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.