Changing Views

It’s amazing how one picture can change it’s appearance every time you look at it. You can change the angle at which you are looking at the picture, or you can stay in the same spot for enough time, and sure enough it will begin to look a little different.

When I first arrived to my site in Bani, I saw the best in my site and in the people with whom I would be working. I saw harmony in an impoverished neighborhood, I saw friendships, and I felt at peace. Things have changed since my first glance of Bani. That’s not to say that I am unhappy or that the people are any less wonderful; only that the inevitable has happened. I have moved beyond that first, optimistic glance of a picture and begun to uncover some hidden details.

Poverty is hard to define in words because to speak of it does not adequately accompany the feelings that persist in an impoverished environment. Poverty is much more than the lack of food, water, and education. Poverty lingers everywhere here, because it appeared the same day that this neighborhood was constructed. Poverty begins in the mind and is manifested in every possible way. It is observed in communication, relationships, opportunities, and security.

We, as human beings, always seem to need an answer for everything. Maybe that is why, when we don’t understand someone, it’s easiest to ignore them, make fun of them, or just pretend like they don’t exist. Yet living with people of poverty forces you to confront any discomfort that comes with the issue. The problem with poverty is that it’s easy to observe but impossible to justify or eradicate. A lot of people say that as a Peace Corps volunteer you will be living in poverty for two years: that is not true. We may witness poverty at a personal level, but we will never be living in poverty. Our college education alone has eradicated that possibility, let alone having the privilege of living in a separate country from our own.

As you can tell, I have been thinking about poverty a lot lately. Once my honeymoon period in Bani wore off, I started getting frustrated by the lack of ambition in people, among other things. And then I realized that my frustration comes from discomfort in knowing I will never be faced with the same issues as the members of my community. When I leave in two years my community will stay. They have been born into poverty, and for most of them, that’s where they will stay.

This all may sound depressing, but despite my realization that I am not going to change the live path of everyone in my community, I still believe that a little goes a long way here. There is still a lot that I can offer.

Last weekend I went to a regional Escojo Mi Vida conference in Jarabacoa and was completely inspired by what I saw. I was surrounded by 25 adolescents that were excited by talking about HIV, safe sex, and teen pregnancy. This may sound funny, but after seeing countless girls with pregnant bellies, I felt like I had walked into paradise when every adolescent in the room could tell me why it’s best to wait until you are older to have children. These teenagers were so well-spoken and had such an innocent enthusiasm that I could not help but be inspired by the power of our work as Peace Corps volunteers. Peace Corps hasn’t adopted anything ground breaking; education and a little emotional support just go a really long way.

And so everything continues. I continue to build relationships, marvel at new experiences, and attempt to figure out how these two years should be spent. I will end with a list of unexpected experiences that, for one reason or another, became memorable:

Watched someone shave a goat’s stomach and feed the shavings to her cat
Looked at goat legs that were recently cut off the dead goat
Found a dead spider in my bed, AND it didn’t terrify me
Was offered to keep a neighbor’s child (happened twice, different families)
Put a baby to sleep J
Danced and (separately) sang “Let it be” to a group of people

And my work begins

I am finally an official Peace Corps volunteer and, as of late, have been occupied by neighborhood walks, youth group meetings, and generally observing everything that is going on in my community. Everything is going smoothly, though initially my work was interrupted by two Peace Corps consolidation meetings. The first consolidation was called to inform all volunteers of the cholera outbreak in Haiti, and the second came to house volunteers throughout the duration of Hurrican Tomas. This resulted in nearly a week of relaxing in a 5-star hotel; (literally) all we could do was watch television, hang out in air-conditioned rooms, and eat really good food. I managed to get in some great runs around the city with a newly discovered running buddy as well. Yes, we ran in a hurricane several times. Fortunately, the storm barely hit the capital so we were more than safe.

After spending so much time in luxury and surrounded by Americans, my return to Bani felt more difficult than I had anticipated. It took a few days to readjust before I could begin my work, but now I am back and working hard to learn as much as I can about my neighborhood.

All volunteers spend their first three months of service conducting interviews, among other activities, to learn about their community, and after this time period they present their findings to their Peace Corps sector. Using their data that they have collected, volunteers then decide what their projects will look like for the next year.

Since I am just in my first month of service, much of my work consists of informal observations and random conversations with people in the streets. I actually met someone a couple of days ago who used to live in Boston; we discovered that my apartment was about a mile from his when I lived in Boston! Moments like this make me glad that I am living in a country so connected to the United States. It is always comforting to connect with strangers, even if it comes in obscure ways. Anyway, my work has also extended beyond interviews because there is a pre-existing Escojo group in the neighboring community. Escojo mi vida is a health group model that many PC volunteers use to teach teenagers about safe sex, self esteem and HIV, among other things. There was a volunteer in my area about five years ago who started an Escojo group, and they still meet twice a week. I have decided to support this group, hoping that in the future they will help to support my own Escojo group. This group of youth is simply amazing - completely on top of things - and we have already been able to spend time together outside of the group playing basketball. I am grateful to have this group to help me jump into my work here, and also to have support from such inspiring adolescents.

I have certainly been busy, and at times it feels a bit overwhelming. I have so many ideas about what I could do to help my community, and yet I need to exercise patience and listen to what people really want for me to do. Even though I am living in a barrio called Villa David, my work will also extend to a neighboring barrio called El Mani. My neighborhood is certainly poor, but El Mani is where you will find extreme poverty. I am simultaneously perplexed and inspired by spending time in this part of my community. There is such desperation but a window of potential as well. I am posting a picture of a snapshot of El Mani to show you what it’s like. The neighborhood is filled with tin homes and trash-filled, open spaces. It is a dream of mine to help the community tap into the local underground water so that they can grow gardens in these open spaces.

Something I have learned already is that a simple idea with a lot of enthusiasm and passion goes a long way in the developing world. There are countless projects that could be carried out in my community, and none of them require anything more than a vision and the will to see the end result. I am currently reading Half the Sky (birthday present from Jeff and Guin) and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an informative and inspiring read.

I’ve got one week left in my site until I go to Santo Domingo for ESL training and a big Thanksgiving feast with all the volunteers. Wishing everyone a Happy Thansgiving from the Dominican Republic!! Remember to give thanks to the countless blessings we have in the US.

My new home, Bani

There is a lot of mystery that comes with being a Peace Corps volunteer; the country you will serve and the community in which you will live are decided by people other than yourself. After patiently and impatiently enduring the application process, after anticipating my country assignment, and after investigating which community I might be placed in -- I finally know what my two years will look like ! I can honestly say that my site has everything I wanted. There is so much to say about Bani and words cannot adequately describe everything that I learned/observed/experienced last week, but I will do my best to provide a mental picture of my new home!


Bani is located an hour west of Santo Domingo, where the dry terrain begins. It's still located in a green area, but you can tell that the desert is not far. There is a lot of cactus in the surrounding area and the mountains in the distance strongly resemble those in Tucson, Arizona. It's quite beautiful, especially when you include a view of the beach. You can see the ocean in any two-story building in Bani, as it's only about 3 miles from downtown (5-6 miles from me).

I live in a neighborhood, called Villa David, which is located about 2 miles north of downtown Bani. Bani noticeably has a lot of money (some parts resemble a high class American beach community), but Villa David and the surrounding barrios are very poor. I can only recount a few families in the neighborhood who own a car and I have not seen any homes with running water. That said, most roads are paved, and most importantly, everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I'm not sure they fully understand what this gringa is doing in their barrio (my host mom wanted to make a cake for my mom, and I had to explain to her that my mom lives very far from Bani), but I guess right now it doesn't really matter. I have told everyone that I am here to help youth in the community, but that first I need to learn and know its members.

I live with my Dona Migalina and her sister, son, and grandson. The whole family is very nice, and a little quirky too. Dona Migalina sells donated clothes from the states, and she has already given me pants and several shirts as gifts. She is the one in charge of the house, as she always cooks our meals and attends to everyone. Migalina is taking a sewing class at the technical center with her sister, Altagracia, so in their free time you can bet that they are making skirts small enough to fit a doll. Altagracia is a little crazy... she likes to take pictures with sexy poses and walk around in her bra with her pants half zipped. She is also the person I feel closest to in my house; we get along like sisters (though she is nearly 50 years old). The son, Alexander, isn't around too much and when he is, he is in his room watching tv or playing on his phone. His nephew, the grandson of Migalina, is just 10 years old and is really cute. He seems like a bit of a loner but he always plays with the neighborhood kids when they come by.

And oh my goodness, the neighborhood kids. They came to meet me shortly after my arrival in Bani, and since then continued to come by about once every 15 minutes. They love to compartir through reading stories, making snacks, and dancing. So... basically, they have already begun what I hope to continue. They are completely adorable and innocent, except when they dance. They still dance like Dominicans. One night last week they gave me a dance performance and, I swear, I saw 10 year olds humping the ground. I was appauled and in my head I repeated "cultural difference, cultural difference," but somehow it still just seemed wrong. Some things are hard to adjust to.

As poor as my community is, there actually is a lot going for it. A group of nuns is in control of the local elementary school, a home for the elderly, and a technical program to keep high school dropouts off the streets. I have the freedom to choose where I spend my time, and I hope to find a way to string together these three institutions so that they can support each other. That said, I feel very drawn to the technical center. The majority of students in the center are female, and the vast majority of these students already have children. I have been able to spend a decent amount of time with these students and I'm excited about working with them in the future. Vamos a ver!

Saturday, I guess my first small project with the kids began. We made 35 drawings to deliver to the home for the elderly. The next morning, Altagracia and I rounded up the neighborhood kids to deliver the drawings and it was quite a hit! The kids must have brought more energy than that place has seen in a while.

In addition to the community support, I have also found support in another Peace Corps volunteer. I am incredibly lucky to have another American in downtown Bani, and she also just joined PC in May! That means we have nearly two years to hang out and support each other in this crazy journey.

I forgot to mention that it only costs 3 dollars to travel from downtown Santo Domingo to Bani... so please, come visit!

So, there you have it. After buying a headlamp and crank flashlight, and expecting internet access once or twice each month, it looks like I will be living more comfortably than I had anticipated. I'm sure I will still confront my share of difficulties along the way, and even so, my new lifestyle will be challenging. The reality of my new situation hits harder than most of what I had anticipated, as reality always does. Much different to say something than to do it.

Now I am back in Santo Domingo for the week to wrap up training, get a local bank account, and swear in as a Peace Corps volunteer. Yesterday was full of interviews and tests -- our last roadblock before becoming official volunteers. Training has now ended; I swear in as a Peace Corps Volunteer in an hour and return to my site on Saturday.

This is my last blog as a volunteer-in-training! Two years starts tomorrow.

An end of sorts

After two weeks of hard work and equally hard good-byes, all 59 volunteers are officially back in Santo Domingo! We returned to the capital yesterday, providing one last weekend to hang out with our original host families and re-pack our things before a visit to our permanent sites on Tuesday.

As I said, the last two weeks in Constanza were packed with activities. One of the Dominican sayings we have been taught is that “Si vale la pena aprender, vale la pena celebrar,” or if something is worth learning, it’s also worth celebrating. We certainly followed this Dominican golden rule with friends, family, and training partners our last days in Constanza,

Each youth group that we worked with for the last month organized an activity to “celebrate youth,” and this included everything from mural paintings to talent shows. Two groups were scheduled to have a talent show so the Peace Corps Volunteers decided to prepare a special piece for the audience. We danced to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, expecting a big uproar, and instead the audience stared at us with the most stoic expressions I have seen in this country. They had no idea what we were doing. Our dance ended and we had that classic-bad-show-ending in movies where the audience is dead silent and every looks at each other awkwardly. Needless to say we learned a lot about cultural differences that day.

My youth group decided to do a clothing drive, and we donated our clothing to an extremely needy area in the surrounding mountains of Constanza. We were all a little unsure of how the drive would go… another expression that Peace Corps loves goes as follows: “Give one man a fish to feed his family, but teach him how to fish and he will feed his village.” As Peace Corps volunteers we have signed on to help people help themselves, and not to just drop off some material possessions and leave - which is exactly what the clothing drive was all about. However, despite prior concerns, the experience was incredible. Obviously I am in complete support of the Peace Corps mission, but I have also learned about the role that short term volunteers can play in providing material possessions. The community we served was so impoverished that most of the children did not own shoes. Case in point: a young girl from the community came over to me at the end of the drive while the leader of the community led us in the prayer. She held my hand and smiled at me as we were wrapping up the activity, and I decided to ask her what she thought about all of this; she responded by asking me if I had five pesos. Lesson learned, money pays for the necessities in life. Providing communities with material possessions may not help in the long term but people need clothes, food, shelter.

Once the youth group activities had ended, we wrapped everything up with our families; I chose to do this by cooking. Everyone knows I am not the biggest cook, but compared to most Dominicans I am a pastry chef. My friend Kristy and I learned early on that baked goods are not part of the national diet, so we decided to show our family how to cook some of our favorite desserts. In the end we ended up baking a pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookes, brownies, and an apple crisp -- and it was the perfect way to thank our families for everything they had done for us. It was pretty hilarious, the whole experience. Dominican women know how to cook amazingly, but when it came to these treats, the Americans were the experts. They soaked up everything we said to them - any advice we had for how to scoop cookie dough onto the baking pan or prepare a pie crust - and later shared this information with their friends. What a great way to end our time in the mountains!

Last but not least, our very last day was celebrated with a despedida, or good-bye party. The volunteers presented small presents to their families and teachers to thank them for everything they have done for us. It was touching and painful to see how attached this community had become to our presence, especially knowing that this happens once a year for Constanza. Of course the feelings of attachment were mutual; it was difficult to say good-bye.

It was most difficult to say good bye to Wendy, my host mom, but it’s time to move forward to the next part of this adventure. Now I am back in Santo Domingo, sharing a few other memories with my first Dominican family. Yesterday, after church, I was even given an amazing surprise: I got to see the ocean for the first time since arriving on the island! As usual, my family started to mysteriously drive somewhere after their church service, and instead of asking where we were going I thought I would enjoy the unknown. I sat in the back seat, having absolutely no idea what was happening, and all of a sudden I saw a blue horizon. We spent a couple of hours at the Malecon, an outdoor market right along the water, about 5 miles outside of downtown Santo Domingo. It certainly made me excited to live so close to the Caribbean blue for my next two years.

In training we learned that culture shock often translates in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Up to this point, that claim seems to be pretty true. For a few days last week I was really missing the States. All I wanted was to see the Fall leaves, go for a run along the Charles River, and spend time with family and friends. Then at some point I stepped out of my nostalgia and realized that human connections, just spending time with people you care about, are the solution to homesickness. I still miss my friends and family back home, but I am constantly blessed by the comfort and support of my Dominican counterparts. Tomorrow I will be introduced to an entire new set of people - the ones I will be spending the next two years with… I look forward to the ups and downs to come!

In less than one month...

I'll be moving to the beach!

Yesterday was the big day when all youth volunteers found out the location of where they will be working and living for the next two years. There had been a lot of build up leading up to this day, and since coming to Constanza I felt pretty confident that I wanted to be placed in the mountains. Well in the last few days I started to have a change of heart and felt like it might be nice to live closer to water.

Yesterday morning we set up 25 chairs in a big circle, plus one in the middle. This chair was the hot seat -- we took turns, one by one, sitting in that seat and finding out our site placement. The first girl who went was assigned to a small campo right on the beach, working with MLB. Her site location seemed really cool and I immediately thought about how happy I would be to have her assignment. About ten people later it was my turn to sit in the hot seat... And, to my surprise, I was placed no more than 30 minutes away from her, also on the beach! She is by far the closest volunteer to my site and I am thrilled to have her as my neighbor!



So here is my assignment:

I will be living in a suburb of about 10,000 people called Villa David, which is located on the outskirts of Bani. Bani is the regional capital of Peravia, a province known for its diverse geography of dry forests and extreme humidity, abundance of mangos, and beautiful beaches. Specifically, Bani is a city of about 100,000 people, just 3 miles from Caribbean beaches, and an hour from Santo Domingo.



I only got a brief description of my job assignment but it sounds like I will be working at an elementary school and a technical high school teaching classes, organizing groups, and forming sports teams. Apparently my project partner is a runner, too... I'm so excited!

I get to visit Bani for the first time in a little over two weeks. We've got exactly two weeks left in Constanza, then we spend 3 days in Santo Domingo before a week long trip to our site placements. I am including pictures that I found on the internet... hopefully it actually looks like this!

Learning Continues

Peace Corps training continues to roll by, as we have less than three weeks left in Constanza and a mere four days until we get our site assignment.

The last two weekends have been particularly busy, highlighted by a visit to the host family finca and a national holiday celebration. First: the visit to the family farm. Last weekend my plan to have a relaxing Sunday was abruptly changed when my host aunt invited me to visit an uncle who lives on a nearby farm. I immediately got dressed and jumped into her car with her husband, two other volunteers, and four kids. Yes, there were nine people in the car. And to make the trip even more Dominican fashion, we stopped at a local colmado to pick up beer and cheese for our drive to the farm. Luckily the driver refrained from drinking and we made it safely to our destination.

My host uncle’s farm is beautiful to say the least. He and his wife live on a vast amount of land, mostly cultivated to sell carrots and potatoes, yet they also grow a dozen other vegetables and fruits for their own consumption. They live in a small but beautifully decorated cabin in the middle of the farm, and the other volunteers and I felt like we were in the Spanish countryside the minute we walked into the home. The family took us for a drive on their land and we got to see some amazing views looking down toward Constanza. At one point we stopped in the middle of the road so that the 11 year old son could scale the mountain in search of a pumpkin. I had a wonderful time and was thankful for the opportunity to see yet another aspect of Dominican life.

This weekend proved to be equally exciting. Friday was the Dia de las Mercedes, a big Catholic holiday that is celebrated by most Dominicans. Apparently in a battle between the Spanish and Tainos, the Spanish were visited by the spirit of Mercedes; she told them that they would win the battle, and they did. I find it a little depressing that this is the cause for three days of celebration, but it does fit with the Dominican pride for its Spanish heritage. Anyway, the festivities began on Friday and continued through Sunday evening. Tons of people gathered around the park downtown to drink and dance bachata, merengue, and reggaton.

Amidst the family visits and celebrations, I continue to learn more about Dominican society and culture. As of late I have been fascinated by learning all about the challenges Dominicans must overcome in order to travel, work or live in the US. I continue to meet locals who say that they want to visit the US, but it’s too difficult to obtain a visa to do so. I have learned about the dangers Dominicans put themselves through in order to live in the US. Many take a boat to Puerto Rico, and many die in the process. My neighbor claims that if a woman on the boat is on her period, the passengers will throw her overboard in order to escape the risk of a shark attack. Sounds a little outrageous but this is what I hear. I think the most heart wrenching story I have heard so far comes from my host mom. Her husband has been working in the US for nearly a year and has not been able to visit his wife or two sons since he left. Apparently if he leaves he cannot return to the US; the only way to fix this problem is if he marries an American… so now he is left with no option but to look for a wife in order to visit his real family in the DR. Yet jobs pay so poorly in this country that he feels he needs to keep his American job in order to support his family. Americans are privileged in the most obscure ways. I certainly had never thought twice about the ease at which we can travel to other countries, but we should not take this for granted, among many other things.

Number two on my list of things to learn more about is education and employment in the DR. Unfortunately, the correlation is not as strong as one might hope. I have heard that the education system here is one of the worst in Latin America. There are tons of private schools here, many of which offer a better education than their public counterparts, but they are too expensive for many families to afford. On the contrary, the public university in the DR offers the best education, but (I think) there is only one and it is located in Santo Domingo. That means that Dominican youth must move to the capitol in order to obtain a public university education. There are private universities scattered around the island but they are more costly and do not offer the same caliber education. Unfortunately things don’t get much better for the lucky Dominicans who obtain a university degree, as there are very few decent paying jobs. Many Dominicans with a university education have no way of using their degree in a professional setting. Here is where work in the US looks promising, but as we already know, arriving in the US is a journey in itself.

Hearing about issues in this country make me reflect on the US. Dominicans know the US through movies and tourists, so they think that all Americans are wealthy and provided with unlimited resources. It is interesting to compare problems in the DR with the US, as many are similar. But issues in this country are more pervasive and more serious. For example, water and electricity. These are the two most apparent differences between the two countries. Any water that comes out of the facet (if facets are available) is not clean enough to drink. And most people in the DR have electricity that comes and goes all the time. Giving up a few lights or the television is no big deal, but when the refrigerator doesn’t work all your food is going to spoil -- and in a tropical climate, this happens fast. Indian Reservations in the US most closely resemble the average lifestyle here, from what I can tell. It is easy to appreciate every kind gesture in this country when you take into account the inadequate water and electricity and lack of opportunities. And despite the challenges Dominicans face, they are incredibly happy and generous. This country continues to confuse and amaze me all the time!

One month down, 26 to go

I have now been in the Dominican Republic for one month and a day! Sometimes it feels like it has been much longer than a month, but given how much I have yet to learn it feels like I just got here. I have comfortably settled into Constanza much quicker than in Santo Domingo. There are about 90,000 people in this city but I work and live in the same barrio so it feels much smaller. My host mom has 14 siblings, 9 of which live in Constanza, so we spend much of our time visiting family. Each sibling has openly welcomed me into the community (just like every other Dominican).


Hanging out with my host family has been a lot of fun, though I have to admit that this past week has been jam packed with work and thus provided minimal time to socialize. We have technical training from 8 until noon and Spanish from 2 until 5, and then we meet with our youth groups/work on community diagnostics. Today we had our community diagnostic presentation, one of three presentations required to become a volunteer, so hopefully now things will calm down a bit. To prepare for the presentation we had to organize a focus group, informal interviews, community mapping and more to understand how our youth group functions and what we can to do to help them grow stronger. I am working with four other volunteers on this project and it’s been a little stressful but a lot of fun, too. Jumping into the field and working with youth has definitely made me excited for what’s to come in my actual job.

So one month down and one and a half to go of training. Sometimes I feel ready to start work and other times I sense that I need more time to prepare. In terms of Spanish, the more I learn the less I feel that I know. I did move up one level in my language proficiency since arriving in country which is promising, but there is still so much to learn! Dominicans talk FAST and it is hard to adjust to.

Today I had my most traumatic experience thus far in country: my hand was attacked by fire ants. My Spanish class met in the mountains and as I was sitting in the grass I suddenly felt intense burning on my hand and holy cow -- do not mess with fire ants. I had tons of little white bumps on my hand and it hurt!! Ok, so I am mostly writing about this to show how lucky I have been. A lot of volunteers have had problems adjusting to all this change so for me to only have dealt with ants, I feel very fortunate.

We've got a lot of excitement to come in the following weeks. We will soon be preparing our next presentation, a charla on sex, and on October 1st we find out our placements for the next two years. I am anxious to find out where I will be living and working!! In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my weekend of hanging out with friends and host family, participating in a big domino tournament, and last but (hopefully) not least, attending a Jehovah's Witness church service. Wish me luck!

Flagstaff in the DR

First, I posted a few pictures onto my last blog, but they in no way relate to the text. The first picture was taken at the cocao plantation in Yamasa, and the second two are the PC training center in Santo Domingo. You can see what a beautiful facility we had for our first three weeks of service...

Yet we have moved on to Constanza, and I am in love!

This place has got to be one of the most beautiful places in the DR. When I post pictures of this place you probably won't believe that they were taken on this island. The surrounding mountains resemble Flagstaff more than any mountains I would have expected to find in the Carribean. The city of Constanza has a panoramic view of these mountains and is set at 5,000 feet elevation. It is known for its agriculture. This area supplies most of the country with lettuce, cabbage, garlic, cilantro, etc. This morning I went for a run and could smell the garlic and cilantro as I ran past small fields, or fincas, lined with pigs and cows. Seriously, this place is amazing. To top it all off, there is zero humidity here AND I get to sleep with a blanket at night. I am quite happy here!

My host family here is also very nice, but different than my Santo Domingo family. I live with a young woman and her two boys, Luis Alberto (age 8) and Alberto Luis (age 4). Yes, they have the same name but in reverse order. The father lives in Missouri and sends money back to the mother. (Remittances are the second largest source of income for Dominicans!). The family is very generous and they have given me Luis Alberto and Alberto Luis' room to stay in for the next 5 weeks. I have my own bathroom and tv... this is a life of luxury. I want to appreciate these amenities while I have them, because I have no idea what my permanent site will be like!

Tonight I am meeting the youth group I will be working with for the next month. I am working with a group of 4 other volunteers to prepare a community diagnostic which is due on Thursday. We have already learned a lot in the last two days and I suspect the same level of intensity will remain throughout our stay in Constanza.

I will post pictures of this area soon!!!

Life in Santo Domingo and volunteer visit

The past two weeks have been full of learning and adventures. Two weekends ago after church, my host family took me to the Botanical Garden in Santo Domingo and it was beautiful! Somehow we stuffed 7 people in my family’s car for our outing (surprisingly that’s the norm here). On our way to the garden we stopped at La Sirena (DR Wal-Mart) to buy some drinks… then we walked through the museum, took a train ride, raced each other, and walked through the garden as we drank sprite and Dominican wine. The day ended with a stop at another local version of Wal-Mart. I think the family likes to stop at these stores because of the air conditioning… we stay for a while and tend to not buy much. Anyway, it was a great trip.


Pre Service Training has been cruising by, as I only have 2 days until I leave for Constanza to focus my attention on youth development. I have been learning tons of stuff in the meantime, including how to play dominoes, dance the bachata and merengue, and ride a motoconcho, I have also learned everything there is to know about malaria, dengue fever, diarrhea and more. Training lasts from 8am until 5pm when I return home to run, hang out with other volunteers, or hang out with my host family. The family continues to be animated and generally awesome to hang out with. They love to laugh, and one of their favorite topics of conversation is former volunteers. I have learned about all sorts of embarrassing things that past volunteers have done… including one who fell into the sewer on her walk to Entrena. I wonder what story they will have to tell about me!

Things are starting to feel familiar now that it’s been nearly three weeks since we arrived in Santo Domingo. I have found a good running route that is free of tigeures (men who hiss), motorcycles, and reckless dogs. I expect, and sometimes enjoy, my grilled cheese sandwich breakfasts. And sometimes it feels weird to speak in English…. sometimes. I guess the feeling of familiarity is going to change soon when I pack up my stuff and leave for Constanza! It will certainly feel different to leave behind half of our PC group and live in the mountains for over a month.

Speaking of unfamiliarity, I spent the last 4 days visiting a current volunteer at her site. I was surprised to learn that we have a lot in common. She grew up in Utah and went to the Univerisity of Miami to play soccer (go ACC!). Now she is working under youth development in a pueblo outside of Santo Domingo. The visit was packed with adventures. In addition to visiting Gitana’s site, we also got to visit another volunteer in Yamasa who is working on an eco-tourism project with a cocao plantation. We got a free tour of the production facility and it was pretty cool to see how cocao is produced. On our way back to Gitana’s site I also got a tour of the Santo Domingo I never knew existed. I saw several nice malls, bakeries, and tons of American restaurants. I was surprised to see such wealth in the city and it certainly put things into perspective. In general I have been surprised by the gap between the rich and poor here. The middle class barely exists, at least not in the same sense as the US. Anyway, my visit with Gitana was much needed. I got to see more of the island and our talks made me feel more at ease about what is to come in my next two years. Below is a list of some firsts from this weekend:

First time…
Seeing a Dominican tarantula
Eating sugar cane
Taking a bucket shower
Riding a motorcycle
Eating a cocao fruit
Taking a bola

I have been taking tons of pictures but unfortunately my internet source is too weak to post any online. Hopefully this will change soon (perhaps in Constanza????). I also want to mention that one of my high school friends, Jeff, was severely injured after a car accident. He is certainly in my thoughts and I hope his family knows how many people are cheering him on... much love goes to the Cospers.

Next time I post anything I'll be in what most people consider to be the most beautiful part of the island :)

It’s been a week since I arrived in Santo Domingo and there has already been so much to process. A few days ago I came to the realization that I have never spent more than one afternoon in a developing country. I know, this should have clicked earlier… but somehow it didn’t. I have spent time studying poverty and social inequalities, but to live in a struggling community is something entirely different. I have to admit that in my first few days here I was overwhelmed by the garbage filled streets and poorly constructed homes. It didn’t take long to realize that it is going to take time to adjust.


Last night I had a wonderful conversation with my host mother. We were talking about the Peace Corps and how volunteers are generally accepted here, though at times their presence is controversial. I realized that my commitment to living in the Dominican Republic for two years does not even compare to what Dominicans must confront for their entire lives. I have the privilege of escaping my host site whenever I want to, of visiting my family in the US, of terminating my service here if it becomes too overwhelming. In short, I can call a time out whenever I deem necessary. But it doesn’t work like that for Dominicans. This is their life. Today we learned about the social statistics in the DR and our PC coordinator told us that many of our friends will welcome us back to the “real world” when we end our service…. but that this, in the DR, is the real world. The real world for most people includes contaminated water, limited resources, no way out.

So back to my conversation with my host mom. Here we are, talking about the program I chose to enter, and as I explain my decision I realize how lucky I am. I have the opportunity to learn an entirely different language and culture through 10 weeks of training, plus I get to live with 3 different families and eat their food, take part in their lives. After that I have the ability to create any program I believe will help Dominican youth. I am so incredibly lucky. It’s definitely going to be challenging, but in the best sense of the word. I get to test my own limits by helping people in need.

I have already come to care for my host family, especially my host sister. I want so badly for her to do well at the university. How ironic that I came here to help, and so far the people whom I want to help are the ones taking care of me.

On a side note, I have learned that the DR has about 33847384734 different kinds of potato/starchy vegetable - called vivieres - and they all taste similar to sweet potatoes. I swear, every night I get to try a different taste and color of viviere. I also get to try new fruits. The latest was one that looks like grapes but you peel it like an orange -- lemoncillo. The fruit covers a big seed in the middle and it tastes like a gummy bear… so good. I can’t wait to offer these to my future visitors!

Last thing -- I found out that I my community based training (CBT) for youth development is in La Constanza. That means I get to spend 5 weeks in a beautiful mountain town that supposedly has accessible running trails J I am excited to starting working with youth and run in the countryside!

First Impressions

I have now been in Santo Domingo for approximately 48 hours and it feels like it's been over a week. Meeting 58 new people, driving through the streets of Santo Domingo, moving in with a Dominican family -- our two days have been packed with excitement!! Since the moment we landed, everyone has been incredibly nice. Such generosity began the moment we walked out of the airport, as many current PC volunteers were yelling with signs, taking pictures of us, as we walked outside.

Everyone has been incredibly supportive and kind, yet the shock of everything changing still came and hit hard. All the little necessities of daily living take longer to accomplish.

The PC training center is a bit north of Santo Domingo on a gorgeous piece of land that is filled with fruit trees and outdoor classrooms. It's set just a quarter mile from a crazy busy road filled with motorcycles, guaguas, taxi cabs, etc. Amidst the chaos from the main street you enter this heavenly oasis where we get to learn. I feel very lucky to be here.

My host family is really nice... the father is intrigued by the US and loves American movies. We spent a long time last night talking about American actors -- well it was actually more me trying to translate the names of American actors with a strong Dominican accent. I learned that my Don loves the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective movies. While we were brokenly conversing about American actors my host Dona was cooking dinner. What did she cook? PUMPKIN!! Seriously, large squares of steamed pumpkin, plus some eggs. I was so happy!!! Then, lastly, there are 3 children, though only 2 live at home. The sole daughter is 18 and she just graduated from high school. She plans to go to the local university in January for pyschology. She has already felt like a savior, as she can tell when I don't understand something and she will speak slowly so that I can follow conversations. Myelin also loves stuffed animals. Who would have thought that I would first bond with my host daughter by telling her about my stuffed dolphin. Her stock of stuffed animals certainly outnumber mine and they all are meticulously placed on her bed. There are also two pets at the house: Obama, the parrot, and la nina, a turtle.

Well I think that provides a general overview of everything going on around here. I miss everyone dearly and hope that all is well in the US.

One end and another beginning

Nearly one year ago I moved to Boston to work in a charter middle school as a tutor for five 6th graders. I lived with my co-workers and spent long days coaching, tutoring, completing administrative duties, and generally learning what it means to work in education. The learning curve was incredibly steep; not only were my 31 fellow tutors working in a school for the first time, but this was our initial exposure to a "no-excuses" school environment. We have spent nearly every minute together for 11 months and have grown together in indescribable ways; I can't believe it is now over, that we are all moving forward and continuing on our own journey that we have set for ourselves. Some tutors are going back to graduate school and many are teaching, but I have decided that this is the perfect time in my life to move abroad.

The idea of working internationally entered my mind in the Fall, yet I did not apply to the Peace Corps until February. From that point forward, everything has been somewhat of a blur. I interviewed in the Boston office on March 5th, was immediately nominated, and invited to serve the day before my birthday, June 7th. I will be moving to the Dominican Republic on August 18th to work as a Youth Development Promoter, and I can't wait for the adventure ahead. It is a strange feeling, to know that in two months everything is going to change. I have no idea what I will learn, who I will meet, or how I will change. All I can do is smile and trust that it will be a grand adventure. Before my departure, I will be busy spending time with family and friends. Besides learning Spanish, my priority for the summer is to cherish all the "small" moments with everyone I love... sounds like a good way to spend the summer to me!