is "Indio" [Indian] because they try to develop country pride in the massacred native Taínos to further differ themselves from being Haitian or African (even though their relatives were often slaves who came from there and the Antilles). A few race options are: Indio Oscuro [dark], Indio Canela [cinnamon], Indio Claro [light], Trugüeño (olive), and Jabao [redish]. The largest oxymoron is that although the Spaniards tortured natives and raped the land of its resources, Dominicans still consider themselves of Spanish decent or Hispanic. After all, just as Haiti was the first Free Black Republic, Dominicans see their nation as the first and only Free Mestizo [Mixed] Republic. Like many nations (U.S. vs. Mexicans, Costa Ricans vs. Nicaraguans, Argentineans vs. Bolivians/Chileans, and Venezuelans vs. Colombians), echando la culpa [putting the blame on] the "other" continues strong. Yet, the economies of these racist countries would not be the same without the foreigners. For the reasons already stated, Haitians have sought (since 40-60 years ago), and continue to seek, a better life in the Dominican Republic—ignoring the racial tensions. Haitians come over to work on what are called Bateys. Bateys are impoverished towns located on agricultural fields where mainly sugar cane is grown, cut and made into sugar. There are approximately 230 Bateys in the Dominican Republic, their residents make up 12% of the nation's population, 5% of the houses there have potable water, 12% of the children have chronic malnutrition, HIV/AIDS rates are 4% higher, 34% of the children only reach 6th grade even though 66% attend schools (keep in mind how long they are in class each day!) and 70% are second and third generational Haitians who speak Spanish and know not a word of Kreyol. With the last statistic in mind, the Dominican Republic offers these Batey residents no citizenship rights if they have a drop of Haitian decent (a modern-day One Drop Rule), do not supply their babies with a birth certificate (even when born within a hospital on this side of the border), are not able to apply for a passport or cédula [national ID] (which means no possible health care or bank account), and have no programs available for social assimilation. In other words, these people remain of no origin/nationality and seen as practically non-existent. After confronting all these barriers, they also have to deal with extreme prejudice and racism. When Haitians work for a Dominican construction company, for example, and they have their pay period every two weeks, a day before the end of week two, the boss will call the Immigration Patrol to escort the workers back to Haiti. This way, the owner receives free labor and can easily hire a new staff. As of right now, I know that half of the Health Sector volunteers will be placed within a Batey. These are definitely the poorest parts of the country and where PCVs are most needed. Starting From The Bottom The other day, my Spanish class of five (our intensive Spanish language class size ranges between 3 and 5) went with the professor to the local grocery store La Sirena. Our training is always as interactive as possible so we explored the names of native fruits and vegetables, commonly used brands (when at the colmado, Dominicans often yell "Dame un Gillete, Pampers y Kotex [Give me a Gillete, Pampers and Kotex; instead of Give me a razor, diaper and feminine pad"—it's kinda when we say Kleenex instead of tissue), product weights and sizes, and prices of necessary day-to-day items. As PCVs, we wanted to spoil ourselves and our professor Dani by making the American treat of Rice Krispies. We grabbed the off-brand Rice Krispy cereal (half box and chocolate flavored because it was on sale, DR$70), small bin of Marshmallow fluff (DR$100), margarine (DR$60) and an aluminum tin (DR$75)…then to find ourselves shocked at the high prices. While keeping our daily wage of $1.23 cents in mind, the total came up to DR$305 / 35 pesos = $8.71 / 5 students = $1.74 each. We were about to settle for cookies instead but thought "What the hell…We deserve it!" Those Rice Krispies did taste delicious and Dani loved them, but we knew this wasn't going to be a daily activity! Note: We shopped around for these items and bought the cheapest ones we could. To put prices here in perspective, a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $6.30, toothbrushes are $3.50 (2 for 1 deal and cheapest pack I could find), Ritz Crackers (half size of our boxes) for $4.30, and a box of tea with 10 baggies for $3.15. Out of all the Latin American countries I have traveled to (México, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Spain), the Dominican takes the lead with inflation. With 45% of the population under the poverty line (was 25% in the year 2000), no wonder 25% of the population is malnourished! Well that is it for now. Tomorrow, Monday, we have our Spanish language evaluations/tests and Peace Corps rules and policies exam. We must get at least an 80% on both, or else we have to retake them. Wish us all luck on the evaluations and that we get to go on our volunteer visits Tuesday though Thursday. P/S: Hurricane Ike ended up doing a lot of damage during the night so I take back what I previously said. I am not sure if there were any Dominican deaths but so far 58 have been found in Haiti. As for me, I went to bed with drips of water falling through my mosquito net, plugging my ears from the banging rain and keeping my eyes closed to block out the lightening flashes. It's not a pleasant thought when you are under a huge tin roof. I woke up at 2:30 am soaking wet in my bed (and not from an exciting or scary dream, if you know what I mean…) but instead from flooding. I heard my mom shoveling outside in the yard, leaving me completely confused. It just so happened that the excess water drained down into the living room and my room (since these two rooms are located in the front of the house). I peeled away my mosquito net, stepped down into half an inch of water, and ran out to help my mom shovel the mini canal where the rain water runs along the side of our house and down the hill. I personally felt bad for my rear neighbor who received all our water into their house. There were about 8 men shoveling and placing bags around the house. I went back to bed and simply flipped my pillow over. I guess this will just become a part of life, but hopefully just during the rainy season…

A few notes of business, yet little time for an actual blog post… A second person has been infected with Dengue Fever, but this time the Technical Trainers of Water Sanitation.  We wish him and the volunteer our best! (Unfortunately due to PC privacy policies, I cannot list names…sorry parents!)My digestion issues are slowly getting a bit better.  I have been swallowing down the Imodium like vitamins and taking some stomach soothers.  I am still hanging in there!I was able to post a few pictures on my Flickr account.  You can access them at: http://flickr.com/photos/puroticorico/collections/72157606702747718/ or in the future at the top left side of my blog.  The connection is always soooo slow that I can only do a 5 per half an hour.I just registered to vote via absentee ballot today.  Hopefully it makes it to the U.S. in time.  Now all I have to do is determine which candidate is less worse...But if you know me, it's going to be Democratic no matter what.As of right now, our volunteer visit trips are still postponed until Monday.  We’re not sure how everything is going to turn out with Ike’s Category IV path of destruction.  It seems to be traveling north of our island of Hispaniola with the storm’s outer layers tapping down on the northern edge (Puerto Plata, Monte Cristi, etc).  Of course, this is where my visit site is located so us volunteers in areas with flooding, landslides and fallen bridges may be paired up at different sites.

For now, pray for a safe weekend, good luck with the Gustave left-overs (to those fans who reside in the Midwest) and hopefully I will have a post written sometime this weekend to post shortly.

I am still anxiously awaiting my stool sample results but today I luckily had my first “normal” stool. However, I unfortunately went back to having “the runs” right after, ug! They Peace Corps mentioned maybe having to send me home due to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) but I am going to try my best to stay in. Supposedly if you have this in your medical records, they consider you not “volunteer material” but nothing was ever said to me. One of my nurses is assisting me with talking to her about any psychological issues and doing some meditation/relaxation exercises to release any worries that complicate the matter. We’ll see…Today we had our first group “victim” who ended up with Dengue Fever. Not fun when people describe it that it feels like your “death day hits.” After all, having a something that is known more commonly in English as Brokebone Fever cannot possibly be seen as pleasant. A few symptoms other than feeling like several bones are broke in the body are: Pain behind the eyeballs during eye movement, temperature of 104* plus, horrible migraines, a sore throat and dropping blood platelets (in the case of an extensive Dengue case leading to Hemorrhagic Fever). I plan on wearing OFF Repellent like it is the new Bath & Body Works scent of the season.I became quite scared after brushing my teeth when I spat in the sink and found my spit...and tongue…possessing a dark black color. I thought it was best to not freak out until I got to school when the nurse told me that Pepto-Bismol has that side effect. Now I, the entire group and you are aware.One volunteer spread a popular water-sparing phrase throughout the group: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” With limited water, you have to make some simple rules within the washroom.Best of all: The entire group has survived 2 weeks!

In addition to surviving the distinct food differences, cultural acculturation, limited water/electric-situation, tap water-mouth contact avoidance, extreme heat/humidity (while wearing business casual clothes), long training days, voo-doo style vaccination assembly lines, draining diarrhea (I am pretty damn sure everyone in the group has suffered from it), keeping up with the 8 liters of water a day ingestion recommendation, 24-hour duty mosquito attacks…We have also made it through three hurricanes in 2 weeks! This is supuestamente [supposedly] a unique phenomenon for the Dominican Republic and Caribbean as a whole. I must admit, one tropical storm after another is quite astounding. Global warming at it’s best—Thanks Kerry! First fatty Fay…then gusty Gustav… followed by the high winds and pouring rains of hottie Hanna…and now Ike (or as they pronounce it here, “E-K”) and Josephine are twirling in! It will be an interesting hurricane season! As someone who dislikes large bodies of water and never saw himself living anywhere where a hurricane could be expected, I still find myself floating on a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean. I never would have thought this would be me but here I am! Oh and I overheard a funny yet appropriate comment today that said included: “Hurricanes are necessary for the DR’s agricultural growth and beauty. In the end, it calls for a natural enema to wash out all the deltas and rivers.” I thought this was a metaphor worth sharing.

Due to the incoming hurricanes, we Peace Corps volunteers are on “Lock down.” No one is allowed to leave the village that they are in until an all clear is given. This also meant that our Volunteer Visits I mentioned in the previous post were cancelled! We were all extremely bummed after mapping out where we would be traveling to, speaking to the current volunteers on the phone, taking advantage of some freedom from the quotidian training activities, and being prepared on how to use public transportation and get to the appropriate gua-gua station. This also included receiving our motoconcho [motorcycle] helmets and having riding lessons. My casco [helmet] is an awesome metallic blue color with a bull dog on it. Who knew there were so many details on how ride a motoconcho including price negotiation, how to mount it safely, sit properly (girls with a skirt sit sideways), try to balance, hold on to the driver (guys hold on to the back of the bike or the driver’s shoulders), and pack up to 5 people on one (cheaper the price)?! I guess since we are the only Peace Corps location in the world that is allowed to use motorcycles as public transportation, they make it as safe as possible (Josh: I’m not as “lucky” as you to have a Bixby). This makes sense since half of all the volunteer deaths were due to motorcycle accidents not involving helmets. Now being caught not wearing your helmet once is an automatic termination of service. I personally was bummed after I had met the volunteer who I was going to visit in the northern province of Puerto Plata. She was super sweet and had great plans for us to take up including going to the beach and hiking in the mountains to a waterfall with her youth group. The Peace Corps office hopes that we will be able to perform our visits on Monday instead of tomorrow (Thursday), but for now, only Ike’s path will tell.

Week 2 Current Events:

This is a new bullet pointed section that I thought I would include in all my posts including current events and excitement.

I have survived, along with my entire group, a full week as part of the Peace Corps Dominican Republic Trainees team!

My volunteer training site now has Wi-Fi. Whoo hoo!I have been having constant diarrhea for about 9 days now and this is definitely no fun. I think it has gone over the line of "Travelers Dysentery." The last 2 days have been hardcore and to the point of having to sleep in the boundaries of a waterless bathroom. Not being able to flush a toilet due to a lack of water makes everything 10 times more intense... Don't forget the effects of the tin ceilings which penetrate the heat down like an eternal tanning bed (except I’m not getting any tanner either). I have been on rehydration salts, liters of water, and bland white rice with mashed plantains. Either today or tomorrow I may have to visit the gastroenterologist. I'll keep you up to date.

I placed into the Medio-Avanzado (highest) Spanish language class!I have learned to use the disorganized Santo Domingo public transportation to get around…somewhat.

I began my Vitamin B-Complex pills which are said to produce an skin-extracting unpleasant stench (not smelled by humans) that mosquitoes dislike. One Dominican American told me to use the local amber-transparent soap with honey. She deems that mosquitoes will think you are solely a light-skinned Dominican. I am willing to do anything but luckily the amount of bites have declined since my arrival.

I have seen countless stray dogs on the streets (as in any Latin American country) but never one with its intestines coming out of its bottom! Even I (somewhat who is not much of a dog lover) wanted to take care of it. There’s a first for everything.

One volunteer mentioned how these 2 years are 10% of my life. It cracked me up thinking about the amount of time I will be here in this fashion.

In The Blink Of An Eye:

Hurricane Gustav has finally left the island of Hispaniola! Now we have two other tropical storms rolling in. We keep our fingers crossed that they will pass to the north of us. A common Caribbean saying, and which I agree with 100%, is: “It is not a hurricane until it arrives on the shores of Florida.” It is then that the U.S. news blows up the story with photos, maps and warnings. In the meantime, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba are left dealing with the “tropical storm” aftermath with hundreds of deaths and unimaginable damage. Luckily here in Santo Domingo the damage from Gustav was limited. The “storm” headed westward and hit the DR border with Haiti. Haiti almost always has the worst outcome due to large amounts of deforestation, a greater poverty rate, and a lack of well built houses. I only heard of one local Gustav incident from a vecina [female neighbor]. She mentioned that a good friend of hers who lived on the east side of Santo Domingo confronted a land slide from the extreme rains. The house tumbled down into a cañada [small river that grows rapidly] below killing the six children and mother. The father and one child were not around and came home to find their whole family dead and themselves homeless. The worse part is seeing the news featuring the incident with all seven coffins in a single house wake with curious crowds of chismosos [gossipers] spying through the window. Stories and problems like these are very common. Even though Santo Domingo only received tons of rain, we still find ourselves with no water in the pipes, even after paying the bills. Now has passed one month and four weeks without running water! We have only a few buckets worth of water left in our well and my mom has finally stopped giving water away to the neighbors. Hopefully the water is turned back on soon!

Modernity Or Retrogression

Like anywhere else, politics are often very corrupt. At the same time, the delivering of water and electric are controlled by the political leaders during their campaigns. They use it as a political tool by promising the people access. Then after being elected, no change comes about. The city of Santo Domingo just installed a brand new underground Metro system. The government’s education and health funds have been decreased in order to put more pesos into the Metro construction project. The Metro has just been finished and they are now following through with the “final touches.” The current president taped his campaigns on the train and opened it up for a trial week for anyone to ride free. My little niece Laura says that they have televisions and everything on the trains. If they put the Metro to work, I wonder where they will get the electricity from when it goes out roughly twenty times a day? You won’t see me stuck in underground tunnels, even though I still used to ride the wishy-washy Chicago El Trains! It is practically a known fact that only 35% of those who have electricity in Santo Domingo pay for it. As a side story, my mom told me she went to pay the electric bill and after waiting in line for forty-five minutes she said to the representative, “I am here to pay for blackouts.” I laughed so hard when I hear that. Back to the story of the Metro… Now the Dominican transportation bureau (if one exists) are getting ahead of themselves and hope to add on another line reaching from Santo Domingo to the second largest city of Santiago de los Caballeros. In car this trip takes two and a half hours while they want to cut it down to a fifteen minute Metro ride. I see this meta [goal] as impossible but you never know. I must admit that the Metro cost of DR$ 60 ($1.70) roundtrip would be worth the prices when compared to the chaotic, air polluting gua guas or carros públicos (practically registered, ghetto cars used for shot distances). On the other hand, it would leave many drivers and cobradores (money collectors) out of a job.

Rediscovering the City of Firsts

As many of you know, my sister Lindsy got married here in December within the resorts of Punta Cana/Bávaro. As a Spanish and Latin American/Latino Studies major, I told myself that I could not visit to the Dominican Republic without exploring the historic downtown, or Zona Colonial. After all, Hispaniola (the present day Dominican Republic island shared with Haiti) was Christopher Columbus’ fleet’s first stop in 1492. Since my sister left Monday as a free day, I intended to take a day trip from the hotel to Santo Domingo that day. I was completely put out when the concierges told me that they did not offer the historic tour on Mondays since all the sites are supposedly closed that day. I promised myself that one day I would have to return just for that.

It just so happened that when I received my Peace Corps invitation, my wish would come true. Although I am living about forty minutes west of Santo Domingo’s “downtown” (no true downtown exists but I deem it is the Colonial area), I now find myself a next door neighbor to the City of Firsts! I have visited the historic area two times and each time proves to be more majestic. What is more stunning that seeing in person Spanish Colonial architecture still standing strong after over five centuries? Beyond the political, urban planning and economic problems, Santo Domingo was recently named a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. It is home to the first cathedral (Catedral Primada de América; 1514-1540), first European residence housing Diego Colón (Casa del Cordón), first “paved” or cobblestone street for Diego Columbus’ wife, María de Toledo, to take afternoon strolls without messing her dresses (Calle de las Damas; 1502), and first hospital (Hospital San Nicolás de Barí; 1503) in the western hemisphere. Moreover, there is even more to be explored between the narrow cobblestone streets and romantic courtyards including Fortaleza Ozama (a fort built in 1502 overlooking the mouth of the Ozama River where the Spanish launched conquests to Jamaica, Cuba, South America and Mexico), Panteón Nacional (a 1747 Jesuit church which became a warehouse, theatre and finally a shrine by Trujillo for the country’s war celebrities), Puerta de la Misericordia and Conde (Original city walls protecting it from intrusion), Casa de Francia (now the French Embassy but originally the former home of the Aztec assassin Hernán Cortés), Alcázar de Colón (Diego Colón’s –Christopher Columbus’ brother—palace), Larimer and Amber museums, and Faro a Colón (a cross-shaped lighthouse supposedly containing Columbus’ remains, along with its ironic juxtaposition with indigenous people commemorations). I think it is the only place in Santo Domingo to breathe in exhaust-“free” air and take a starved horse carriage ride.

“Me quejaba por no tener zapatos hasta que ví a un hombre sin pies”

[I complained about not having shoes until I saw a man without feet.]

During Health Sector training, we learned a few community statistics about the Dominican Republic. I thought I would share the most interesting ones:

42% of the population is under the poverty line (it has grown rapidly with only 25% in 2000).

Children are educated roughly 2.4 hours a day with classes of sizes 15 to 70 (average is 50 students).

Tourism and remittances are the Dominican Republic’s top two sources of income.

25% of the population is undernourished.

Maternal mortality is extremely high at 150 in 100,000.

HIV & AIDS rates are within .08 and 1.1% of the population.

The Dominican Republic is said to have the third largest prostitution circle in the world. I would believe it with all the “Rent-A-Room” cabañas or “Sanky Panky” as the Dominicans call it along the highway Duarte.This coming week (October 3-6) arrives another big step towards being sworn in as a true Peace Corps volunteer versus my current status as a trainee, although I did just receive my mug shot PC Identification card. This would be a PCV Project Visit or a field trip allowing the trainees to use their public transportation and Spanish language skills to meet up and be part of a current PCV’s daily routine. I was placed with a community health volunteer in a tiny campo (country town) within the beach tourism Province of Puerto Plata near Estero Hondo. This four and a half hour trip requires a bus, gua gua and a motochoncho (motorcycle) ride! Thank goodness the Peace Corps gives each volunteer their own motorcycle helmet (and it remains the only PC location that this permission). When my class visited the Peace Corps office in Gazcue of Santo Domingo, our CD (Country Director) Romeo Massey mentioned that when there is a need for emergency evacuation, like during the close proximity of a hurricane, they are required to get in contact and fill in the volunteers with what steps are to be taken within 48 hours. Well he said that during the arrival of Hurricane Gustav they were able to contact all 100-something volunteers within 8 hours except for one that took 47 hours and 38 minutes. It just so happened that the female volunteer I will be visiting was this volunteer! I definitely have an experience ahead of me and will be in contact!

I actually have an address where my items can be mailed to. It’s not as easy as sending a package within the continental U.S. There are several important items to keep in mind during this time. Please read the following before sending anything!! I have updated my Wish List on the left column of my blog so check that out if you are looking for what to send. My address will remain the same throughout my travels, but I may not be stationed anywhere near the headquarters where it is sent to. When I am sent to my town for two years, I will most likely open up a post box there however, for the time being use this one. With this in mind, please do not send anything during the end of my last training month, October.

Please keep the following things in mind: · As much as I would love to get an envelope of gifts, what I prefer to receive something telling me that you are thinking about me. A nice, long letter will make me just as happy as a package. I do have plenty of drama and chisme [gossip] to follow here, but as many of you already know, I LOVE drama. · BE SURE to send items in padded envelopes, if possible, because boxes will be taxed double the value and opened more frequently. If you need to declare the value of contents, put $0. Almost all packages are opened by custom officials, presents unwrapped, and cards opened to seek out money to be confiscated. Everyone loses a package at some point, or will notice half of its contents missing. So, DO NOT send any that can expire (ex: food), valuable (including $$), breakable, or in BOXES. Again, only send items in PADDED “MANILA” ENVELOPES. · If you do send an envelope of items, always include a note, even if it’s only a couple of sentences. · Remember how kids dread “practical” gifts? Well, now I don’t. Send me basic items like handkerchiefs! · Keep in mind that the items will probably not come home to the U.S. with me. I’ll love it, use it everyday, I couldn’t live without it…but I still won’t have room to bring it back. A lot of the things you send us will probably be re-gifted when I leave or thrown away! · Perhaps try to send inexpensive items first to see if they are received (por ejemplo [for example] letters). · As I have heard, it takes about 10 to 14 days for letters and about 20 days for padded envelopes. Richie Diesterheft

Cuerpo de Paz

Avenida Bolívar 451, Gazcue

Apartado 1412

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

For now, that is it! I will be back to daily training tomorrow (8 am until 5 pm) so I will try my best to write on my laptop before bed. Keep in mind that my blog posts may be sporadic since the one Internet café near me often has no electricity. Miss you all and I send a besote [big kiss]!!

My group of 51 (we had a girl named Megan recently join our groups after finishing her time in Ecuador and continuing on with the Peace Corps mission) has finally arrived to la República Dominicana!! We had our flight delayed in Miami but got into the air after an hour and a half. As previously mentioned, our group is very diverse. To add to it, I recently learned the following statistics: · We represent 24 of the 50 states. · Have worked with over 170 NGOs. · Includes 2 Returnees (1 Ecuador and 1 Jamaica) · 13 languages spoken · 24 worked or lived abroad before · 52 have a Bachelors degree and 6 have a Masters degree · 0 have gone home. This is quite a surprise compared to other groups where often one person goes home within the first day or week. Even the poor volunteer who has been through hell and back with a host family who has 14 children and another one on the way. Poor guy had his water bottle filled with stones and dirt on his first day! · It is said that 20% of all the PCVs get married during their service, whether it be with a fellow volunteer or Dominican. Phew, that won’t be me! I am the only gay person for miles. In the end, all of us volunteers are very experienced. Our coordinators cannot believe the dynamics of our group. We all get along great and there are NO CLIQUES. That in itself is astounding! The coordinators continue to preach that we have the BEST country (includes the idea that we are the only PC country in the world that gives out cell phones and can ride on motorcycles with a helmet—Once I’m given my cell phone number in 2-3 months, I will provide you with my number since it’s free to receive calls), BEST health nurses/doctors (I will admit that they are EXTREMELY helpful, caring and experienced), and the BEST communities to work with (we’ll find out but Dominicans are very talkative). Half the Peace Corps coordinators are North American natives who have lived here for 7+ years. They are all pretty amazing! My biggest issue is with remembering everyone’s names, being that there are fifty plus of us and we have not performed even one name game! On Monday we’re supposed to play a name game (yes, I’ll be in charge of it) and do more ice breakers. They’re lame but help me greatly! Once we are sworn in on October 29th, we will join the 7,000 volunteers currently serving in 70 countries! For a bit of trivia (or maybe it is NOT so trivial): The entire Peace Corps annual budget of roughly $295 million is equivalent to the cost of ONE B-2 bomber plane. Looks like some American government superiors are much more concerned about appropriating revenues to the armed forces than to the unarmed forces. Throughout the country, my group will serve in the following extensions: Youth, Families and Community Development, Community Economic Development, Healthy Environments, & mine, Healthy Communities. All of us will serve primarily in the Southern and Eastern parts of the country (the two poorest sections). From what I have been told (which is always limited), my group will collaborate with community-based organizations, (versus the unorganized/realistic non-governmental and governmental organizations) in semi-urban and rural areas. My future location is hard to say because I could be in the lush, fresh mountains or on the sun-scorched beaches. From there, it could be on a batey [agricultural sugar cane plantation, often with Haitians], campo [in the countryside often in the mountains without electricity or water], a pueblo [larger town sometimes with water, electricity, Internet, etc.], or ciudad [somewhat a suburb of a large city]. I hope I’m placed in a pueblo so I can communicate with all of you, have a touch of luxury and there still remains a small town feel. As for my programs, some key challenges faced by youth in the Dominican Republic include early sexual initiation and pregnancy, school desertion, HIV/AIDS infection, prostitution, and drug/alcohol use. These challenges are a result of family disintegration, unemployment, lack of conflict-resolution skills, and social exclusion. My work will empower youth by building their skills in making positive decisions that will affect their personal lives and communities. Statistics shows that 25% of (1 in 4) Dominican women are pregnant before the age of 18! I have been told a little bit more information about my training. On September 11th, I will be sent for Health Community-Based Training (CBT) to a medium-sized town called Baní. Baní is a beach town in the south that has a lot of sugar cane and mangos but primarily serves as a stopping point for those driving from Santo Domingo and the second largest city of Santiago. The population is about 65,000 and it has a colonial church. Once I receive more information, I will fill you in but for now you can look it up on a map. For three days now, I have begun training in personal safety, medical procedures, PC policies/rules, cultural differences, and Spanish language while receiving vaccinations. Training is very organized and thorough by them providing us with sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a mosquitero, medical kit with everything possible and several information manuals. Getting vaccinated is an experience since it is done is an “assembly line” process with one volunteer after another. I have already had the Meningitis and first Rabies vaccinations, along with having taken two sour Malaria pills. I often joke about being a Caucasian Voo-Doo doll. By Monday, I will have been placed in my Spanish level after having done an oral and written evaluation. I believe I’ll be in the advanced class since there are only about 4 volunteers in my group who speak the language fluently and well. Lost in Translation...Culture? While I have experienced a lot after being an exchange student in Costa Rica, being in the DR remained less of a shock, yet there still remain many notable differences. Idioma [Language]: Los Caribeños (Those who reside in the Caribbean) have a dialect very unique to the rest of Latin America (although some similarities may exist in the lowlands or shore cities of a country like Costa Rica, Venezuela and Colombia’s east side). Thanks to my Phonetics and Phonology Spanish class at DePaul University, I noticed the differences right away. A few I have come across include: · Aspiration of the “S”: They skip or make emphasis instead of pronouncing the “S” and often the “Z” within a word. Ex: “¡Ay, dió (dios)!” [Oh my God!], “¡Dame lu’ (luz)!” [Give me light/insight-Common DR expression], “Die’ (diez) juevo’ ” [Ten eggs]. · Shortened word endings: They become somewhat “lazy” at the end of words. Ex: Pegao [pegado], apretao [apretado], encantao [encantado] or verda’ [verdad]. · Lateralization: They often replace the “R” with “L”. Ej: Cualto (cuarto) [room]. · Similar to lateralization, the northern areas like Puerto Plata and Samaná can change “L” to “Y”. Ej: Capitay (capital). · A common Dominican would say (‘h’ is aspiration and shows some emphasis given): Pue’h, yo boy d’ la capitay a lo’h Ehtado’ Unido’. instead of “Pues, yo voy de la capital a los Estados Unidos” [Well, I’m going from the capital to the United States]. · Like Costa Ricans, they often add “tico” to the ends of words. I love it!! Idiomatic words/phrases: Hundreds of words are often used solely or more commonly in the Dominican. Below I have many examples of new dialectal vocabulary that I have to learn.Dominictionary: Dominicanismos Phrases & Words

Aposentro: Bed room (also known as cuarto in other countries) Colmado: General store Con con: Hardened, burnt rice found around the interior of a pot after cooked (concha or pegado) Envaso: Bowl (tazón) Fregadero: Kitchen Sink (pila) Gua gua: Public bus (bús, autobús, colectivo, micro) Marquesina: Garage (garage) Motochoncho: Motorcycle used for public transportation (often with 4 or more people on at once! Yesterday they carried a cadaver on one too!) (moto) Sinterna: Well (hoyo) Tiguere: Describes any person, from a brat and robber to a cutie Chin: Little (poco) Mellizos: Twins (gemelos) Chelito/Cuarto: Money (dinero/plata) Cultura [Culture]: This is often the biggest challenge when going to a new country. Many values, beliefs, or assumptions exist within a specific country and vary from another. For a further explanation, refer to the DR Survival Tips section below. Comida [Food]: The food is not spicy as many people would think with the African/Creole influences (or simply because of Mexican food). It is pretty bland yet delicious. An average meal consists of vegetables (plantains cooked as tostones [circularly smashed and fried], boiled or as mangu [a Dominican specialty like mashed potatoes after boiled], sweet potato or potato), arroz y habichuela [rice and beans], a small portion of meat (chicken, pork or beef; little seafood is eaten which surprised me) and sometimes fruit for dessert. They also tend to use a lot of garlic and salsas. Breakfast is small and quick with bread, cereal or oatmeal and coffee. I could not believe my mom bought soy milk for my meals! J Lunch is the largest meal, always being served with the stable beans and rice. Last is dinner which is smaller than lunch but often left-overs from earlier in the day. Clima [Weather]: Many words can be used to describe the weather but two key ones would be HOT (every day it’s around 90+ degrees, humid and sticky) and stormy. We have already had one Tropical Depression (what comes before a tropical storm and can later turn into a hurricane). That means a lot of rain, wind and fallen trees, yet still no water to be found (I will speak of this later). In the end, the abanico or ventilador [fan] is for sure my BEST FRIEND!

“Donde hay fe, hay amor Donde hay amor, hay paz Donde hay paz, está Dios Y donde está dios No falta nada!” “Where there’s faith, there’s love Where there’s love, there’s peace, Where there’s peace, there’s God And where’s God, You’re short of nothing!” -A proverb found in my host home’s kitchen

After all the volunteers had their names called out and the Dominican host families proceeded to search for their new son/daughter like at a slave trade, my host mother spotted me, “Richard Diesterheft.” I was happy to find that while I live in the poorest barrio [coming from the Arabic word barri, neighborhood; in this case I would refer to it as a “hood” due to its characteristics] near my training school called Los Cocos “The Coconuts,” located in Pantoja [It’s pronounced pahn-toe-ha and is about 30 minutes northwest of Santo Domingo], my family is super friendly. Unlike Costa Rica, the houses actually have addresses. My house location is Los Cocos, Calle M1, Casa #7. While this may seem easy, all the streets are not laid out in alphabetical order and there are 5 Calle Ms, ha! On a map, my barrio is called Las Colinas del Norte, but the people continue to use the original name of Los Cocos. My host mother and her sister-in-law spent 30 minutes trying to find my town on the map and still did not have success! I have learned that Dominicans not are very direction orientated, leading me to rarely ask anyone for directions. My mother is a grandmother named Romula (everyone calls her Roma, like the Italian city). She is 64, has four older sons and is a widowed housewife. Thank goodness they ended up not having pets, especially because of my allergies. There is just a pesty rooster which runs around the house and calls out all day and night. Only one of her sons, Félix, lives at home, works long hours at a typewriting center and has a lovely daughter named Laura Eileen (Lauw-ra I-lean). Laura is my best little friend, company and question answerer. I can ask her ANYTHING and will receive an answer. Trust me; we laugh a lot together so she is also my mini-comedian. I’ll be sad when Laura runs off to school after the first week of September. For now, every morning I teach her a new English word or phrase while I eat desayuno [breakfast]. She already knows numbers 1 thru 7 (six is a hard one since Spanish doesn’t have the ‘X’ sound), ‘hello,’ ‘good bye’ and ‘nice to meet you.’ It is adorable hearing her pronounce the words but she does an amazing job and practices them before I wake up, after lunch and at night time. She will also be teaching me to dance Merengue, Bachata and Salsa (you know Merengue and Bachata originated here!). *Fingers crossed* Back to my mom…Her and I smile at eachother all day long. I love her laugh because it sounds like she begins to gasp for air. So cute! We talk about everything from health (yes, my crazy health issues and allergies), food (likes/dislikes), religion, politics (I always remain neutral as part of a Peace Corps rule), cultural ideas, Dominican language (we chuckle when she causes Dominican Spanish “errors” like swallowing the ‘S’ and cutting off word endings; we agree that Dominicans speak the worst Spanish, yet I am sure to mention how I like the sound of it and how no perfect dialect exists). She has had more volunteers than she can count so it helps when I had to set up the mosquitero, have all my water/ice purified or chlorified, telling her I am allergic to something, don’t like something, or when I can’t get the toilet to flush properly. Yet, she continues to say I don’t eat enough and that everyone will think she starves me and is a horrible mother. I just roll my eyes and say that I normally don’t eat a lot in the States. The Privilege Of Water While being here for less than a week, I have noticed that access to water is a HUGE issue. Although most people pay for water to come through the tubes to their house, most of the time it is not sent/working. My mother said that it has been a month and a half without water. Yet, she says that you still have to pay the company because otherwise they will cut off your access all together and you’ll have to pay a fee to get it restored! Roma is fortunate because she had a sinterna [well] installed when the house was constructed. She told me a story about how all neighbors thought she was crazy for installing a well and that it was not necessary before. Beginning about two years ago, the access to water has declined exponentially. People install gutters on their houses to use polluted rain water, use buckets to scoop up brownish-black water in ditches on the roads and have tanks on their roofs to collect water. Those who are poor often ask Roma for water. Now my house only has about 2 inches of water in the well so we are hoping the water will begin to work once again. If not, she will have to rent a truck to fill the well. She still continues to assist the neighbors and maintain a side job by selling bagged ice, habichuela [beans], and helados [ice creams]. Now the neighbors wish they would have had a well put in, especially since the installation of them has become quite expensive. We are also one of the few houses to have a fridgerator/freezer and a generator to help us when the electric goes out. Unfortunately, the fridge does not run off the generator so we have to re-freeze all the ice/ice cream to sell and have to use powder milk. I don’t even notice when an apagón [black out] occurs anymore without looking outside the window at the street and other houses. I am not only lucky having the generator but being placed in the Dominican Republic. Here we have the same electrical current (110 volts) as the U.S., allowing me to use my laptop and other electrical items without an adaptor. On my first day, I got quite homesick due to my stomach cramping, the barrio being a bit scary/new and not knowing barely anybody. I have begun to get rid of my worries and stress since I figure I have gotten over the most difficult steps. I already had the language down enough to communicate before I came, so that is not an issue. The biggest challenge was taking a shower with limited water and by using pails. My host mom once spoiled me by turning on an electrical water pump that allowed me to take a 3 minute shower. I also have to remain cultural in my way of life. This includes leaving any urine in the toilet bowl at night and waiting until the morning to flush it manually by pouring a half bail of water. When having only a certain quantity of water to use each day, I can only flush once a day. Oh, and non-heated, pure, cold water is the least of my worries because it cools me down. I have to just be sure to use chlorine in the water, spit a lot when brushing my teeth (or by using filtered water), and not to use the water after flossing (due to gum infection). I am sure that I will be an expert by the time I leave. That said, I have quickly noticed how fortunate and spoiled I am in the States (and you all are!!). DR Survival Tips While living here for a little while, you quickly pick up on things that differ from the United States.

Dominican Republic Survival Traveler Guide

· DO NOT drink the water, even to brush your teeth, unless you “spit, spit, spit” as the PC doctor says. This includes being sure not to eat from fruit stands that often wash their freshly cut fruits in tap water. · Chisme [Gossip] is the Dominican national sport while beisból [baseball] is the Dominican religion (not Catholicism). Everyone will know everything about you in an instance, especially if you do something odd or bad, and the practice of lent began 2 weeks late once due to a national baseball competition. · For males, make sure barbers use a NEW razor each time they cut your neck or facial hair. As for the ladies, be sure that they use new tools when getting a manicure and cutting your cuticles. This is due to the transmission of HIV/AIDS. *Interesting fact: Us American PCVs are six times more likely to contract HIV than in the U.S. · Always keep your house door open if you’re home. If anyone visits your house, the floors must have been swept prior to guest arrival. Also, you should have an even number (and often 2-4) of seats on your porch or else your house will be seen as unwelcoming. · Toilet paper is not allowed to be placed in the toilet but instead in the neighboring trash can. The water system (or your pouring) is not powerful enough. · As our nurse stated, “Always use helmets for bikes/motorcycles and condoms for sex.” · Wear mosquito repellent ALL THE TIME. Sancudos (bug similar to mosquitoes) carrying Dengue Fever roam during the day, while mosquitoes with Malaria are out at night. Use a mosquitero [mosquito bed net] during the night. Even Dominicans use them while they sleep. Once you follow the Dominican diet for some time, mosquitos stop bothering you because your body sweat exerts the “average” smell like the Dominicans themselves. The food includes a lot of garlic which they also don’t care for. · Geckos and ants live among you. Accept them as allies because they definitely out number you. · Families expect everything to be shared so if you don’t want your toothbrush to be used, don’t leave it out. Privacy is often not respected. · A common wave signifies “come here” instead of “hello.” · As with many cultures, when serving meals, visitors go first, then elders and males, finally children and at last the women (who may not even eat at the same table). · People may barely have a house, electricity, or food, but will still possess a cell phone. Many children even own one. It is known that the Dominican Republic has the best telecommunications in Latin America. · Dominicans bathe in the morning and evening even without much water. Sometimes they even do it midday too. · The form of Usted (formal ‘you’) is used when speaking to elders/teachers while the tú (informal ‘you’) form is used for everyone else. It’s great because if I am talking to a child and forget an ‘s,’ they don’t think I am speaking to them in Usted but swallowed the ‘s’ as the Dominicans speak anyway! Dominicans are not shy and will yell everything on their mind or at anyone.

No tears were shared today while leaving my family this morning. It helped saying farewell at the hotel in Rosemont rather than having the rushed feeling at the airport. Take my advice those who will be going on their own far, lengthy travels. And after all, this is an exciting time for me and I have to give it my all. Even though I feel like I already have, being the government's grassroot servant has just begun! I give myself even more credit for being consistent by not balling while stuttering my last adiós at O'Hare to my boyfriend George ("Jorge") on the day of our one year anniversary! With blurry vision from having watery eyes, I took on the next steps to preoccupy my mind and its' rollercoaster emotions. I figured that this would consist of heading to the electronic ticket counter with limited customer service, dealing with tedious security lines (since the safety level had risen to orange for no reason), followed by jog-running to the ridiculously far United Airways terminal; but it ended up being that and more...

Tropical Storm Looming Over Miami (my hotel room view)

I landed this morning into Miami at 1:45 pm (15 minutes late due to the gusty, rainy weather) with Staging beginning at 1:30 pm. My flight experienced the most turbulence I had ever withstood, which was well anticipated since we were passing directly over Fatty Fay. I despise flying but then add the crying babies, aggravated customers who had this as their third flight, and rude flight attendants, I knew I was in for a true ride of a lifetime. Luckily I arrived safely to Miami after what felt like a crash landing...later to find that my luggage had been "misplaced." The United employees should have just used the term "lost" but followed their protocol to the tee. Oh wait, if they did everything to code, you would have expected them to write my reference number on my delayed baggage report! Nope, I had to call and speak to the muffled, foreign-voiced customer service representatives.

To backtrack a bit, I figure that my lost luggage must have been caused after I waited in line for 15 minutes, spent 20 minutes at the check-in desk tapping the computer screen so I wouldn't have to begin from nada, and dealt with 5 United Airlines employees (3 of whom did their job quite well by making me aware that my baggage was 13 pounds over the recently adjusted 50 pound limit!). Finally I was able to talk to the average Joe supervisor whom I had to smooth talk into waiving my luggage fee with my Peace Corps acceptance letter. He continued to ask "Where's your military ID" as I repeated myself like an annoying parrot, "I do not get my Peace Corps ID card until I arrive to Miami." Then he would pose the question, "How is the Peace Corps able to receive military benefits and yet isn't the military?" Eventually I inhaled deeply and showed my pearly white teeth that seep through that convincing Richie smile. He waived the $115 fee, tagged the bag (or I hoped), and told me to run to the security check point because I had 15 minutes before the cut off. I ran with my fingers crossed... Once I had arrived to Miami, my crossed-finger superstitions did not help in any way. Round and round I continued watched the carousel tug the same bags around the circular belt, yet I stared in disbelief and hoped that the workers had taken a breather. My eyes did not deceive me, no red suitcase with a Peace Corps luggage tag or a rainbow bow (thanks to Victoria).

Stormy, Rainy, Moist Miami

The neat lamps in our hotel lobby (when lit)

My friend Cristin from DePaul picked me up from the airport on her day off (one positive advantage to Fay) and we traced our way to my hotel on an outdated 1993 map of Miami in the gusty, rainy weather. Well I figured I could now encounter a more calm moment during this storm of an adventure. Was I mistaken? Sure was! I entered a beautiful hotel with all its gorgeous ceiling lamps being unlit. I then realized how sticky the hotel was too. Yes, it then hit me that there was no electricity or air conditioning kicking in that beachfront hotel. In addition, all the rooms were not cleaned since the elevators were also not functioning (poor bell boys and cleaning staff!). Then, as for the cherry on the top, the Peace Corps conference room was on the penthouse, 20th floor! I found myself walking up 20 stories to see all the Peace Corps volunteers heads turn and stare directly at sweaty, old me. I said to myself, "Staging sure is preparing us for our next adventure," except an hour and a half later all electric had been restored unlike what we will be completely short of in the DR! I definitely got my exercise after trekking up and down the stairs 5+ times.

Now on to Staging. Right when I entered the room like a Gringo at a Quinceñera, several people were on foot and introducing themselves. I asked the girl sitting next to me in the only once vacant seat, "Are these volunteers outbound for the Dominican Republic?" She responded in her deep Southern accent, "Well ya." I didn't realize that everyone was gonig to the Dominican Republic and were introducing themselves in order with the program they'll be in [Name, Where they consider home & a personal fact - As original as it gets!]. I found myself gasping, "I'm Richie Diesterheft from Chicago, Illinois and my sister got married in the DR this past December so I'm excited to go back. Aaand my baggage is lost in action, hence my late arrival." So yes, everyone knew the late Chicagoan and you could argue that I also suffered through my own ice breaker after missing that part of Staging. I was off to a good start for sure!

As for my Staging group, two words describes it: Diverse and pumped! My group consists of 50 PCVs who come from all U.S. regions, have different American English dialects*, all ethnicities, all religious denominations, all eating lifestyles (vegetarian/vegan/carnivores), all sexual orientations (well I believe I'm one of 2), with a wife/husband (includes 2) or single, all personalities, hair colors, and style.

*When I speak of the volunteers using different American English dialects, I mainly refer to my roommate Andrew from the truuuuue Ar-can-saw (he has never left the state til now) and whom I have to sadly ask to repeat himself in every other conversation.

Yet, some how, we all seem to get along whether it be because our motivated to stick through the long Peace Corps application process, graduating college somewhat recently, having been asked similar odd questions and remarks present by friends/the public ["What are you doing joining the Peace Corps?!"; "Are you going to learn how to use guns and weapons?"; "You live in the US, why would you put yourself through this?"; "Be sure not sit on the toilet seats/kiss anyone!" - the ridiculous list goes on...], or simply since we're "the few and the proud" to have any desire to live abroad for 2 years and be good humanitarians. (I mean, only 1 in 4 applicants are actually accepted!)

The current DR PCVs (see you're starting to get the lingo) statistics are:

157 Current Volunteers53 Men, 104 Women96% single, 3% marriedAverage ago is 26Seniors (50+) 3Oldest volunteer 72 (I want to meet this trooper!)

To share a bit of Staging excitement, we touched upon everything from Peace Corps policies, safety, communication, and so much more that I don't remember. For example, here in the U.S. we ask "How are you?" and someone simply responds "Fine" without any thought. Well in Latin America, you expect a descriptive answer. In China you ask "Did you eat" (Response: Yes.) and in Morocco "Where are you going? (Response: "Over there."). Interesting, huh? One activity in particular had us create a pictorial list out Anxieties and Aspirations in small groups. This is what we came up with (not in any particular order):

Anxieties (20):

Illness/"Explosive Diarrhea"Bugs/MosquitoesHomesicknessPCV Introversion

Meeting new peopleNegative American stereotypesBeing "up to par" with atheleticsAble to develop and follow through plansLearn to get around locally (using gua guas/buses)HurricanesEspañolSimplicityKeeping in touch with homePersonal safetyAwkwardness with localsLonelinessLack of necessary qualificationsPresence of machismoLake of clean waterBeing a minority (by race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc) Aspirations (18):

Networking/Making friendsOpportunity to learn a lotAbility to lower one's comfort zonesLearn to use solar panelsBe one with their community (As in Star Wars)Promote peaceInitiate positive cultural exchangeOpen new doors for the futureIndependenceExperience CarnivaleGet new perspectivesBecome bilingualLearn to danceExperience a different geography/sceneryCreate sustainabilityLearn to wash one's own clothes (perhaps in a seasonal river or stream)

Learn patience through porch sittingBeing active & exercise often At first, we noticed how similar all our ideas were. Then how easy it was to come up with pessimistic anxieties. Yet, in the end, we realized that we had almost as many aspirations. So that was a positive outcome :).

It has been a long, never-ending day for me so I'm now hitting the hay. We'll find out what awaits me tomorrow. It has something to do with what they call a "vivencia." Here we'll be on a day retreat to receive vaccinations (such as the 1st of 3 Rabies shots and Typhoid -- Well as long as you already got your other VooDoo Doll-style vaccinations including DT, MMR, Polio, Hepatits A, meningitis, Hepatitis B1 & B2, & Influenze). I'll leave it to my dreams to invent what is in store for us young adventurers, but I'm outta here since we have to leave at 6 AM.

P/S: I am told that I may not have Internet or phone access for perhaps a week, so just be aware. Hopefully I will have electricity to continue blogging within Word.

Update: My online luggage delivery message was updated this morning. My bag was supposed to arrive between 12:30 AM and 4:30 AM on Thursday morning, 2 hours before we leave for our group international flight. Yet, luckily, it arrived a day early. Phew!

A Few Fellow PCVs & I At Dinner (Yes, horrible but Chilis was the closest, fastest thing!)

"The fun has begun!" [Requires being read in a soprano pitched voice...] My life has now officially been stuffed into a fabric-lined box. Yes, I believe that after all these years of traveling abroad, it all has a meaning: Simplify! I fit 2 years and 3 months of my life into ONE suitcase! Although the airlines have decided to dig our pennies further into our pockets by charging luggage fees, I hope to simply wave my Peace Corps acceptance letter at the ticket counter like a Get Out Of Jail Card in Monopoly. Better yet, I weighed my bag and it comes to 58 pounds! That's 12 pounds under the limit of 70! I'm truly proud! My final packing list is complete.

My Life In A Suitcase

(AP PHOTO/WEATHER UNDERGROUND)Here I am, the night before the big day, watching Big Olde Fay twist it's way up into Florida. If every worry, fear and tear couldn't already be visible on my face, a tropical storm adds only a minor wrinkle. As a native Midwesterner, I don't care whether the storm center considers Fay a tropical storm or a hurricane because either way it's too much wind and water for my liking! Or shall I put it this way, faster winds than the chatty Windy City and higher water waves than Lake Michigan...I'll take a pass like the luggage fees! It may just turn out to be a rough plane ride southward, but I plan to call United Airlines in the morning. My luck is feeling a bit slim since Miami International Airport was shut down at 9 am today, August 18th, 2008. ;(

While I try my best to put my worries aside, I decided to reflect on what I will miss of the United States and what the Dominican Republic may positively have in store for me.

I'll Miss:

Family & Friends (you can never have too many. I have plenty of time to make more.)My comfy bedHigh-speed Internet connections & improving technologyBeing up-to-date on pop culture, music & moviesHot water in the showerNot being completely surrounded by a large body of water (the island of Hispaniola -including Haiti- is only 400 miles long by 150 miles wide)An almost persistent feeling of safety when I'm out and aboutNot being a complete minority

I Won't Miss (so sad that it's difficult to come up with these):

Never ending Peace Corps processes & anxietyHigh prices for everything & anything (Gas, food, etc.)The rush, rush, rush of life

Our close-minded, money-interested societyFrigid winters (or will I miss seasons??)Greasy, hormone-induced food & unfresh fruit

Which will win my heart over in the end?? This has a long time ahead to be determined. Hasta la vista for now, I'm off to my true last supper with my mom, sisters, brother-in-law, aunt and boyfriend in Des Plaines, IL at Tiki Terrace.

P/S: For those of you who are interested, my lovely past-roommate, Jon Hess, visited me in Kenosha, Wisconsin and took self portrait pictures before I left. I have uploaded these pictures and others of those who I had seen before my departure at:

http://flickr.com/photos/puroticorico/sets/72157606687647264/.

Just less than one week is left before I take off on my long-expected Peace Corps adventure to the Dominican Republic. During this time, I have been trying my best to give a temporary farewell (I will be back eventually...Solely 2 years and 3 months later; So I remind everyone that it's not a goodbye) to many friends and family members. The principle of Change has been fresh on my mind like never before. I begin to observe and take note of all the details that surround me: present existing buildings, open lands (aka. future buildings), the depleting U.S. economy and my current friends' image. After a while, all my friends begin to mock one another by saying "Time will fly by" and "When you return, it will seem like nothing has changed but only paused." SO, I have now officially come to put these theories to the test by documenting the current United State's numerical situation, current events and my own personal drama on my very own blog (insert your very own lucky, gossiping smirk here). Now I am sure not to forget these unforgettable pre-departure days. As for now,,,Only time will tell...

United States In Numbers (August 2008):

Population: 303,824,646 citizensPopulation Growth Rate: 0.883%People Living with HIV/AIDS: 950,000 people (est. 2003)*Average Age: 36.7 yearsGDP per capita: $45,800 (est. 2007)*Unemployment: 4.7% (est. 2007)*€1 Euro to U.S. Dollar Exchange Rate: $1.48$1 U.S. Dollar to Dominican Peso Exchange Rate: 34.5 PesosMinimum Wage (for the state of Illinois): $7.75Gas: $3.90/galPostal Stamp: .47 cents Milk: $2.97/gal.Home: $215,000Iraq Casualties: 4, 130 deaths*Numbers/percentage from year stated instead of current year of 2008. Most found on CIA World Factbook.

Top News:

(Just to name a few events)

First Female & Black citizen enter U.S. Presidential debatesThe XXIX Summer Olympics kick off in Bejing, ChinaJohn McCain & Barack Obama are at each other's throats in President election debatesUnited States begins year 5 of having military troops in Iraq Russia Attacks Georgia by Land & AirJohn Edwards Deems his Sex Scandal to be TrueDonald Trump's Chicago Tower is 5 stories from completion & Santiago Calatrava's Chicago Spire had its ground breaking ceremonyGlobal warming has revealed itself more than ever before

Top Ten Billboard Songs:

(For many of us, these songs constantly play obnoxiously within our heads after being overplayed on the public radio)

1. I Kissed A Girl-Katy Perry

2. Forever-Chris Brown

3. Disturbia-Rihanna

4. Take A Bow-Rihanna

5. Viva La Vida-Coldplay

6. A Milli-Lil Wayne

7. Dangerous-Kardinal feat. Akon

8. Tonight-Jonas Brothers

9. When I Grow Up-Pussycat Dolls

10. Closer-Ne Yo

Personal Strife & Drama:

(All in first person)

Last day as a volunteer HIV/STI test counselor at the Broadway Youth Center (6/05)

I graduated as a Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Arts in Spanish & Latin American/Latino Studies from DePaul University, Chicago (6/15)I went through TONS of my possessions to either dispose of, put in our Moving/Garage Sale or donate to Goodwill/Salvation Army (7/18)

My childhood house in Gurnee, IL finally sold at a bargain & I moved in to new home in Kenosha, WI straight out of college (7/25)

My father was caught red-handed, his secrets were revealed & my parents find themselves in divorce limbo which will probably never be completely resolved (8/01)AT&T suspended my cell phone account a pay period early so I had no phone for a while (8/05)

My car breaks down on Route 41 at 11 pm in North Chicago, Illinois & requires towing (8/07)My mother's worsening health condition (most likely topped off with the stress caused by my father)

I have to leave my boyfriend, George (Jorge) Valdez, on the day of our 1 year anniversary (8/19)

I face constant stomach troubles due to excessive stress preceding my Peace Corps trip (Since 8/01)

My new "temporary" lake home in Kenosha, Wisconsin

As Gloria Gaynor would say "I will survive, hey hey!"

WOW! The last few months have proven how quickly time truly flies. Some weeks like a jetliner gone home, while others like a pesty, confused black house fly. But I have finally received the following simple, yet direct information:

Staging Location: Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida

(in this beautiful-looking hotel: www.coconutgrove.doubletree.com)

ORD to MIA Departure: August 19th, 2008; 8:55 AM

MIA to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: August 21st, 2008; 12:00 PM

Peace Corps Service Dates: August 19th, 2008 to October 19th, 2010!

Once I arrive to Miami, the two-day Staging phase (or as a non-PCV would call it, "Orientation") initiates. To ease my nerves, I often think of Staging as an acrobatic or modeling performance where I make a fool of myself in front of an audience. Yet, that always leads to learning a lesson. What occurs at Staging is that all the Dominican Republic PCV (Peace Corps Volunteers) submit their final registration forms to formally enter duty as a PC trainee, attend 12 hours of orientation and training, receive necessary immunizations (eeks!), and prepare for departure to the DR.

Oh this is only the frosting on the cake since PST (Pre-Service Training) follows (a.k.a. Bootcamp). PST is where us Trainees (not to be confused with "trannies," like I tend to process every time I read the word found in all my repetitive PC guides) live with a Dominican host family within the vicinity of the training center (Santo Domingo, in my case) and participate in language, cross-cultural, and some technical training.

Packing, Unpacking, Repacking, Stuffing, Pushing, Shoving, Sitting = Peace Corps-Style Packing:

As the date of departure gets closer, I'm trying my best to prepare ahead of time. A few items I have bought so far are:

Multi-Use Solar, Battery, Charger Radio/LED Flashlight & Reading light/Cell Phone Charger/Thermometer/Emergency Alarm

Organic Easy Now Traditional Medicinals Herbal Tea (It helps my upset stomachs and hyperactive nerves; Includes passionflower, chamomile, lavender, catnip, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint, licorice & stevia)Organic Sniff Stick for Travel Ease

Duck Tape (recommendation of many LA RPCVs-Returned Peace Corps Volunteers)Cheap $1 Walgreens Hand Fan (Thanks for the idea Sue A.)Granola Bars (For those days I have little time, or motivation, to eat)Reading Materials (TIME First Aid Magazine, 2 Medical Terminology Books, 2 Dominican Republic travel books & my favorite Spanish-English Mini Dictionary)Mosquito Net (something I brought back from the jungles of Costa Rica)

Mini UNO Cards to play (with fellow PCVs or children)Map of the United States

Mini Charmin travel toilet paper (you never know when you need it...)An iTouch iPod (I named him "Toque") is my newest gadgetLeft over Dominican Pesos left over from my sister Lindsy's wedding (Thanks Auntie Bev)

Here is a list that I found online which was compiled by PCVs serving in the Dominican Republic and is based on their experience.

Recommended packing list

After trying to read over this list and decide what I'm going to bring, I compiled my very own packing list. I think the recommended packing list just brought on more ideas of what to bring!

My almost complete compiled Packing List.

Bring On Staging:

For now, all I know is that I continue to remain equally nervous, excited and ambitious...and that I have a TON to learn; whether it be about the DR culture, Dominicano linguistic lingo/dialect, HIV prevention methods, cultural clinical practices, or all the darn Peace Corps abbreviations. I'm almost positive that staging will drill the latter into my head. In case I begin using PC terminology in my blog entries, the following list can assist us both:

Peace Corps Lingo & Abbreviations:

CD: Country DirectorCOS: End of Service (October 19, 2010)

DR: Dominican Republic (My Country of Service)ET: Early Termination (eeks!)HCN: Host Country National (I'll use Dominican instead since HCN is hokey)IA: Inter-Americans (aka: Caribbean)

LA: Latin America

PC: the Peace CorpsPCMO: Peace Corps Medical Officer

PCV: Peace Corps VolunteerPST: Pre-Service Training (8-12 weeks of training in the Dominican Republic)RD: Regional Director (Big guy in charge of administering a geographic region)

RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Alumni)RVS: Returned Volunteer ServicesSPA: Small Project Assistance (Financial assistance for a volunteer's prospective projects)For now, I have to finish up reading my "A Few ^Minor Adjustments" Volunteer Handbook. The last count down to August 19th now officially begins...1 Month and Counting...

(See countdown at the bottom of this blog).

**End Notes: Please be aware that as time continues, my blog entries may become shorter, sloppier, increasingly badly written (grammatically and with word order), Spanglish, and possibly non-existent due to limited/no access to Internet/Wi-Fi.

**I still do not know the location of my placement post-PST. Just look to the skies and picture a beach/desert, jungle or mountainous terrain. PLEASE stop asking me where because I'm just as anxious.

Lately, I’ve had the concept of reality on my mind. I think about the concept of reality and how it is all relative based on your experiences. I used to live in Chicago, and before that the suburbs – and no, it wasn’t Schaumburg, thank you! My reality prior to going off to college was the palatial bliss of Palatine, Illinois – home of the fighting Pirates! Upon arriving at college, my reality soon changed. The boundaries of my life had been expanded to include Chicago-proper, and with that I gained new experiences. These new experiences quickly reshaped my sense of reality. Continuing on with my life, each new experience changed my sense of reality. Whether it was graduating from college, landing a new job, moving into a new apartment, a new neighborhood, a new relationship, or loss there of, my sense of reality was constantly changing.

During my journey, I was fortunate and blessed to have great mentors and friends help me throughout the various stages of this journey. One such mentor exposed me to so many different experiences and ideas that I have been forever changed. I had the opportunity to go on service trips to remote parts of the United States, as well as within Chicago. I had opportunities to work with individuals who had a drastically different reality-base. Their reality was different because life dealt them a different set of cards to play with -- in some cases, a completely different game. These experiences changed my reality and reshaped my views. When I decided to take this position as an English Teacher in Thailand, I knew this would be another experience that would reshape my reality. This was a chance to change my views and opinions, yet again, and bring with it the awesome responsibility of reshaping someone else’s reality.

I realize that not everyone is privileged enough to leave their hometown, explore different worlds, different cultures, different foods, different languages, different traditions, and different people. I also realize that there are people in the world who never want to experience those things – they are completely content with where they’re at in life – their reality. The idea of their reality being changed, well, it scares the hell out of them. But, I started to think more about my presence and how it is shaping the reality of those I interact with; my students, the Thai teachers, my neighbors, the vendors at the market, the woman at the coffee shop who always smiles and personally greets me every time I come in (heck, I’m there nearly every day), or the other Ferang who are from the Western World, but not “my” Western World. I constantly think how I might be altering their reality, about “Americans” (which I always correct to United States – “American” implies two whole continents of people, not just the states).

I also think about how I am changing your perception of reality – you, the reader. How has my journal changed the way you view Thailand, or South East Asia, or Asia as a whole? I think about this, and the impact I’m having on molding your sense of reality. Has reading my journal prompted you to leave your house and explore other worlds? Do you get a hankering for Thai food after you finish reading my various escapades? Or, have I managed to instill the opposite reaction? Has my journal reinforced your own biases? Or has it made you want to lock yourself in your house, never to experience anything new? I will say that I bring in humor and sarcasm to my stories (at least I try to) because it is what I know, and these are the emotions I am most comfortable expressing in such a large forum. What I want you to know is that the stories I tell are my reality, and I want you to experience it with me – if you so chose. I want you to be there with me as I try to navigate through the market, or try my hand at driving through the streets of Thailand. I want you to experience my reality, so you can understand that there are different realities in the world. The reality of a family who has to commute to work using a motorbike because that’s all they can afford on 5 Baht a week ($0.15). Or, what about the man who sells Pineapples on the side of the road because he can’t afford a pick-up truck to transport his goods to the market. Or, what about the student who commutes for 2 hours on a motorbike every day, because our school is one of the best in the area and his family wants him to have the best education they can afford. Or, what about the other Thai teachers at school who understand only their culture and therefore our interactions are socially awkward at best. I want to help you understand the realities of these people because my hope is that it will help to reshape your own reality. It will help you think differently about the Pakistan cashier at Wal-Mart, who doesn’t speak very good English; the Latin-American family at the grocery store who shop with their extended family and take up too much room in the aisles while you’re trying to shop too; or the man on the street corner who is simply trying to get back on his feet with a little help from you. These are the realities I want you to think about, and how we’re all connected by something larger. Because once it’s all stripped away, the only thing we have left to cling to is our human dignity. Posted by Joshua at 5:11 PM Labels: Lampang, Thailand 2008/09

The Basics

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, Spanish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a nation located in the Caribbean region. It is on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago. Hispaniola lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica.[2] The western third of Hispaniola is the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other. The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, its capital Santo Domingo, which was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.[3] It is the site of the first cathedral,[1] university, European-built road, European-built fortress, and more. For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy.History The Taínos The island of Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taínos, an Arawakan-speaking people, who may have arrived around A.D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants.[4] The Taínos lived in villages headed by chiefs and called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning "highest land", as well as Ayti and Bohio.[5] By 1492, they were divided into five chiefdoms (cacicazgos in Spanish, from cacique, chief). There are widely varying estimates of the population of Hispaniola in 1492, including 100,000,[6] 300,000[4] 3 million,[7] and 7-8 million.[8] They engaged principally in farming and fishing,[9] as well as hunting and gathering.[4] Spanish rule Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, in his first voyage, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad. He returned to Spain, but sailed back to America three more times. After initially friendly relations, the Taínos resisted the conquest. One of the earliest leaders to fight against the Spanish was the female Chief Anacaona of Xaragua, in the southwest, who married Chief Caonabo of Maguana, in the center and south of the island. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other notables who resisted include Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guamá, and Chief Hatuey, who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there. Chief Enriquillo fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Baoruco Mountain Range, in the southwest, to gain freedom for himself and his people in a part of the island. The Taínos were by then nearly extinct. Most of the survivors mixed with runaway African slaves, called cimarrones, producing zambos. The mestizos increased in number as native women conceived to European men. By the mid-1500s the majority of Taíno people had died from mistreatment, diseases to which they had no immunity, suicide, the breakup of family unity, starvation,[4] forced labor, torture, and war with the Spaniards. In 1561 Bartolomé de las Casas wrote that when he reached Hispaniola in 1508 "There were 60,000 people living on this island, including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508, over three million people had perished from war, slavery and the mines. Who in future generations will believe this?"[10] Some scholars believe that Las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to persuade King Carlos to intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Moreover, censuses of the time did not account for the number of Indians who fled into remote communities. There they often joined with runaway Africans. There were also confusing issues with racial categorization. People of Spanish and Taino descent (mestizo) who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards.[11] Some scholars believe that many Dominicans today retain Taíno ancestry.[11][12] In 1496 Bartolomeo Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Nueva Isabela (New Isabella), now Santo Domingo, in the south of Hispaniola. It was one of the first Spanish settlements and became Europe's first permanent settlement in the New World. The Spaniards created a plantation economy on Hispaniola, particularly from the second half of the 16th century.[6] The island became a springboard for European conquest of the Caribbean islands, called "Antilles", and soon after, the South American mainland, including contemporary coastal Venezuela and Colombia. For decades Santo Domingo colony was the headquarters of Spanish colonial power in the New World. With the Spanish conquest of the mainland empires of the Aztecs and Incas, the importance of Hispaniola declined and Spain paid less attention to it. French bucaneers settled in the western part of the island. By the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded that part of Hispaniola to France. It grew into the wealthy colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), with four times as much population as Spanish Santo Domingo by the end of the 18th century.[13] French rule France came to own the whole island in 1795, when by the Treaty of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time slaves led by Toussaint Louverture in the western part (Haiti) were in revolt against France. In 1801 Toussaint Louverture captured Santo Domingo from the French, thus gaining control of the entire island. In 1802 an army sent by Napoleon captured Toussaint Louverture and sent him to France as prisoner. Toussaint Louverture's successors, and yellow fever, succeeded in expelling the French again from Saint-Domingue. The nation declared independence as Haiti in 1804. France went on to recover Spanish Santo Domingo. In 1808, following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the criollos of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule, and with Great Britain's (Spain's ally) and Haiti's help,[14] returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.[15] The Ephemeral Independence and Haitian rule After a dozen years of Spanish misrule and neglect and failed independence plots by various groups, former Spanish Lieutenant-Governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Haití Español (Spanish Haiti) on November 30, 1821. He requested admission to Simón Bolívar's nation of Gran Colombia. But the new nation's independence was short-lived. Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, invaded just nine weeks later in February 1822.[16] As Toussaint Louverture had done the first time, the Haitians abolished slavery. But they nationalized all public property; most private property, including all the property of landowners who had left in the wake of the invasion; much Church property; as well as all property belonging to the former rulers, the Spanish Crown. All levels of education suffered collapse; the university was shut down, as it was starved of resources and all Dominican men from 16 to 25-years-old were drafted into the Haitian army. Haiti imposed a "heavy tribute" on the Dominican people.[17] Many whites fled Santo Domingo for Puerto Rico and Cuba — both still under Spanish rule — Venezuela, and elsewhere. Boyer changed the Dominican economic system to place more emphasis on cash crops to be grown on large plantations, reformed the tax system, and allowed foreign trade. But the new system was widely opposed by Dominican farmers, although it produced a boom in sugar and coffee production. Boyer's troops, which included many Dominicans, were unpaid, and had to "forage and sack" from Dominican civilians. In the end the economy faltered and taxation became more onerous. Rebellions occurred even by freed Dominican slaves, while Dominicans and Haitians worked together to oust Boyer from power. Anti–Haitian movements of several kinds — pro–independence, pro–Spanish, pro–French, pro–British, pro–United States — gathered force following Boyer's overthrow in 1843.[17] Independence In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.[18] Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter of partly African ancestry)[19], despite not being among the founding members of Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. They are now hailed, together with Duarte, as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios, as the members of La Trinitaria were known, declared independence from Haiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo who became general of the army of the nascent Republic and is known as "El Liberador." The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.[9] The decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes of government, and exile for political opponents. Threatening the nation's independence were renewed Haitian invasions occurring in 1844, 1845-49, 1849-55, and 1855-56.[17] Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and Buenaventura Báez held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored Spain, and Báez the United States. The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic General Gregorio Luperón, Restoration Hero. In 1861, after silencing or exiling many of his opponents and mainly due to political and economic reasons, Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted the Dominican nation to a colonial status,[20] the only Latin American country to do so. Opponents launched the War of the Restoration in 1863, led by a group of men including Santiago Rodríguez and Benito Monción among others; General Gregorio Luperón distinguished himself at the end of the war. Haitian authorities, fearful of the re-establishment of Spain as colonial power on their border, gave refuge and logistics to Dominican revolutionaries to re-establish independence.[20] The United States, then fighting its own Civil War, vigorously protested the Spanish action. After two years of fighting, the Spanish troops abandoned the island.[20] The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1863. Political strife again prevailed in the years that followed; warlords ruled, military revolts were extremely common, and the nation amassed debt. In 1869 it was the turn of Báez to act on his plan of annexing the country to the United States,[16] with a payment of 1.5 million dollars by the U.S. as part of the deal, in order to alleviate the Dominican Republic's debts.[21][9] U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant supported this plan, but the United States Senate refused on June 30, 1870,[16] albeit by just one vote. President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace, free of harassment by Southern whites.[22] Ulises 'Lilís' Heureaux, President of the Dominican Republic 1882-84, 1886-99. Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878. A new generation was now entirely in charge, with the passing of Santana (he died in 1864) and Báez from the scene. Relative peace came to the country in the 1880s,[23] which saw the coming to power of General Ulises Heureaux. The new president was initially popular.[24] He was, however, "a consummate dissembler", who put the nation deep into debt while using much of the proceeds for his personal use and to maintain his police state.[24] Heureaux's rule became more despotic with time and he all the more unpopular.[25][24] In 1899 he was assassinated. However, the unprecentedly long calm over which he'd presided allowed for some improvement in the Dominican economy. The sugar industry was modernized,[26] and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants, both from the Old World and the New. From 1902 on, short-lived governments were again the norm and provincial leaders held much of the power. Furthermore, the national government was bankrupt and, unable to pay its debts, faced the threat of military intervention by France and other European powers seeking repayment. U.S. intervention It was this situation that U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sought to prevent, in great part in order to protect the vicinity of the Panama Canal, which was then under construction.[24] He made a small military intervention to ward off the European powers, proclaimed his famous Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and in 1906 the Dominican Republic and the United States entered into a 50-year treaty giving control of customs administration to the United States.[9] In exchange the United States agreed to use the customs proceeds to help reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic,[9] and even assumed responsibility for said debt.[24] In 1914, the United States, due to extreme political internal instability in the Dominican Republic (inability to elect a president), expressed concern and stated that a leader must be elected, or the United States would impose one.[27] As a result, Ramón Báez Machado was elected provisional president on August 27, 1914.[27] Presidential elections held on October 25 returned Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra to the presidency. Despite his victory, however, Jimenes felt impelled to appoint leaders and prominent members of the various political factions to positions in his government in an effort to broaden its support. The internecine conflicts that resulted had quite the opposite effect, weakening the government and the President and emboldening Secretary of War Desiderio Arias to take control of both the armed forces and the Congress, which he compelled to impeach Jimenes for violation of the constitution and the laws. Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jimenes opted to step down on May 7, 1916. Arias never assumed the presidency formally. The United States government, apparently tired of its recurring role as mediator, had decided to take more direct action. By this time, U.S. forces were occupying Haiti. The initial military administrator of Haiti, Rear Admiral William Caperton, had actually forced Arias to retreat from Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment on May 13, 1916. U.S. occupation The first Marines landed three days later, on May 19, 1916. Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a military government until November. Most Dominican laws and institutions remained intact under military rule, although the shortage of Dominicans willing to serve in the Cabinet forced the military governor, Harry Shepard Knapp, to fill a number of portfolios with United States naval officers. The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited in the meantime. The surface effects of the occupation were largely positive. The Marines restored order throughout most of the republic (with the exception of the eastern region); the country's budget was balanced, its debt was diminished, and economic growth resumed. Infrastructure projects produced new roads that linked all the country's regions for the first time in its history. A professional military organization, the Dominican Constabulary Guard, replaced the partisan forces that had waged a seemingly endless struggle for power. Most Dominicans, however, greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners, few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic. The most intense opposition to the occupation arose in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. From 1917 to 1921, the United States forces battled a guerrilla movement in that area known as the "gavilleros". The guerrillas enjoyed considerable support among the population, and they benefited from a superior knowledge of the terrain. The movement survived the capture and the execution of its leader, Vicente Evangelista, and some initially fierce encounters with the Marines. However, the gavilleros eventually yielded to the occupying forces' superior firepower, air power (a squadron of six Curtis Jennies), and determined (often brutal) counter-insurgency methods. After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. U.S. President Warren G. Harding, who succeeded Woodrow Wilson in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary — now known as the Guardia Nacional (National Guard) — and the holding of elections under United States supervision. Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative. Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21, 1922. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, former President Horacio Vásquez Lajara handily defeated Francisco J. Peynado. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on July 13, control of the republic returned to Dominican hands. He gave the country six years of good government, in which political and civil rights were respected and the economy grew strongly, in an atmosphere of peace.[28] Trujillo era Rafael Trujillo The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Trujillo ruled with an iron fist, persecuting anyone who opposed his regime. There was considerable economic growth during his rule, although a great deal of the wealth went to the dictator and other regime elements. He also renamed many towns and provinces after himself and members of his family, including the capital city Santo Domingo, renamed Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City). In 1937 Trujillo (who was himself one-quarter Haitian),[29] in an event known as the Parsley Massacre or in the Dominican Republic as El Corte (The Cutting),[30] ordered the Army to kill Haitians on the Dominican side of the border. An estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians were killed over approximately five days, from the night of October 2, 1937 through October 8, 1937. Haitians were cut down with machetes.[29][16] The soldiers of Trujillo would go out and interrogate anyone with dark skin, hold up a sprig of perejil (parsley) and pronounce what they were holding up. Haitians who spoke French and/or Kreyol said the "r" in perejil with a flat long pronunciation, while Dominicans said it with a trilled "r" sound.[30] This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the border.[31] As a result of this massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti $750,000.00, which was later reduced to US$525,000.[32][20] The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a long time was supported by the USA,[33] the Catholic Church, and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans in the political opposition and over 17,000 Haitians.[30] Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961 in Santo Domingo. Post-Trujillo A democratically-elected government under leftist Juan Bosch took office in 1963, but was overthrown later in the year. After nineteen months of military rule, a pro-Bosch revolt took place in 1965. US Marines arrived in the Dominican Republic to restore order in Operation Powerpack, later to be joined by forces from the Organization of American States.[34] They remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections which led to the victory of Joaquín Balaguer, who had been Trujillo's last puppet president, over Bosch. Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of civil liberties, presumably to prevent pro-Cuba or pro-communist parties from gaining power in the country. His rule was also criticized for a growing disparity between rich and poor and praised for an ambitious infrastructural program which included housing, theaters, museums, aqueducts, roads, highways and the massive Columbus' Lighthouse which was completed in a subsequent tenure in 1992. 1978 to present In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate Antonio Guzmán Fernández, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights. Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, defeating PRD candidate José Francisco Peña Gómez, a former mayor of Santo Domingo. Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as a major fraud, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down.[citation needed] Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by Bosch's Dominican Liberation Party for the first time, with Leonel Fernández as its candidate. In 2000, Hipólito Mejía won the electorate when opposing candidates Danilo Medina and a very old Joaquín Balaguer decided that they would not force a runoff after the first got 49.8% of the votes. In 2004, Leonel Fernández was elected again, with 57% of the votes, defeating then-incumbent president Mejía. Government and politics The National Palace of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, with national powers divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The President of the Dominican Republic appoints the cabinet, executes laws passed by the legislative branch, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for 4-year terms. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral Congress composed of the Senate (with 32 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (with 178 members). The Dominican Republic has a multi-party political system with national elections every 2 years (alternating between presidential elections and congressional/municipal elections). Presidential elections are held in years evenly divisible by four. Congressional and municipal elections are held in even numbered years not divisible by four. International observers have found that presidential and congressional elections since 1996 have been generally free and fair. Elections are supervised by a Central Elections Board (JCE) of 9 members chosen for a four-year term by the newly elected Senate. JCE decisions on electoral matters are final. Under the constitutional reforms negotiated after the 1994 elections, the 16-member Supreme Court of Justice is appointed by a National Judicial Council, which comprises the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing-party member. One other Supreme Court Justice acts as secretary of the Council, a non-voting position. The Supreme Court has sole authority over managing the court system and in hearing actions against the president, designated members of his cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session. The Supreme Court hears appeals from lower courts and chooses members of lower courts. Each of the 31 provinces is headed by a presidentially appointed governor. Mayors and municipal councils to administer the 124 municipal districts and the National District (Santo Domingo) are elected at the same time as congressional representatives.[35] Politics The Dominican Republic holds elections every four years at the congressional levels as well as every four years at the presidential levels. The country becomes highly politicized, as millions of dollars are spent in propaganda and campaigning. The political system is characterized by clientelism, which has corrupted the system throughout the years.[36] There are many political parties and interest groups and, new in this scenario, civil organizations. The three major parties are the conservative Social Christian Reformist Party (Spanish: Partido Reformista Social Cristiano [PRSC]), in power 1966–78 and 1986–96; the social democratic Dominican Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano [PRD]), in power in 1963, 1978–86, and 2000–04); and the increasingly conservative Dominican Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana [PLD]), in power 1996–2000 and since 2004. The presidential elections of 2008 were held on May 16, 2008, with incumbent Leonel Fernandez winning with 53% of the vote.[37] This would be Fernández's third, and his second consecutive, term. Fernández and the PLD are credited with a number of initiatives that have moved the country forward technologically, with the completion in 2008 of the Metro Railway ("El Metro") in the Dominican Republic. Foreign relations The Dominican Republic maintains close relations with the nations of the Western Hemisphere and the principal nations of Europe. Relations with the U.S. are very close.[38] The country is a member of the following international organizations:[2] ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA (graduate), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (or ITSO), Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent member), ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, Rio Group, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Unión Latina, UNOCI, UNWTO (or WToO), UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

The wait has FINALLY come to an end...well for now at least. Beginning the application process in October 2006, being nominated for Health/HIV work in the Inter-Americas (Central America/South America/Carribbean) while in Buenos Aires, Argentina in August 8, 2007 and at last receiving my invitation for serving in the Dominican Republic between August 19, 2008 and October 29, 2010 is truly a relief...to say the least!