Excited and Scared

Lately I have been feeling a mixture of boredom and anxiousness. I have been moderately busy as I complete little (but necessary) duties, such as organizing meetings for site development and filing the receipts that collectively complete my large consortium grant. We’ve got just one last big meeting in a nearby community to ensure that a new volunteer will be placed in San Juan, and I am a couple of hours short of having an entire year’s worth of grant accounts organized. I’ve nearly finished several obligations that were meant to be tackled this summer, and I am looking ahead to three upcoming medical missions where I will serve as a translator between doctor and patient. Considering that I have been decently productive in my community and my upcoming weeks will be super busy, I wonder if my boredom is coming from external sources. I think I am bored and anxious from my increasing projections of what life might look like once I end my service. I am ready to have a normal social life again and I [think I] want to return to a normal, 8-5 job. I only have two and a half months left here - a thought which is both terrifying and exhilarating. As excited as I may feel about getting a busier job or becoming social again, I also thank God every day for this opportunity to work in the Dominican Republic. I can’t yet pinpoint the ways in which I have changed, but I have undoubtedly become a better person during these two years, and I feel grateful for having been afforded this opportunity to work and grow in a different country. Despite my frustrations here regarding different work ethic, men, noise, etc, I admittedly love the adventure of living in a foreign country. Every day feels new and unexpected, and I feel sad about giving that up. I often wonder what role the Dominican Republic will play in my life once I return to the States. Perhaps I will feel drawn to return one day, but it’s possible that what is left of this experience is the ability to speak Spanish, a new career path and a bigger (more sensitive) heart.

To New Adventures

As is typical in the Peace Corps, time continues to fly by. I returned from my Arizona visit about one month ago, and I quickly finished my school project with one last graduation and a special trip for the Escojo leaders. After many discussions and hours of brainstorming, Sarah and I finally decided to take our 9 leaders on a trip to Santo Domingo and La Romana. Within 36 hours we visited a hospital in Santo Domingo, a clinic for teenagers in La Romana, toured La Romana, AND swam in a nearby beach! This trip was a quick one but a lot of fun, and a well deserved treat for our youth who volunteered to teach Escojo in their local schools.

Now that the school year is over and our Escojo school program has ended I am left with very few responsibilities. I am trying to occupy my spare time by studying for the GRE and looking for jobs post-Peace Corps. This probably sounds surprising, as I recently told my blog readers that I would be moving to Portland for graduate school in August. Yet my life plans dramatically changed during my visit to Arizona. For several reasons I decided that it’s best to delay grad school - and those scary loans!! - for a year or two and take some time to figure out exactly which job is meant for me! When I was in Arizona I realized that it will take a while to re-establish my life in the USA, and I don’t want to rush anything before I am ready for the next big step. Plus, I miss my family!!! Spending some time in Arizona couldn’t sound any better right now, so that’s what I am going to do. So - back to Peace Corps. Luckily, I have occupied myself quite easily in the last week or so. I participated in the Lownbrau half-marathon in Santo Domingo on Sunday, and despite the hot weather I had a blast and was pleased with my race! Just as last year went, I loved running in a Dominican road race, thus combining my old and new lives. The atmosphere was awesome and surprisingly the pain didn’t settle in until about kilometer 18. I am wondering if that means A) I didn’t push myself hard enough or B) I ran the long race as I should have. Caitlin, give me your opinion! Two days after the race (yesterday) I visited Sarah to help with her bridge construction project. This was a little ambitious given my body could barely move up/down hills but I had a great time and learned a lot about how to build a bridge! I also learned about an entirely new aspect of Peace Corps service and the difficulties that arise in physical projects. I scrubbed the ribarb, scooped up gravel, helped to create cement, and found a lot of rocks to fill in a big empty hole. I was totally out of my element the entire day but I enjoyed myself and learned a lot in the process! Tomorrow I will return to help make more cement and fill the bridge mold.

I know I will miss the constant change and infinite learning opportunities that Peace Corps offers on a daily basis. Where else could I run a half marathon and then build a bridge? My official Close of Service date has been approved for October 1st, so in three months I will be leaving Hispaniola in search of new adventures. I am both scared and excited to see what awaits me.

A Small Request

I’ve been really busy lately, as my upcoming trip to Arizona means I need to leave all my schools projects behind in my project partner’s hands! We had our first Escojo graduation in one of the six classrooms which have been participating in the Escojo school program and it went as well as it could have! Someone in the community died the morning before class, which meant that school shut down early, so we had to graduate 46 kids in 15 minutes. Needless to say that was the quickest graduation I’ve ever seen, but the students seemed to like it! As for the other 5 classes, we discussed family planning last week and showed students how to put on a condom. This is, in my opinion, the most necessary charla for youth in the Dominican Republic, so it felt very rewarding to watch so many kids learning how to prevent themselves from teen pregnancy and STIs! Satisfaction comes in strange ways in the Peace Corps. Being a youth (and basically converted health) volunteer means that my projects are very intangible. I am not going to leave this island having built any physical object. The result of serving through education means that the communities I have worked with are not necessarily the most impoverished of the Dominican Republic. I know that might be hard to conceptualize for those reading this blog from the States, but there are many communities here that do not even provide the most basic necessities to their residents. One of these communities belongs to Sarah, one of my closest friends on this island. Sarah lives in a community of about 30 homes, half an hour’s motorcycle ride from San Juan de la Maguana (my new home!). She has already built outhouses for those who were formerly forced to use their backyard as a bathroom. Her latest projects involve stove building and bridge construction, which brings me to a very big favor to ask all of my readers! Access to Sarah’s community depends on the weather. If it’s raining, it is actually impossible to get to her community of Las Yayas because a river quickly floods, isolating the town from any outside contact. Imagine how dangerous that could be in the case of any medical emergency. Just as devastating, when rain comes school is closed. The teachers, who commute to work, have no way of attending school. I have never asked for money to complete a project, but I would like to spread the word about supporting Sarah’s goal of building a bridge in Las Yayas. If you have ever felt like you would like to contribute to my service, this is the way to do it. Having lived in three different communities, I have come to realize that my work as a volunteer is never limited to one single community. I am here to serve the people of this country, and that includes helping to provide basic access to Las Yayas. If you are interested in helping Sarah and Las Yayas (and me!!), please check out this website. Only 600 more dollars are needed… https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-510 For all you Arizonans reading this blog… see you soon!

Life after Hispaniola

For a long time I wondered how I’d ever combine all of my interests into one job. During college I loved studying sociology but wasn’t sure how to manifest sociological theory into an actual career. My experience working in Boston with youth made me realize that I wanted to work with disadvantaged populations but not necessarily within the school system, as the problems students brought to school were clearly derived from their families and communities. I cared passionately about environmental issues and food politics but did not want to pursue a graduate degree in either of the two specific fields. I have been fortunate to learn about the dynamics of community development during my time in the Dominican Republic and the many factors that contribute to a healthy community. From economic opportunities to health care to caring for the environment, each community is unique and creates its own culture. After living in unfamiliar communities I understand the influence they have over their members. Even more, single communities must confront issues related to education, health, employment, and the environment. An integral part of any community is the individual’s health. Imagine walking to shop for groceries, buying local instead of imported produce, running in a nearby park instead of driving to exercise. There are so many elements of a healthy community. And, of course, being “healthy” implies much more than the physical aspect. These are things that I strangely think of upon entering typical American suburbs. So, it should not come as a surprise that I have decided to study urban planning and public health once I return to the USA. I’ll be moving to Portland, Oregon in September to study at Portland State and I’m sooo excited!

Semana Santa

Semana Santa, or Easter Week, is known for no work and all play in the Dominican Republic. So, to celebrate the holiday in true Dominican fashion I did just that. I went on a few exciting adventures that will surely be remembered long after I leave this island. One such adventure was the Armed Forces national track meet which I attended with my friend, Jenna, and a track friend from San Juan. We got to see some races and tons of field events, and I just loved taking part in an athletic game in the DR that means so much to me. Running transcends age, race, gender and culture. It doesn’t matter where you are from: if a runner finds a fellow runner they will undoubtedly get along. This meet made me feel like I was back in the US, or that I fit in with my Dominican peers. Either and both.

I also got to visit a new beach and introduce the Dominican Republic to Caitlin! Caitlin is one of my very best friends. We met on our first day in college, and since then I have lived with both her and her fiancé. Caitlin came to Puerto Plata and bought us 3 nights at a beautiful all-inclusive. One of our best memories comes from Cayo Arena, or Paradise Island. We went here one day and snorkeled, and it was GORGEOUS!



I’m in the middle stages of my work with the Escojo program in San Juan. Last week I distributed the pre-test to all the participants, who will take the same test in June in order to determine what they learned. We know Escojo is an effective program at the community level, if effectiveness can be measured in terms of commitment to the group, but at the school level it’s a mystery. In some of the classes there are over 50 students. That might be too many youth to have in one room. It’s certainly too many to participate in many of the interactive activities that characterize Escojo. It’s exciting to become involved in a pilot program, and I hope that my work can help make Escojo Mi Vida more effective at the national level.


Time is certainly passing quickly. I'll be moving back to the USA in exactly 4 months!! More on that next time.

Pleasant Surprises

After about three weeks in my new site my schedule is beginning to form some type of consistency. To my surprise, San Juan provides nearly everything I could ever ask for. It has nice grocery stores, beautiful parks, and many organized programs - including a track team! I have never experienced such a “livable” city since I moved to this foreign country and I must admit that I’m thankful to be here for my last stretch of time. While I felt anxious about time and often left my site in Bani, I find no desire to leave San Juan. I am happy right where I am!



What makes me happy here is precisely what lacked during my time in Bani: a sense of community. In my old site I often felt lonely: I was isolated from other volunteers and it was difficult to find friends beyond the youth in my groups. Now, I am in constant contact with my fellow volunteers, especially Sarah since we are working together. Sarah stays at my apartment, we made dinner together, I help her in her projects - and I somehow feel more motivated to work when she is around. It’s great to feel part of a “team” in my project. Even more shocking is that I have found Dominican friends from my new track team! Monday through Saturday I meet my new running buddies as we often explore small campos outside of the city. The views are amazing, as most of our runs consist of running though rice, bean, corn, or sweet potato fields with mountains in the background.

My current project status is that we have 3 Escojo groups which have been formed during school hours, and 4 pending groups. My main role has been meeting with the school directors, organizing the course agenda with the youth, helping the leaders give their presentations, and providing the materials needed to run smoothly. On Sunday I will spend the day teaching the Escojo leaders about new activities, classroom management, and organizing the schedule so that the course finishes by the end of the school year. It’s amazing all the roles you can perform as a Peace Corps volunteer!

This morning I went to visit a small campo about 30 minutes away from San Juan, where an Escojo group would like to also begin the course in their local school. As I entered the school premises to meet with the director, I was shocked. There was a lot going on - kids running around, teachers talking with each other - but nothing seemed related to learning or the classroom. The Dominican Republic supposedly has the worst education system in Latin America, and I think this is the worst run school I have yet to see. That says a lot.

The presidential elections are coming up, May 20, and nearly everyone is convinced that the candidate they support will win the race and change this country. Unfortunately, both candidates have more or less already been in office in the last decade and it’s difficult to imagine anything changing at all. I think the elections are just another form of gambling - like chicken fighting or the lottery. Then again, maybe it’s like that in the USA too and I’ve just forgotten!

On a more positive cultural note, I got to experience Carnaval last weekend! This special day is meant to celebrate the Dominican Independence Day. The accompanying Carnaval celebration, which consists of lots of drinking and a big parade with wild costumes, takes place in each pueblo around Febuary 27th. Last week marked the big celebration in San Juan, and I was hugely impressed by the costumes! I saw anything from mermaids to men with horse bodies to kids who faked dead.



As I like to say, there are always surprises in this country - especially working as a Peace Corps volunteer. My latest surprise is that I have to choose between two events next Friday. I can either build a school with my mom’s cousin’s organization, Bridges to Community, or I can watch the national track meet where the navy, air force, and military teams all compete against each other. I think I’m going to help build a school, as entertaining as the track meet would be. Not long after the activity with Bridges to Community, I will be traveling up to Puerto Plata to pick up Caitlin from the airport! I can’t wait to hang out with such a great friend, give her a taste of this country, and hear about her upcoming wedding in Winston-Salem!

Peace Corps: Part 3

February was a tumultuous month to say the least. As you already know, I suddenly had to leave Las Tablas in the middle of the month because of a security incident. Just as my projects were gaining momentum I had to let everything go and move to the capital while I searched for a new site.

Luckily, when I told my friend Sarah what had happened, she quickly came up with a solution. She suggested that I move to San Juan de la Maguana to help her with a big project she is about to begin. Sarah has been working with the Escojo Mi Vida program for over a year and is now hoping to integrate the course into the public school curriculum. I have also been working with Escojo projects since I first arrived in Bani and had a similar idea of introducing the curriculum into the Bani schools. Since working in Bani is no longer an option for me, I jumped at Sarah’s suggestion and asked my boss if I could move to San Juan. She eventually agreed and here I am! I've been in my new (and last) site for about one week.

So, now I have two and a half months to introduce Escojo Mi Vida into five schools in the San Juan area. The goal is that eventually the charlas will be incorporated into the school curriculum. This project is risky but I’m excited about the potential it has to reach such a high number of youth.

As my secondary projects I hope to work at Plan International and a health clinic whenever I have the time. Plan is an international NGO that focuses on empowering youth as a means to end poverty. They have a program which is basically identical to Escojo, but they also have other projects that I hope to get involved with. The clinic, called La Clinica Cristiana, offers cheap health care for the poor in San Juan’s surrounding campos. The clinic also organizes medical missions where American doctors spend a week performing free operations. I hope to serve as a translator for these missions since I loved the med mission I did back in November.

Apart from work, I think I will like living in San Juan. It seems like a nice city because of its abundance of parks and, most importantly, it has a track! Even better, there are two Mexican restaurants in the city. I’m not expecting the food to be authentic, but I’m still excited about the possibility of buying non-Dominican cuisine.

My time in the Dominican Republic is going FAST and there is a lot going on between now and October. I’ve got three weddings (Ottie, Molly, and Chelsea), a bachelorette party (Caitlin), two weeks’ visit to the USA (yay!), and a final decision on what happens when I leave this island. I just got my first acceptance letter for graduate school in urban planning (Michigan!!!) which means that the idea of life after Peace Corps has suddenly become a reality. I feel both excited and sad, as the last 1.5 years have been filled with so many happy, sad, and life-changing moments.

Everything's Changed

One of the most valuable lessons to learn as a Peace Corps volunteer is that everything can change at any given moment. Last week I was reminded of this lesson twice.

I was first reminded of the quick changes that can occur upon giving a charla to my Chicas Brillantes group. I struggled to establish this group for a solid four months, so when over twenty girls and two women from my Hogares Saludable group showed up to the group last week, I felt like something had shifted. Finally, the group was going well! I felt the same shift with Hogares Saludables, or my women’s group. We recently made soy-meat tacos and the women had a blast! After nearly eight months in Las Tablas, things were finally going really well.



The day after my successful girl’s group, everything changed again in a matter of 30 seconds. My friend and I were robbed in the local sanctuary and, because of the various events that unfolded that day, I am no longer allowed to return to Las Tablas.

This news is obviously devastating. I had planned out my remaining eight months, from the four graduations I would organize to a workshop on domestic violence. I even had begun planting lettuce and basil plants, and they had been growing at a really fast rate. Now, I am living in the capital as my boss decides where I will spend my last several months in the Dominican Republic.

I realized how much I have valued my Peace Corps experience when my boss offered me an early COS (close of service). The idea of leaving the DR felt so wrong, even though I had no idea why at the time. I mentioned this to my friend Jess, and she reminded me that Peace Corps is more than the work that we do in our communities. It’s about forming relationships with Dominicans and Peace Corps volunteers, exploring a new corner of the world, learning a new language and culture. How could I leave such a rich experience, merely because of one armed robbery?




What happened in Las Tablas is devastating. The tragic result of one crime is that the entire community suffers. It is unlikely that Las Tablas will ever receive a new volunteer, a fact which feels unjust. In reality, the situation is unjust for everyone involved. It’s unjust for my friend and me, who were traumatized by the event. It’s unjust for the suspects because they will likely be imprisoned for the next year. And it’s unjust for the guilty men who robbed us, because they surely committed the crime out of desperation.

You see, everything that happens in this strange experience offers opportunities for more contemplation, new ways of viewing the world and forming expansive perspectives on poverty and the work of a volunteer. Life here is certainly never boring. While the past week proved to be one of the hardest, I refuse to make it my last. I expect things to get better as quickly as they got worse.

2012 and A Long Anticipated Transition

Happy New Year! When I left the US in 2010, it felt like the year 2012 was a long stretch away. Now, it has suddenly appeared and thus marks the beginning of the end of my Peace Corps experience.

The fall surely marked the busiest I have been in the Dominican Republic. I felt like I was running around between conferences, meetings, graduations, and writing graduate school applications - which made for a much needed December break. Luckily, I got just that - a full month with virtually no obligations. My mom came for nearly three weeks, which were spent in the Capital, my community, and exploring different beaches. My favorite memory of her visit was the community dinner in Las Tablas where she met nearly everyone I know in my town. We shared a big dinner with 300 people and my mom got a very positive (if not too idealistic) picture of my life and work here.
My dad, brother, and sister-in-law came to visit for the last ten days of my mom’s vacation, which we spent in Samana. The Samana peninsula always amazes me by its untouched beauty. We all had a wonderful time swimming in the ocean, drinking tons of pina coladas, and enjoying the nice weather. This year’s Christmas was among my very favorites, and one that I will never forget.



Now I am back to my current reality, a.k.a. sitting in my tin-roofed house in a small, desert campo. It certainly will take time to readjust to life here, but I am ready to begin the last stretch of this journey. I have begun to plan my last several months here and how I want them to be spent. I’ve got a working list of goals to accomplish before I leave this island:
1. Create a girls’ group
2. Support a youth-led Escojo class
3. Organize women’s group that will collaborate with Escojo
4. Tutor my three 1st graders
5. Teach one more business class
6. Stretch and strength exercises for 30 min daily
7. Get back into shape so that I can win a Dominican road race
8. TRAVEL the country!
9. Study Spanish daily
During my first year of Peace Corps service I felt like I was in survival mode. I was struggling to keep up with the constant noise, obnoxious men, and other cultural differences that made life more strenuous than normal. I also dealt with my Spanish deficiencies and how to design my projects.
Things will be different this year. For the most part, I am no longer surprised by cultural differences or the language barrier. I have already graduated a girls’ group, business class, and two Escojo groups, which means that now my focus lies in how to produce sustainability out of such programs. Now, two new struggles begin:
what do I take out of this experience?; and,
what comes next?
I often wonder how I will bring all of my experiences living in the DR back to the US. Will I live differently than I did before? How will I react to living with constant electricity and clean, running water now that I know how most people actually live in this world? I expect my remaining time in this country will help to resolve some of these concerns, and my return to the US will ultimately provide the answers over time.
In terms of what comes next… it depends on a few things. If fate allows, I might leave this country a bit early to jump into the next phase of my life: graduate school. The only thing I can do now is enjoy my time here and trust that how I will experience life after Peace Corps will reveal itself soon.

Latest Activities

As a Peace Corps volunteer it is hard to remember that life in the United States continues without you. I always think of my friends as the same, living as they did over a year ago when I left the country. Unfortunately (or fortunately) that is just not the case. I was reminded of this fact when I found out that my friend Ottie is engaged! A friend who always claimed he would never be a husband, I am so happy that Ottie has found Sheryl. Between Ottie’s engagement and Annie who is 7 months pregnant, I guess that sometimes I am glad to be reminded of the constant change that life brings us.

Lately my days have been filled with conference planning, conferences, and a week-long medical mission. I’ll start with the medical mission because it deserves a lot of recognition. First of all, medical missions are very common in the Dominican Republic. Probably because of the country’s proximity to the US, foreign doctors often come to the country to provide free medical service. Peace Corps volunteers are invited to the missions to translate between doctors and patients, which is what I did last week. I went to Santiago and worked with an organization called ILAC, founded by Creighton University in Nebraska. There was a team of about five surgeons, anasethiologists, and tons of nurses who came to the ILAC center to provide free hernia surgeries, and I believe they finished nearly 150 operations from Monday through Friday. My job during the mission was to 1) Walk patients from the waiting room to operation room and comfort them as they got situated for surgery and 2) Help patients in the recovery room and explain to them the next steps after surgery. This experience was by far one of my favorites since arriving in country. I loved translating and being in a hospital (not really a hospital but it felt like one). Even though I still do not feel completely fluent in Spanish, I was really proud of being able to communicate with all the patients and making them feel more at ease. I also felt very inspired by the doctors and nurses who came to provide their expertise. In reality, it was not only time that these people gave. They hand-made blankets for each patient, donated clothes and toiletries, and provided each child with a stuffed animal. The doctors and nurses made sure we, the Peace Corps volunteers, knew how much they respected our work, but I feel like their work in the DR needs to be recognized too. I was inspired by how much the medical team gave to a country that they do not even know.

Another event that I recently completed was the analysis of the barrier analysis study on HIV testing among youth. We learned some interesting news, that those who have not had the HIV test have less confidence in condoms. They also have a lower understanding of the HIV test and AIDS treatment. After a day of analyzing the data, most volunteers felt like we need to start incorporating HIV testing as part of the Escojo Mi Vida curriculum.

Yesterday I brought 5 youth to an Escojo Mi Vida conference in a campo nearby Las Tablas. It was fun and I was excited to introduce the youth from Las Tablas to the youth from my first group in Bani. Katie, another volunteer, and I were surprised to hear that we had to give a talk on the discrimination of gender, but it ended up going really well. We had a fair amount of men in the audience and they were talking about how we need to change the maschiso culture; I was very impressed by their comments and it gave me hope that maschismo may not always exist!

I’ve got two more conferences to go for the month of November. Next weekend is the Chicas Brillantes conference where we will spend a night in beautiful San Jose de Ocoa. The day after this conference I will go to my One-Year In Service Training conference with my Peace Corps group. Can you believe I only have 11 months left in the DR?

Before we know it we will closing in on Christmas and the month of giving; I have a small request that I am asking now, otherwise by the time I receive your packages it will be too late! I want to hold a Christmas Party for my Escojo graduation and would like to provide each youth with a stocking. I would love to get around 10 cheap stockings, peppermint sticks, and Christmas candy to give to each of the Escojo graduates (and some neighbors, if possible). For anyone who is reading my blog and might be able to send such things, I would greatly appreciate the little contribution! You can find my address on this website.
Four more weeks until my mom comes to the DR! It’s officially a countdown.

Keep on pushing

Last night I did something that I am both proud of and regret: I killed a mouse. I have been having serious problems with these little mice, as it seems they are trying to take over my house. They have eaten a pair of my pants, my food and trash, and leave little presents (poop) throughout my house. I decided the other night, when their noises woke me up from a deep sleep, that it was time to do something about this problem. I bought a few rat-killing products and just a few hours later killed my first victim.

Growing thick skin in this country has proved to be useful, but not just in killing unwanted housemates. I think I have also grown thick skin here around the poverty that I have witnessed, as a manner of enduring such difficult conditions.
One such experience just happened about a week ago when I heard my next door neighbor beat his 17-year-old wife. I was later told by a friend that it’s not appropriate to address the issue with the young girl; that this happens all the time in the community and there is nothing that anybody can do to help. The alcohol abuse, and consequent domestic violence, that persists in my town is just one example of how poverty can produce negative results for a community.

This country is filled with extremes. From Outback Steakhouse to houses made of tin, the Dominican Republic really has everything. Despite the difficult moments that come from witnessing such desperation, there are always unexpected situations that remind you that there is always an exception to any circumstance. While poverty can produce indifference in people, there is always someone to be found whose motivation to overcome poverty is inspirational. While Peace Corps will never be able to end poverty in this country, its projects will change the lives of a few individuals.

Last weekend I took two of my youth to the Construye Tus Suenos business plan competition in Santo Domingo and I left with a sense of high hopes for the future of marginalized youth in the DR. Of the twenty-four business plans that were presented, four were given 100% of the money they requested in order to begin their own business. These youth are going to go on to begin a peanut butter factory, repair shop, English school, and motorcycle repairs in marginalized communities throughout the country.

Little moments like that, when you see someone’s hard work convert into a concrete reward, make the Peace Corps volunteer keep on pushing.

October, 2011!

Despite knowing that my schedule would be busy for the next several months, I had no idea that things would come and go so quickly! I can’t believe September has already passed and that we are well into October. Life here has been filled with work and fun and as I look back on the past month I can barely remember any days that were spent just passing time.

One of the reasons for the rapid passing of time is that I am travelling to my old site two or three times monthly. I enjoy keeping up with the two health groups in Bani and just yesterday I, along with other Escojo leaders, organized an all-day trip to a river-turned-pool in San Cristobal. We have over seventy people attend the event, and despite my early frustrations in the planning of such an event everything ended well. Imagine: Sliding Rock State Park but with blasting bachata music and people dancing together in the water. Yep, that sums up the location. Sliding Rock, Dominican style.

Juventud Caribe, the local youth group, is also starting to organize more events in the community. Last weekend a big group walked to la presa, a large pond just a few kilometers outside of Las Tablas, to plant some trees. I am proud to announce that I planted my first tree ever and it was really fun!



I continue to tutor first graders at the local school; it’s amazing how you can find pleasant surprises in the most unlikely circumstances. This is certainly the project I expected to enjoy the least, but its consistency and more “normal” challenges have made the project among my favorites. I am working one hour each morning with three first graders who barely talk. While I initially worked as a teacher’s assistant in the classroom, after just a few days in class I realized that this was a waste of my time. Sadly, the school is too weak to work within the system, so I decided to start pulling out the three most needy kids and invite into my own little escuelita. I can’t even describe how nice it is to avoid more typical Peace Corps challenges (ie; kids not showing up or coming really late) and confront more typical challenges in work, such as figuring out how to teach kids with special needs.

After enjoying the company of the health trainees for the last three weeks, I have two more weeks of their company until the group returns to the capital to swear in as volunteers. It’s been wonderful to have so much time to get to know the soon-to-be new volunteers, and I was recently thrilled to find out that two will be living close to Bani. Soon I will be back to the normal Peace Corps lifestyle, living in Las Tablas as the sole American.

I have a feeling that October is going to fly by just as quickly as September. In a week and a half I will be attending the Construye Tus Suenos (business class) conference with my two youth who completed a business plan and in three weeks I will be spending a few days at an all-inclusive in Puerto Plata to celebrate “one year left in country” with my Peace Corps group. Before I know it we will be entering November, one month left until the whole family comes to the DR for Christmas! I can hardly wait.

It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog and it feels good to be back at it. I returned to the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago after my Portland vacation, and despite the difficult good-bye it feels good to be back. It was a little uncomfortable to first land in the US after an entire year had gone by, but once I saw my family it felt like hardly any time had passed at all. I am amazed by how easy it felt to re-adjust to everything in the States. I was equally surprised by the ease of my transition back to the DR. When I was in the Santo Domingo airport, waiting to board the States-bound airplane, I looked around at the other passengers. I found three categories of people: Dominican Yorks (Dominicans who live in New York), honeymooners, and missionaries. I quickly felt like I didn’t fit in with any of these groups and I guess that summarizes my life right now… partly Dominican, partly American, a little of both but not completely either.
Life in Las Tablas is feeling increasingly “normal,” as I have begun some new projects and moved into my new house last week! First on my list of projects are a girls’ group and another Escojo (health) group. Both have been a little slow to form and I have learned that work in the campo comes at a different pace than in the city. Nevertheless, I am optimistic about these two groups. In a couple of weeks I will be starting a sports program, probably a volleyball team, that combines sports with activities based on HIV awareness and healthy decision making. Next week I’ll take two youth to training for the sports program; I am very excited about this new project! Another thing is that I am helping out with first and second graders at the school. I’m starting off as a sort of teacher’s assistant… spent the entire hour yesterday helping kids write “m.” I usually prefer to work with older kids but these two grades are the biggest and in the most need of help. And… to my surprise I actually enjoyed helping kids write the letter “m.” We’ll see where this project goes. I am hoping to eventually pull out struggling students for more one-on-one help. One last project: support an already existing youth group, Juventud Caribe. This is probably my favorite group so far because Dominican youth themselves are in charge. It’s fun to see them take control of the group. Wow, that sounds like a lot of stuff! But rest assured, it’s much easier in the second year when there is no language/cultural adjustment period to account for.
As for my house… well, it’s a bit of a downgrade from my house in Bani. Okay, a major downgrade. No running water, less electricity, outhouse… but the house feels more like home each day. In fact, I am convinced that, with time, it will feel more like home than the other did. And even though I will miss my mango tree I’ve got sugarcane, lime, guava, and bean plants as my disposal in the new home.
Back to my projects: I have been getting a lot of pressure from the community to start an English class. I know, I am being really stubborn about refusing to teach English, but the refusal comes with good reason. On my run this morning I started to think about the exact reason why I am so resistant to English courses, and I got my answer. I have formed my own list of priorities for the community which stems directly from its most immediate needs/dangers for youth:
1. Healthy decision making/avoiding teen pregnancy: I feel so passionately about focusing on this priority that it’s hard to even put into words why it is so important. First of all, teen pregnancy is a threat to the teen mother, her community, and the environment. There are just plain too many kids whose families cannot provide the financial or emotional support that they need. When 15 year-old girls begin to have a family, the family grows to be really big. It also deters them from finishing both high school and even elementary school. That means for these girls that their life is already established for them before they even turn 18.
2. Basic math and reading skills (and preferably knowledge about geography too): The school system here is terrible. Some people claim it’s the worst in Latin America, and I wouldn’t doubt it. Kids go to school for 3 hours each day, and that includes a snack and recess break. I have met several college students who still do not understand basic applied math skills, such as setting prices on items to make a profit. I am a true believer in education, and without basic skills in math and Spanish, I believe youth will have an extremely difficult time stepping out of poverty. Poverty is not only economic; it refers to many factors beyond money.
3. Service learning: Okay, after taking care of one’s health and basic educational skills, of course it is important to become involved in other aspects of one’s community. This could include art classes, sports, or even English courses. But what if we actually taught youth about helping others? As far as I can tell, service/volunteer projects are not a high priority in this country. I have met a lot of youth who ask if they too can join the Peace Corps. Unfortunately Dominican youth do not have that opportunity, but they can give back to their own communities. They just need a little support to get going.
I still haven’t managed to formulate an appropriate response for Dominicans as to why I am not teaching English, but if I were to be brutally honest I would state the above. There are several people from Las Tablas who have lived in the States for a short period of time; all but one was a baseball player or drug dealer. Until I hear otherwise I will be sticking with my original plan to avoid English classes.
There is a little rant about why I am against teaching English in Peace Corps DR…

Ending projects and Comparting... again

About a month ago a convergence of various factors led me to decide that I need to move to a different location in the Dominican Republic. Despite the friendships I formed, the wonderful youth I met and my incredibly host family, I knew it was the right decision. I packed my bags about three weeks ago, moved to a small campo of 1500 people and started new.

The last few weeks have been overwhelming to say the least, as I have been finishing my projects in Bani while beginning the process of compartir and confianza with my new community at the same time. Last week I graduated 12 youth from my Escojo Mi Vida group, and the graduation was quite a hit! This group will certainly be difficult to separate myself from because they are so intelligent and dedicated for their age and barrio. I left the graduation feeling sad that the group had finished, but proud of putting so much time into this project. Everything certainly ended on a high note.



My last project that I am currently finishing up is Construye Tus Suenos, the business class. We officially ended class last week as well, with two Haitian youth graduating as well as my host mom (that was certainly fun having her tag along), but now we are in the process of writing and editing the two youths’ business plans. Both young men and I have put in a lot of time writing and re-writing their business plans, as they need to turned in before I leave for the States. Kenny is trying to begin a language school, to teach people in the barrio how to speak Basic English. River, the other student, wants to open an internet center because they are virtually non-existent in the barrios north of Bani. My host mom is trying to initiate a restaurant out of her house, which I support because she makes amazing food… anyway, we are in the last big push and almost done with the business course as well. It’s been fun reading the plans that these two boys have constructed all on their own. I am so proud of their dedication to these dreams they have created for themselves.

Now that my health and business classes are basically finished, that leaves me with one year left and one last community to work in. The second time around is much, much easier. Already knowing the language and culture has enabled me to assimilate in Las Tablas at a much quicker rate than my arrival in Bani last October. I also feel genuinely happy to be living in a small community. Las Tablas is exactly what I was looking for in my Peace Corps experience. Even though I thought I wanted to live in a big city the truth is that I was meant to be in a campo, and I can feel that now. Every morning I leave the house with my new Dona; she walks as I run through a windy desert road that crosses several mango fields. I always end my run early so that we can walk back together and have some time to talk. Then the rest of the day can be slow or fast, but I guess most days in the campo are slow moving. I always take Bella for a walk to the sanctuary. I make sure to visit at least a couple of neighbors and play volleyball or go on a walk with the youth. When I return from my visit back home I will begin my projects in Las Tablas, but for now I am still getting to know my new site.



Las Tablas is unique in that it is the training grounds for all health volunteers each fall. That means that just a few weeks after my return from Oregon I will be accompanied by 12 Americans in Las Tablas. I’m sure their five week tenure in my site will get a little old, but to be honest I am really excited to host the new volunteers, make some new friends, and compartir with English speakers!
In just two days I will be returning to the States for a two-week vacation. Lately I have been wondering about how I will ever put into words all that I have learned and experienced here. How can I properly describe this country merely based on a few stories? Nevertheless I am more than extremely thrilled to return to the USA for a while. In 48 I will be on the plane…

Almost second year, already second site

So I have this tradition. Every holiday I take some time to reminisce about what I was doing one year ago on that same day, in order to reflect on how things have changed in just 365 days. For the first time in, well, possibly ever, I could not remember what I did for the 4th of July last year! I think I was in Arizona, preparing for my best friend’s wedding, but could I have been in North Carolina? Has this year been so full, so overwhelming, that I completely forgot what was happening a mere year ago?!

Time is an interesting concept. Right now it feels like time is dragging, yet I also can’t believe I have lived on this island for almost an entire year. Month 11 is going to go blazing fast, too, because I’m starting back at 1.
In just three days I will be moving. Referred to as a “site change” in Peace Corps lingo, I am moving from my urban barrio of 12,000 to a campo, a small community, of just 1600 people. This decision is the result of months of build-up (believe me, you don’t want a site change if you can help it), of lacking community support to security incidents, that combined made my decision easy. Out of respect for the amazing youth I have met I requested to move nearby Bani so that I can continue to work in my old barrio a few times each month… so Las Tablas it is!
Las Tablas is only a 30 minute guagua ride from Bani and is located, well, in the middle of the desert. It really feels like I have moved to a Dominican version of Tucson, Arizona, except I am lucky to remain just a few miles from the ocean. I have only been to Las Tablas twice, each trip lasting about 5 minutes, but from what I can tell this campo has plenty of discotheques, a few colmados, several hundred homes, a huge baseball field, and thousands of pigs, dogs, mules and other farm animals. I am both excited and apprehensive about the fact that my biggest threat to security in Las Tablas will be the tarantula… ugh. Despite any future encounter with my worst enemy, I can honestly say that I am thrilled to get the opportunity to actually live the “Peace Corps experience.” My house was a little too nice, Bani a bit too luxurious to really merit Peace Corps living. Now I’m back to how it all started when I arrived in country. Host family. Dominican food. No running water. No privacy.

So, one month with a host family and performing a mini-community diagnostic, then a two week paradise in Portland, Oregon. By the time I return to the DR I will have been in country for exactly a year. Another important date in which I will reflect on what happened just 365 days before.

Summer Changes

As I mentioned before, some of my projects are going to change as summer approaches. I am still working with my Escojo groups, and this summer we will have both a Regional and Sub-Regional Conference for Escojo Mi Vida in my area. My mentoring group, however, will be graduating in a couple of days and will thus end my work at the school for the summer. In place of my mentoring group I am teaching a business class that teaches youth how to begin small businesses. I began “Construye Tus Suenos” last week and the first day went really well. I’ve got a couple of animated boys who I am excited to work with, as most of my work thus far has been with females.

I’ve got two more small projects to work on during the summer months before my August vacation to the States. I will be conducting interviews with sexually active youth about their decision to (or not to) take an HIV test. This is part of a barrier analysis study that the Peace Corps youth sector is conducting through PEPFAR funding. I will also begin to introduce a composting project to El Mani, the community next to my own barrio.

I just finished supporting La Conferencia Nacional de Ninos/Ninas/Adolescentes de Alto Riesgo (National Conference for Extreme Needs Youth) that my sector leader has organized. It’s a three-day conference for youth volunteers who work in the extreme needs sector and their organizational project partners. I have had a positive experience helping at this event, and it’s not only because I get delicious food, a gym, air conditioning, and free wi-fi for three days. I have also had the privilege of listening to representatives of well-known organizations in the development world: Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, UNICEF, USAID, etc. Even more, I have been able to listen to Dominican professionals who work as psychologists, social workers, and public health workers, and their perspective on social issues in the Dominican Republic. It has been refreshing to see the “professional side” of the DR, as I normally spend my time with the marginalized populations of Dominican society (obviously, as a PC volunteer!). But to spend time with Dominican nationals who are working toward the same goals as PC has definitely been an inspiring experience.

Today I will be going back to my site, and in less than one week will be my 25th birthday!! Ahh I can’t believe I’m already turning 25… time goes fast. Two months until my trip to Portland!

DR: A Love-Hate Relationship

Along with my 9th month anniversary in country came the feeling that I have more or less become accustomed to living in Bani. While acculturation required an understanding of Dominican life, it also required that I adjust to living and working with people who live in poverty. The culture of poverty is distinct and, in many ways, is cross-cultural. Nevertheless, poverty in the DR is more intense and more delicately affects Dominicans’ survival than it does Americans. For this reason, there has been a lot to adjust to, and in reality I will continue to face related challenges throughout my service. Still, I have a feeling of adjustment to life in Dominican culture, and I seem to have developed a love-hate relationship with this country. Here is a list of what I love and what I hate relating to the cultural aspect of living in the DR:

I love Dominican food; I hate that there are no other food choices but Dominican cuisine.
I love the natural beauty of the island; I hate that it’s abused by trash.
I love that Dominicans don’t work when it’s raining; I hate that Dominicans use any excuse they can to get out of work.
I love the laid-back lifestyle; I hate the lack of ambition.
I love how blunt Dominicans are; I hate how men talk to women.
I love how much Dominicans value family; I hate that family planning is non-existent.

Then there are some things I just hate…
I hate how it’s common knowledge that men sleep around and have multiple families; I hate even more that women have accepted this.
I hate how poorly Haitians are treated; I hate that nearly all Haitians in the DR are nice and ambitious, and that they are still at the bottom of the Dominican totem pole.

And others that I just love…
I love how Dominicans are nearly always friendly and willing to share anything they own.
I love how you can depend on people without any doubt that they will pull through.
I love how you can visit neighbors without any prior planning… and that they automatically give you coffee or juice.

SO you see, adjusting to life in a new place is an on-going process. There are moments when you love life and the adventure, and others when all you can think about is going home to air conditioning, family and friend, wi-fi and normal food. Living here is certainly a roller coaster. As a matter of fact, my schedule is soon going to change with the arrival of summer... and for the better, fingers crossed! More on that next time...

Successes all around

Lately things have seemed to be going surprisingly well! Between both of my Escojo groups and the mentoring group, all three projects have experienced recent successes that have felt very gratifying. First, the Escojo group in La Saona. They continue to give weekly talks to community organizations, of which I accompanied them last week at one of the few local schools in our area. Two Escojo members spoke to around fifty youth about abstinence, which got both teachers and students surprisingly animated. I love the energy that the teachers at this school carried; it felt positively different from the teachers in my local school. They spoke to their students with a sort of honesty that is rare among educators. The entire experience went so well that we will be returning to the school to discuss another Escojo theme on Wednesday! The group experienced another high last night when we organized a movie night as a fundraiser. The community center was filled with youth and parents, eating popcorn and soda and watching a Dominican movie. Apparently the community of La Saona has not had a movie night in over a year and a half because they have no available projectors. Even more, the vast majority of the community would never be able to pay for a trip to a movie theater. But, with the help of Peace Corps in obtaining a projector, we brought the movie theater to La Saona and it was a huge hit!

My Escojo group in El Mani is also going great. I gave the group a talk on decision making and values last week, and they could not stop talking about the two subjects. They asked some amazing questions and it felt great to see such an animated group of youth in supposedly the most disorganized and marginalized barrio of Bani. There are a few youth in particular that are just stars. To see such enthusiasm and desire to get involved is so inspiring, especially when these kids have so few resources.

My mentoring group also had a very successful week, as each girl in the group memorized the location of all the countries in Central America and the Caribbean! Now I can confidently proclaim that each of those girls knows where in the world they live. Simple knowledge of geography has always felt like essential knowledge to me; I reviewed geography religiously with my students in Boston as well. I guess I feel like you can’t raise yourself out of poverty unless you understand how big the world is.

Underlying the greater successes of my groups, a few friendships have been strengthening, which feels like an even greater success in some ways. I have really been enjoying my time with Kenny, a friend from Haiti who lives with and supports his three sisters. I have been hanging out with Kenny in the orphanage where he works; Bella plays with the kids as we talk. I am also helping him with an English class that he teaches in downtown Bani. Another friendship I am lucky to have comes from Teresa. She has started visiting me twice each week so that I can tutor her in math. Teresa is trying to graduate from elementary school after working until a very late age. She is twenty years old now and is trying to get into high school next year! Teresa and Kenny are also in my Escojo group in El Mani. As frustrated as I occasionally get by the lack of ambition among Dominicans, I just have to remind myself of Teresa and Kenny to remember that there are some remarkable exceptions to this stereotype.

I think the recent succeses in my work as a volunteer can be largely attributed to my increasing integration among youth in Bani. Youth from my groups are beginning to drop by my house to hang out, a real sign that friendships are building. It feels awesome to feel like all my hard work is paying off and that I am beginning to form real relationships with the adolescents in my groups.

About a week has passed since I last posted a blog, and everything seems to be going relatively well. With Semana Santa, school is closed and youth seem to be distracted by the relaxing week ahead, but I still had a great turnout in my Escojo Mi Vida group. I only had about six of the twenty-two participants from last week come to this week’s group, a number to be expected during the holiday. But, strangely enough, I had about 9 new members come today as well! That puts my number at 32 for potential Escojo members in El Mani -- way too high for just one group. I’ll have to wait and see how many members consistently come to the group, but I might have to form two groups from the 32 youth who have showed interest. Very exciting!

I just got back to Bani yesterday after spending a few days at my boyfriend’s site in Los Rios, near Lago Enriquillo. He just moved into his own house so I helped him clean, purchase, and organize everything that will fit into his new home. Eric’s site is very different than mine; it’s isolated, a small town, close to the Haitian border, etc… but most of all, his new house provides the quintessential Dominican experience. The house is a traditional wooden structure, painted bright blue and pink with a nice latrine. But the interesting part of the house can be found in the back yard. Eric’s patio opens up to about four other backyards. This semi-communal land has become an intersection for hungry streetdogs, practicing grounds for cockfights, playspace for mostly naked children (I even saw two kids with bloated parasite-stomaches, very sad), and general viewing area for gossip. The sharing that goes on in these five backyards that touch, the sharing between animals, conversation, observation and food, is what makes Eric’s house the most Dominican living experience you could ask for. And for this reason, I loved visiting. Bella loved the visit as well because she got to chase chicks and hens, play with other dogs, and run after birds. She got a true feel for life in the country and she loved it.

Now I am back to “city” life, which still isn’t that urban but feels a world away from Los Rios. It should be a low key week with just a little work to do each day. I hope everyone back in the States is enjoying the Spring! The weather never really changes here but it is becoming steadily warmer...

Highs and Lows of PC

The past week has certainly been full of highs and lows (though I would like to think the highs outweigh the lows). I’ll start with the lows so that my entry can end on a positive note!

I have recently uncovered the ugly side of Peace Corps service when ego and politics get in the way. I am surprised by how helping others can actually become a selfish endeavor, and that ego can interfere with one’s desire to wholeheartedly serve others. Unfortunately, I have found that in the case of one of the local community leaders who was assigned to help me in my work. It feels as though she has become so focused on accomplishments, on really big feats, that she has lost sight of the beauty in human-to-human connection that lies at the heart of service work and the key to changing lives. She has decided that my projects are weak and not effective and yet her critique of youth development work has only made me more confident that it is, indeed, the one-on-one connections that make a difference. It has been a frustrating and sometimes painful experience to listen to this said person’s perspective, but as my boss said, I am here to work with kids, not to appease her.
Despite the minor setback last week, this week has begun on a high note! I began my own Escojo Mi Vida group last week and only three people showed up… but last night, for our second reunion, we had 22 participants! What a dramatic change from just one week ago, and it was inspiring to see so many youth show up. Not only did so many youth from El Mani arrive for the meeting, but I had an additional 6 youth from the already existing Escojo group come to support my efforts. It felt great to have such support and enthusiasm from these youth who have already graduated from the Escojo program.

Another fun update is that my mentoring group has begun a geography unit. The girls do not know a single thing about geography… it seems as though they have never even learned how to read a map! Most girls in my group do not know the difference between a city and a country, and some do not know that we live on an island! Thus, there is a LOT that we can achieve in this unit.

The last two weeks I have been fortunate enough to hang out on the beach, and I have discovered that Bella, my puppy, likes to swim! Last weekend we went to my local beach and I left her on the sand as I went into the water. Soon after, as I entered the water, I heard a splashing behind me -- and it was Bella swimming after me! Just a few days ago I went to visit a couple of other youth volunteers, one of which lives on the water, and Bella got to swim again. This second beach adventure took place in a town called Najayo, which is where Trujillo lived. You can actually see his old house on the cliffs!

One last update on Bella, her mange is almost gone! The poor dog had a skin parasite and it was eating away her hair, making her face look bald, but she is looking better and better. Hopefully she will be 100% mange free in a couple weeks! By the way, contrary to popular belief, mange very rarely spreads to humans. Phew!

Next week is Semana Santa, or the week before Easter. There is no school and most families take off for the beach or local rivers to spend time together. There is always a reason to celebrate in this country! For me, it’s just another new Dominican experience to look forward to.