I LOVE mail!

I know some of you are wondering how I receive mail.  The postal system here is a bit different than in the US.  All my mail is sent to the Peace Corps Office in Santo Domingo.  There, my mail is put into my mailbox and waits for me to come pick it up.  I will be stopping by the Peace Corps Office once in awhile to get mail, see the doctor, or complete paperwork.  As a rule of thumb, you should only send letters and padded envelopes through USPS.  My address is on the right hand side bar of my blog.

Things on my wish list include, but are not limited to:

jump rope

powdered gatorade packets

red licorice

anything on my Amazon Wishlist

face sunscreen

stickers

pictures, posters, maps, or anything to hang on my walls

Yerba Mate tea
dark chocolate M&Ms

I will add things to my list as time goes on, but for now that's all.  

It's been awhile

I know it has been awhile.  I have been at my site for a couple weeks now.  I've lost count.  This is the first time I've been able to use my laptop.  There is one internet center in Santa Rosa and I couldn't connect my laptop so I didn't spend my 30 pesos to use the internet.  I'm in Baní today.  There is a volunteer, Jessica, that lives a 15 minute moto ride away.  We decided to go to a pool near the beach and then have pizza and use the internet here in Baní.

I had a rocky spot last week.  For six days my diet consisted of antidiarrheal meds, rehydration salts, and saltine crackers.  I'm not really sure what I had.  I will finish some antibiotics tomorrow for some sort of infection/virus, I'd really prefer not to know.  While I was sick everyone had their own 'remedy' for my sickness.  My host mom made me tea with garlic and oregano.  Another woman made me fried plantains and fried chicken stating that fried food doesn't have fat.  Needless to say I can't wait to get my own place and control my diet.

Speaking of, I've had my eye out for house in the community.  Some they have shown me had latrines/outhouses, which I'm not too keen on, and others were a bit out of my price range.  We'll see what I come up with in the next couple months.  My host mom would prefer that I just live with her the whole time.

I haven't been doing too much lately as far a 'work' goes.  You are suppose to take some time to integrate into your community.  So, I spend my time hanging out at my host family's house, the elementary school on our street, the banca (lottery place) with Fatima (one of the facilitators), Fatima's house.  I meet a lot of people, watch soap operas and American movies in Spanish.

I will hopefully be updating more often.  Within the next couple of months I look forward getting wireless internet for my computer, but like everything here it is a process.

I put up some pictures.

Swearing In

my host mom in black and her sister and niece at swearing-in

I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer.  So exciting!  We swore in on Wednesday in a ceremony at our training center in Santo Domingo.  A representative from the Embassy was there as well as Dominican government officials and our host families. 

The following day, Thursday we had All Volunteer Conference.  The 200 some current volunteers serving in the DR attended.  It was blazing hot out and a lot of the information was review, but there were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fresh juice so all was not lost.  That night I stayed in a hotel in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, ate at a Mediterranean restaurant and went out a bar we rented out.  The next morning I had pancakes, sausage and eggs for breakfast before heading to the pool! 

I know you’re thinking that this all doesn’t sound too Peace Corps but I would like to say I am now back in my site.  I packed up and moved the rest of my stuff to my new home on Saturday.  Everyone seemed delighted to see me and I feel content now that I’ve reached my ‘final destination’.  This week I’m going to recruit my host brothers to help me make some shelves and a clothesline in my room.  I can then unpack a little bit and be more organized.

My Site

On Tuesday we received our site assignments.  I was excited to find out where I’ll go and nervous about spending the weekend at my new site, meeting my new host family, and my project partners.  I felt like it was a big make it or break it moment.  And let me tell you the first night almost did me in! 

I will be living in a community just outside of Baní, a fairly large city just an hour away from Santo Domingo.  The population is a mix of lower income Dominican and Haitian families.  Most of the streets are unpaved and the houses are a mix of concrete, wood, and tin. 

My primary project will be assisting five adult literacy facilitators who have created a small local literacy program.  They have class every Sunday for three hours in the elementary school.  They would like to strengthen their program with resources, training, and motivation. Many literacy students do not have papers and therefore could not attend school. So, I hope to work in documentation as well, to ensure their children have the opportunity to attend school.

One of my project partners, Josefina, hosts me in her home.  She actually has three structures on her property; I’m not sure the logistics of it all yet, but Josefina, her husband, and four children (18, 16, 14, 11 years old) all live here.  Our house has a cement block exterior and some cement block interior walls.  Sheets serve as doors, but I will hopefully have a bedroom door when I return next Friday. 

The first night as I sank to the middle of my ‘mattress’ I watched mice scurry across the tops of the walls.  After that, I decided to act like I’m camping.  Lots of critters, one burner cook top, no running water (plenty of water though), no fridge, bucket baths, and candlelight (the electricity goes out at 7 every night). 

Everyone I meet here is so welcoming.  They greet me with big smiles and kisses and then run off to find me a pop or a snack as everyone else offers me their chair.  One of the facilitators, Fatima, always has a muffin in her purse for me.  They argue over where I will eat lunch and worry my water isn’t cold enough. 

As of now I am content with my site, and look forward to starting my diagnostic.  The first three months I focus on integrating into the community and determining where they need help.  After that I will be able to move into my own place and being working!