Settling In

A bunch has happened since I last wrote in my blog, and I have arrived to the phase that most people would call the “real” Peace Corps. That means after nearly 6 months of living with host families and studying the Dominican Republic, I am finally living alone and can begin my work! This milestone also marks a shift in my overall happiness; I love living alone and taking more control of what I do here.

It’s actually already been a few weeks since I moved out of my host family’s house, and from day one I have loved living alone. My house has instantly become my haven from the outside world: whenever I need a break from speaking Spanish or socializing with complete strangers I can enter my house and it feels like I am in a different world. I have heard from a few older volunteers that my house is the nicest Peace Corps house they have yet to see on this island, which actually makes me feel a little guilty, but since it’s affordable and helps me keep a level head, I am staying put! You might be interested to know that my monthly rent amounts to $108 dollars - dirt cheap by American standards, though volunteers who live in the campo pay as little as $20 dollars each month. So, everything is wonderful on the housing side of things. I have found many ways to occupy my time at night, such as reading, drawing, watching shows on my computer, etc. My only complaint about living alone is that I have to deal with insects and mice on my own. I had a mouse last week, but my neighbors lent me their cat and it seems to have disappeared. Last night I killed two flying insects that looked like they had scorpion pinchers. So you see, I am adjusting and becoming tougher. Plus, pretty soon I may not completely be living alone after all. In just a couple of weeks I will likely be adopting a black baby chiwawa! I hope she is as cute and wonderful as my neice puppy, Pele.

Last week I had my 3 Month In-Service Training, which marked the end to the community diagnostic phase of my work. All 24 of the new youth volunteers got together to present their community diagnostic to the group and plan for their first year of work. After five days of presentations and charlas about possible projects I left the conference with a plan and ready to begin.

My first project that I am in the process of creating is a mentoring program for girls at my school. I am going to select eight eighth graders and eight fourth graders to participate in a girls group; we will meet twice weekly for two hours each. In the first hour the eighth graders will tutor the fourth graders in their homework and remedial math/literacy work, and in the second hour we will do a group activity. The group activity will alternate between something relating to girls’ issues and an activity based on sports, arts, or science. Something I love about the Peace Corps is that you create your own job here. This idea of mine could be a disaster or a complete success, I have no idea, but I have the freedom to try it out and see where it goes. I am really excited to get it rolling and see what happens. This week I will be making the final decision about which girls are in the group, then I will visit their families and we will have our first meeting with 8th graders on Monday!

My mentoring program will take up most of my time for the next couple months, though I expect to begin a health (Escojo mi vida) group in April and a parenting and business class in the summer months. I am very excited about getting this all started!

I’ve got some special visits to also look forward to in the next month. Lauren and Abby (friends from Boston, now first-year teachers in NYC) are coming to visit me in a little less than a week. We are going to visit Samana, where the whales are arriving to give birth! There is a beach on this side of the island that is ranked one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, so between swimming in the ocean and watching the whales, we should have plenty of excitement ahead of us. Then we will end the trip in Santo Domingo where everyone will be celebrating Carnaval. Carnaval takes place in the last week of February, to celebrate the country’s independence day - February 27th, and I hear that everyone dresses up and celebrates in the streets. I am glad that Lauren and Abby’s trip overlaps with this big Dominican holiday!

Then, two weeks after my friends leave my dad will arrive! Our trip together will mostly be spent in Bani, where I will take him around my site and introduce him to my youth and neighbors. We also might spend a couple of days outside my neighborhood, though I am really excited to show him my community and what it is like where I live.

I also found out that an old friend from college will be volunteering in the DR for the entire summer, and he will be living just 16 kilometers from Bani! Sometimes I can’t believe how small this world is.

After such a long hiatus of writing a blog, I plan on writing much more from this point forward. My apologies for the lack of communication, but I hold high expectations for myself in keeping my loved ones informed of my work in the Peace Corps.

Well, I guess that’s all for today. I hope that everyone is doing well amidst the snowy weather in the States!