May 12, 2013. Have I mentioned how much I love Nati yet? Ugh, she is phenomenal. She arrived at my house at 9am sharp which shocked me because that's exactly the time she said she'd be there lol. I had hot chocolate and bread and we were off. About 10km down the Autopista Duarte, she lives with her three kids. It's a really far trip to have to take every morning and night... I met lots of her family, headed to the supermarket, walked around a park, and saw lots of Villa Altagracia. It's super similar to Monte Plata and probably has everything I would ever need so I won't need to go all the way to the capital! I'm pumped about that. I'm also definitely going to buy jeans from there since it's 10X cheaper at those privately owned shops that are everywhere than La Sirena. We returned to her home, I played Jax with her kids, talked with her son who is 7 (Jake, he made me miss you terribly), ate lunch together as a family (!!), watched TV, and just chatted. Nati is a wonderful mother; full of life and humor, I just love it.
At 3, I had to head out, sadly. She brought me to a carro público and it took me passed my stop because he couldn't leave me on the opposite side of the Duarte. Luckily, a man in the car with me took me to the overpass, asked around for a car to Pantoja and led me in the fit direction. Super awesome. But then he gave me his number to call when I arrived safe. Haha good one. Not falling for that! ;). I made it back squished with 3 other people and my huge hiking pack, and my host mother greeted me with chinola juice, my favorite!
Now I'm going to head out to Susan's to finish our ELF together and post these blogs. Hopefully my family will call tonight! I kinda just want to go back to my community though. I think that's a good thing :). But! Graduation first! And then I'll go back and stress more while also being happy. Haha wish I could pick an emotion and stick with it for more than 5 minutes :P Nos vemos!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
With All My Heart and Liver
May 11, 2013. Today I spent most of the morning studying, reading, playing cards with Lizbeth, and working on my ELF (which is so not completed...). I don't think breakfast is going to exist here so my plan is to buy peanut butter in the capital this week. Though at 10am, my Doña came back with this weird hard bread that's super common here and she made me coffee.
Lunch (see below). Yup, if you can tell, there's totally a heart there and, I think, a liver. I ate the rice, habichuelas, and the chicken around that stuff... Then at 2, I went to the Play for the tournament. So many people were there! It didn't start until 3:30 (gonna have to get used to that) and it went until 5:30 almost 6. It was fun to watch and I really hope I can join somehow someday. I'd love to play :).
Afterwards, Mayelin and I went to my house and we played cards with Lizbeth. Then we went up the mountain a little to an area I hadn't been yet. I met a new family, got to hold a baby, taught the girls a bit about volleyball, and took pictures of the view. Incredible. I still can't quite believe I get to call this place home.
Back at my house, my Doña made me yuca, platanos, and salami and again, I ate it all. I really need to start running. Mayelin, Lizbeth, And Kendris made more things to decorate my room :). I then showered (we haven't had running water now for like 3 days and the bathroom is starting to smell like a latrine which is spreading to my room. Interesting...), packed my bag and now it's time for bed. Mañana? Back to the capital! Buenas noches.
Lunch (see below). Yup, if you can tell, there's totally a heart there and, I think, a liver. I ate the rice, habichuelas, and the chicken around that stuff... Then at 2, I went to the Play for the tournament. So many people were there! It didn't start until 3:30 (gonna have to get used to that) and it went until 5:30 almost 6. It was fun to watch and I really hope I can join somehow someday. I'd love to play :).
Afterwards, Mayelin and I went to my house and we played cards with Lizbeth. Then we went up the mountain a little to an area I hadn't been yet. I met a new family, got to hold a baby, taught the girls a bit about volleyball, and took pictures of the view. Incredible. I still can't quite believe I get to call this place home.
Back at my house, my Doña made me yuca, platanos, and salami and again, I ate it all. I really need to start running. Mayelin, Lizbeth, And Kendris made more things to decorate my room :). I then showered (we haven't had running water now for like 3 days and the bathroom is starting to smell like a latrine which is spreading to my room. Interesting...), packed my bag and now it's time for bed. Mañana? Back to the capital! Buenas noches.
Mass and Ketchup
May 10, 2013. Today I had a rock hard cookie and chocolate milk for breakfast at the school. I observed more classes and am a bit concerned that I don't see any motivation for change from the teachers... But maybe it's too early to say that? I headed home for lunch, and slept for an hour, I was so tired. At 2, I went back to school. They discussed when they will have their exams. Observed again. Ugh. Ileft to go to mass with Juana Iris but it ended up being at 5, not 4. S we hung with a family as I stayed silent and lost. Then I went to mass with Mayelin's family. Juana Iris didn't want to go after all. It was held outside across the highway at the school. And was a baptism today! I want a Bible in Spanish. I think I'll ask the pastor where I can buy one next time I see him. Then, the rains came. Just as mass ended. We ran into the classrooms for shelter and it rained hard. And the thunder that echoed in between the mountains? Heaven. We waited, then escaped to a colmado where my host mom's daughter worked. I met her, her husband and their son, and my host mother's mother. I also learned that Doña Dulce has three kids and her husband has two but they have none together. Eventually we made our way back home. I called my grandma to tell her I finally went to mass but she didn't answer (surprise!). :P My host mom made me coffee and let me watch TV in her room (she said this is my house now too! Totally turned my attitude around about getting close to her). Dinner was tostones and fried chicken with ketchup (win!)! I may or may not have eaten it all :). After all, Nati said she's gonna fatten me up by the time I go home in two years lol. Time to start running! After that, I showered, talked to my baby, and now it's time for bed! Despite feeling overwhelmed about the schools and how I'm going to be able to help, today was another good day. Buenas noches.
Hold Tight and Chin Up
May 9, 2013. A new day indeed. Today was so much better. I just needed to hold tight and remember what my man always says to me, "Chin up." I went to the school at 8 and observed a class (after having bread and pear juice for breakfast there). The teacher introduced me and said that I was family. All of the kids ran over and gave me a group hug :D. The class got nothing done... And there was no classroom management but hey... I finally got to observe. Then at 10, Nati, Juana Iris and I went to the school across the highway. Both schools at small but this one is a little bigger. I met the director and the teachers. They were kind and understanding of my Spanish, giving me a bit of encouragement. On the way back, I met the pastor of my community. He was wonderful; he spoke slowly, clearly, and I understood mostly everything. He asked a lot of questions about my purpose, seemed excited that I am here, and warned me about the machismo in this country lol. I will definitely be visiting him more. He had me say a prayer from the Bible in English and we went. Nati and I then walked around a bit more and Juana Iris left. The really cool thing about Nati is that she is new too. She's only been the director for three weeks and hasn't met everyone yet. So when I asked about a street and where it led, she said, "Let's find out!" We ended up getting honey straight from the comb from a man and his son (so delicious!) and met a woman with a huge yard and five cats, three dogs, a goose, hens, and a talking parrot. So cool.
After then walking to the end of the road and discovering a mini rio, we headed home. I ate dinner, rested, and headed back to the school to observe more. Again, nothing was accomplished but the kids are happy? I don't know... Lol
I went to Mayelin's house and chatted with her mom; she's super wonderful. I watched a movie with her kids (in English! But super inappropriate for the little ones, but the dad was so proud that they had a movie...) and she made me dinner. I told her that my Doña probably had dinner waiting but she made it anyways and told me she'd walk me home with it. I was right so I ended up having yuca and salami in one bowl and yuca and eggs in another. I didn't finish it all, don't worry. Haha I then put my water filter together because drinking water is in short supply for how much I want/need it. So grateful we have it though. Mayelin and I played cards, decorated my room more, and then I showered. That was more like it. I can do this. (Below are pictures from my porch). Buenas noches.
After then walking to the end of the road and discovering a mini rio, we headed home. I ate dinner, rested, and headed back to the school to observe more. Again, nothing was accomplished but the kids are happy? I don't know... Lol
I went to Mayelin's house and chatted with her mom; she's super wonderful. I watched a movie with her kids (in English! But super inappropriate for the little ones, but the dad was so proud that they had a movie...) and she made me dinner. I told her that my Doña probably had dinner waiting but she made it anyways and told me she'd walk me home with it. I was right so I ended up having yuca and salami in one bowl and yuca and eggs in another. I didn't finish it all, don't worry. Haha I then put my water filter together because drinking water is in short supply for how much I want/need it. So grateful we have it though. Mayelin and I played cards, decorated my room more, and then I showered. That was more like it. I can do this. (Below are pictures from my porch). Buenas noches.
Jaguar, I Know How You Feel
May 8, 2013. Excursión! Today, I met Nati down at the school. There were three guaguas and tons of kids waiting. It took us 2 hours before we could leave and I have no idea why. And I was the awkward, new, shy, American, who didn't talk to anyone. So much if me was screaming to walk around, meet some kids, introduce myself... But I couldn't work up the courage. And that was basically the whole day. We went to the zoo (I definitely understand the jaguar and how it must feel, being fenced in one area and having people walk by and stare, talking about you but not directly to you), colonial zone in the capital, and a park on the water. It was an incredible experience for the kids because most of them have never traveled outside of this community. But man... it was a rough first day being in a new place with so many new people. I interacted a little but was so overwhelmed, understanding people became more and more infrequent. I kept looking forward to getting on the bus so I could sit in silence with a few teachers who didn't talk to me... At the colonial zone, however, I did bust out my camera and the kids went nuts (Dominicans LOVE getting their picture taken). This was cool but it's hard to keep taking picture after picture after picture (and they all want one "sola"/alone) so eventually I said I didn't have space left on my card. Which left me to be ignored again.
Finally, we were on our way home, a girl threw up for the third time behind me, a young teacher laid down in my lap, and the rains came so hard, we could barely see in front of us and the roads started to flood with brown water. I went home, ate dinner, talked to Mayelin who made me feel better, and then cried with Nate who made me feel a million times better. I understand culture shock now and hadn't felt it before today. I just have to say a prayer and hope for a better day tomorrow. Buenas noches.
Finally, we were on our way home, a girl threw up for the third time behind me, a young teacher laid down in my lap, and the rains came so hard, we could barely see in front of us and the roads started to flood with brown water. I went home, ate dinner, talked to Mayelin who made me feel better, and then cried with Nate who made me feel a million times better. I understand culture shock now and hadn't felt it before today. I just have to say a prayer and hope for a better day tomorrow. Buenas noches.
A Surreal, Dream-Like Day
May 7, 2013. ¡Sobreviví! What a day. I walked the busy street to the training center with two rollie suitcases; one with my medical kit and helmet tied to the handles and one with my mosquitera, and my book bag stuffed full of books. I only left behind a few articles of clothing in the capital :). At the center, there was breakfast and coffee, and already some project partners waiting. Unbeknownst to me, mine were there. After a little, I met them and we went to sit and chat. One is the director of the school on the side of the thruway that I am living and she is 34 years old with 3 children. Ella se llama Nati. She is only temporarily the director, however, and I may already be sad about that... The other is the president of the parent organization, she is 26 years old with 3 children too. Ella se llama Juana Iris o Paola. Jennifer said that volunteers have told her this was the most uncomfortable day in their entire experience in PC. I'm going to disagree. Yes, there were silences, and maybe it was just me, but I never felt super awkward. We talked about Villa Altagracia, the weather there, the people, the schools, their families, my family, fruit, etc. I cannot tell you how relieved I was after talking for a bit. I apologized for my Spanish and they payed no mind and said, "It'll come."
Classes - effective communication, expectations of each other, a volunteer's calendar for the next 2 years, etc.
Lunch
Un carro público y una guagua y ya! Facíl. Solamente una hora maxima de la capital. On the bus I asked questions about things I already knew but just to talk more and interact more. Haha I saw tons of orange fields, Juana Iris wants to take me to get my nails done and teach me how to dance Bachata, Merengue, Salsa, y Regue (sp?)!!! When we arrived, a moto took both my suitcases to my house, crazy! And I was home. The town literally is next to the thruway but when you look to one side, mountains. And turn around the other side? More mountains. I don't care that I'm not by a beach or on top of a mountain, I think it's beautiful here. The clouds rolled in a bit and came so low I wanted to reach out and touch them. And apparently there are lots of rios around the area! As we walked through the neighborhood, I met people and they walked with us. Soon there was a pretty decent sized group. They all welcomed me into the "family" :D. Nati briefly showed me the school and introduced me to the teachers. It's super small but they are so kind and from the little I saw, it's well kept. Juana Iris showed me her house where she lives with 8 other people. Her part of the house where she lives with her 3 children is tan pequeño. You can barely move around the furniture, it's incredible.
My house. My Doña- not sure yet. Very scattered. Little and quick. But kind!
My room- had Mayelin (9 year old girl) help me organize my room. And later with her brother, they made drawings for me to hang on my wall! But it's cement walls and the tape is struggling to stick.
We played cards (tres y dos!!) and then at 4, I met up with Juana Iris and we went to The Play to watch the women (older and adolescent) play baseball! Such a neat thing. I hope I can play sometime too... But what a whirlwind of meeting people, trying to follow the conversation, and getting harassed by too many guys and it being funny to everyone (but luckily I didn't understand it all). One woman I met seems amazingly crazy and fun and I cannot wait to better my Spanish and get close to her. Juana Iris' baby is 3 months old and adorable. They passed her around like a bowl full of pasta at Gram's house; stealing kisses and smiles like crazy. One girl spoke a little English and after asking how old I was and if I had kids (at least 8X today), she said I need Jesus in my life. I told her I am Catholic and she was content lol. Grandma Irene? I'm going to church on Thursday. Though I'm not sure for which religion yet.
Just hearing over and over "Ella va a vivir aquí por dos años" (she will be living here for two years) was so strange... As I lay here and type this, I feel as if I'm in shock. I knew that, of course, I signed up for it, but it's real now. And I've finally seen my home, after just finding out where it was yesterday, and many people that I will learn to know and love. And yet, as much as I don't want to admit it, I feel nothing; not happy but definitely not sad or scared. Just... I'm here. This is it. Holy shit lol. I wish I could explain it better because it's not bad but I feel like I'm making it sound bad... Haha
Moving on! We left eventually, I met more people, and went home. Mayelin climbed a tree and got me tons of cherries. They were delicious! She then wanted to show me her house and oh my god, it was amazing. Okay, the house itself? No... But they have a huge yard, lined with trees of all kinds, a little creek, paths lined with stones, and a view of a farm with cows and mountains in the background. Incredible. I talked with her mom a bit and told her how pretty I thought it was. She said whenever I want, I could go there to rest, get away, sleep if I wanted, or whatever. I'm so going to take advantage of that. It's like a mini paradise.
We returned to my house, made our drawings by headlamp on my bed (since la luz went out around 2pm when I arrived), and had pasta, tostones, and a new bíbere (sp?) for dinner. I showered (there's running water!), hung the mosquitera that my Doña already had for me, talked to Jen briefly (I think she ran out of minutes?), and now after this surreal, dream-like day, I'm off to sleep. The clock in the other room is ticking loudly and is taking me back to Grandma Judy's house. I love it. Buenas noches.
Classes - effective communication, expectations of each other, a volunteer's calendar for the next 2 years, etc.
Lunch
Un carro público y una guagua y ya! Facíl. Solamente una hora maxima de la capital. On the bus I asked questions about things I already knew but just to talk more and interact more. Haha I saw tons of orange fields, Juana Iris wants to take me to get my nails done and teach me how to dance Bachata, Merengue, Salsa, y Regue (sp?)!!! When we arrived, a moto took both my suitcases to my house, crazy! And I was home. The town literally is next to the thruway but when you look to one side, mountains. And turn around the other side? More mountains. I don't care that I'm not by a beach or on top of a mountain, I think it's beautiful here. The clouds rolled in a bit and came so low I wanted to reach out and touch them. And apparently there are lots of rios around the area! As we walked through the neighborhood, I met people and they walked with us. Soon there was a pretty decent sized group. They all welcomed me into the "family" :D. Nati briefly showed me the school and introduced me to the teachers. It's super small but they are so kind and from the little I saw, it's well kept. Juana Iris showed me her house where she lives with 8 other people. Her part of the house where she lives with her 3 children is tan pequeño. You can barely move around the furniture, it's incredible.
My house. My Doña- not sure yet. Very scattered. Little and quick. But kind!
My room- had Mayelin (9 year old girl) help me organize my room. And later with her brother, they made drawings for me to hang on my wall! But it's cement walls and the tape is struggling to stick.
We played cards (tres y dos!!) and then at 4, I met up with Juana Iris and we went to The Play to watch the women (older and adolescent) play baseball! Such a neat thing. I hope I can play sometime too... But what a whirlwind of meeting people, trying to follow the conversation, and getting harassed by too many guys and it being funny to everyone (but luckily I didn't understand it all). One woman I met seems amazingly crazy and fun and I cannot wait to better my Spanish and get close to her. Juana Iris' baby is 3 months old and adorable. They passed her around like a bowl full of pasta at Gram's house; stealing kisses and smiles like crazy. One girl spoke a little English and after asking how old I was and if I had kids (at least 8X today), she said I need Jesus in my life. I told her I am Catholic and she was content lol. Grandma Irene? I'm going to church on Thursday. Though I'm not sure for which religion yet.
Just hearing over and over "Ella va a vivir aquí por dos años" (she will be living here for two years) was so strange... As I lay here and type this, I feel as if I'm in shock. I knew that, of course, I signed up for it, but it's real now. And I've finally seen my home, after just finding out where it was yesterday, and many people that I will learn to know and love. And yet, as much as I don't want to admit it, I feel nothing; not happy but definitely not sad or scared. Just... I'm here. This is it. Holy shit lol. I wish I could explain it better because it's not bad but I feel like I'm making it sound bad... Haha
Moving on! We left eventually, I met more people, and went home. Mayelin climbed a tree and got me tons of cherries. They were delicious! She then wanted to show me her house and oh my god, it was amazing. Okay, the house itself? No... But they have a huge yard, lined with trees of all kinds, a little creek, paths lined with stones, and a view of a farm with cows and mountains in the background. Incredible. I talked with her mom a bit and told her how pretty I thought it was. She said whenever I want, I could go there to rest, get away, sleep if I wanted, or whatever. I'm so going to take advantage of that. It's like a mini paradise.
We returned to my house, made our drawings by headlamp on my bed (since la luz went out around 2pm when I arrived), and had pasta, tostones, and a new bíbere (sp?) for dinner. I showered (there's running water!), hung the mosquitera that my Doña already had for me, talked to Jen briefly (I think she ran out of minutes?), and now after this surreal, dream-like day, I'm off to sleep. The clock in the other room is ticking loudly and is taking me back to Grandma Judy's house. I love it. Buenas noches.
Rice Patties and Oranges
March 6, 2013. Today was the day!! After not sleeping at all last night because of the pain in my entire body from the sun as well as nerves, we met at the training center and received our sites! After 2 months, we finally know where we can call home for the next 2 years of our lives :D I cannot even begin to explain the mix of emotions I have right now (terror and beyond excitement are the two main ones) so I'll just explain what I know about my community.
It's called Villa Altagracia and it's just about 45 minutes outside of Santo Domingo, right off of the thruway. It's surrounded by rice patties and orange fields (yay! Orange juice!). I will be on the right side of the thruway but there's a town on the other side as well. This also means that I'll have 2 schools to work in right away (:D). They built the other because they didn't want to kids to have to cross the dangerous road to go to school. The population is about 7,400 and I will be living with a Don and a Doña (first time with a Don!). Apparently they are renovating their house right now? But Ann said it should be ready by tomorrow when I get there lol. Electricity will not be available more often than it will be available, and for whatever reason, Ann said specifically to me, "Bring your water filter!" Haha. Though I will be working with those two schools initially, I will eventually be teaming up with The American Chamber of Commerce in the DR (AMCHAM-the acronym, I think) and could potentially be in up to 9 schools (:D). But that's more down the road. I'm only 10 kilometers away from an amazing couple, Greg and Lula and I couldn't be happier about that. I saw them a bit after and just said, "Guys, I just love you so much and I'm so pumped you're near me. But I hope you feel the same since we'll be working together!" Lol.
Tomorrow, I will meet my project partners (one of the school directors and the president of the PTA-equivalent organization) at the training center, listen to a few talks in Spanish, have lunch, and head out! I have to lug everything I own there tomorrow so they can help me get my stuff to my site (that main street in the morning is gonna be brutal with 2 rolling suitcases and a book bag that probably weighs more than me in manuals and books lol). Then I'll be at my site until Sunday! Crazy!
This will probably be one of the last few blogs I can post for a long time. I'll share my first adventure in site when I get back to the capital next week but after that? I'm not sure I'll have internet at all in the next 3 months. So! I'll be back at least one more time. Graduation. PC Prom with a Shipwrecked theme (totally gonna be a pirate :D), a day of rest, and then I'm on my own surrounded by wonderful Dominicans, oranges, and rice (and maybe even mountains?)! Love you all. I can't believe you joined me on this crazy journey that was training. But for those of you who did? Thank you. My goal is to get Internet when I move out on my own but we'll see. Hasta entonces, adios y nos vemos pronto. And baby? Happy 2 Years. We rock.
It's called Villa Altagracia and it's just about 45 minutes outside of Santo Domingo, right off of the thruway. It's surrounded by rice patties and orange fields (yay! Orange juice!). I will be on the right side of the thruway but there's a town on the other side as well. This also means that I'll have 2 schools to work in right away (:D). They built the other because they didn't want to kids to have to cross the dangerous road to go to school. The population is about 7,400 and I will be living with a Don and a Doña (first time with a Don!). Apparently they are renovating their house right now? But Ann said it should be ready by tomorrow when I get there lol. Electricity will not be available more often than it will be available, and for whatever reason, Ann said specifically to me, "Bring your water filter!" Haha. Though I will be working with those two schools initially, I will eventually be teaming up with The American Chamber of Commerce in the DR (AMCHAM-the acronym, I think) and could potentially be in up to 9 schools (:D). But that's more down the road. I'm only 10 kilometers away from an amazing couple, Greg and Lula and I couldn't be happier about that. I saw them a bit after and just said, "Guys, I just love you so much and I'm so pumped you're near me. But I hope you feel the same since we'll be working together!" Lol.
Tomorrow, I will meet my project partners (one of the school directors and the president of the PTA-equivalent organization) at the training center, listen to a few talks in Spanish, have lunch, and head out! I have to lug everything I own there tomorrow so they can help me get my stuff to my site (that main street in the morning is gonna be brutal with 2 rolling suitcases and a book bag that probably weighs more than me in manuals and books lol). Then I'll be at my site until Sunday! Crazy!
This will probably be one of the last few blogs I can post for a long time. I'll share my first adventure in site when I get back to the capital next week but after that? I'm not sure I'll have internet at all in the next 3 months. So! I'll be back at least one more time. Graduation. PC Prom with a Shipwrecked theme (totally gonna be a pirate :D), a day of rest, and then I'm on my own surrounded by wonderful Dominicans, oranges, and rice (and maybe even mountains?)! Love you all. I can't believe you joined me on this crazy journey that was training. But for those of you who did? Thank you. My goal is to get Internet when I move out on my own but we'll see. Hasta entonces, adios y nos vemos pronto. And baby? Happy 2 Years. We rock.
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