Unwanted Guests

I have had a number of unwelcome visitors lately.  Mice, spiders, a tarantula, and massive grasshoppers.  It first started with these two crickets that lived behind the boards of my latrine.  I frequently saw their antennas peaking out.  One day, I decided to take care of them.  There is an spray here called Baygon, it is an all-purpose killing spray, very potent stuff.  I sprayed where they were hiding.  When I was finished, there were 7 dead grasshoppers!  They are big and disgusting.  I happily watched the chickens eat them.

A few nights later, there wasn't electricity, so I was sitting in candle light.  I saw a small shadow under the stove.  I shined my flashlight and saw a mouse.  I went directly to the colmado and bought a sticky trap.  You peel off the top paper to reveal a extremely sticky surface.  I set it up with a bit of cheese.  The next day there were 2 little mice stuck to it.  Ramon disgustingly folded the trap in two and threw it out.

After the grasshopper and the mice were gone, I felt good.  Cleaner.  Until I was going out the the latrine the other night.  I had on my stylish head lamp and bam a massive tarantula is sitting feet from my house.  I screamed like a little girl.  It scurried under a boulder that is in my yard.  For the next half and hour Ramon and I try to kill it.  I was basically standing back shining the light on it's cave.  We utilized Baygon, flushed out the space with water, and poked a stick around.  I haven't seen it since, so I am going to assume, for my own comfort, that it is dead.

Just as I was getting over the tarantula sighting, I see something scurry over the stove.  I obviously yell out.  Two muchacos (young men) are visiting, and say I'm crazy because they didn't see anything.  I see another shadow and shout again.  They get out the broom and search for the mouse.  After attacking the wall with the broom, the mouse leaves.  I will definitely be setting up a sticky trap tonight.

Brrrr.....

It rains just about every afternoon.  Sometimes it just sprinkles and other days it down pours.  Before it rains it is super hot.  Then the clouds come over the mountains and hide the sun.  Then comes the water.  

I like when it rains.  I usually past the time in my house on the computer or reading or taking a little nap.  I like that I can close up all my doors and be alone.  If it isn't raining you can't really shut up your house during the day.  One, because it would be too hot, and two, the neighbors would think your weird.  

After the rain I am freezing.  I heat up water on the stove, hobble out to the latrine with my steaming bucket, and soap up real fast.  I throw on something cozy, put on my crocs and go out to visit someone (by now I am sick of reading, my computer is dead and I'm well rested).

When I get in at night I make some tea or hot chocolate and curl up in my hammock with a blanket.  The cold nights have just begun, it gets colder December-February.  I have been brainstorming about ways to make my house warmer.  Ironically it is usually warmer outside my house than inside.  I talked before about insulating the walls with cardboard, but that still leaves a large gap between the top of the walls and the zinc roof.  I might splurge and buy another comforter too.  I go back and fourth though because I only have 7 months left.  

I did plant some lemongrass and ginger this week.  Both are great for making tea.  Here they make te de hojas, or leaf tea.  They forage for leaves from cherry trees, lime trees, chamomile, cinnamon leaves or bark, and passion fruit.  They boil everything together in a large pot with water.  When it's finished the smell makes your mouth water.  It's served super sweet, of course.  

Next Friday, Patronales, a week long community festival starts.  That means super loud music and a lot of drunk men.  

Today I might wash some clothes, if the electricity comes in the next couple of hours.  Then I am headed to Olga's house to eat some habichuelas con dulce or sweet beans.  A dish I disliked at first, and now love.  

Food and Eating

I am craving delicious food.  I want to cook and bake and shop at the grocery store.  More importantly, I want to be able to afford food at the grocery store.

Give me greek yogurt, a good loaf of bread (they sell water bread here, wtf is that?) fruit besides bananas (I heard they make you fat), a pizza!  The lack of variety is killing me.

And I'm sure you can relate, that sometimes you just don't feel like cooking.  That really isn't an option here.  All you can do is wander to the neighbors house and inquire about what they are cooking.  Or if you're lucky and it is Saturday-Monday you can eat fried chicken and toastones.

I was thinking about extending, but I would choose not to solely based on food availability.

There is this hilarious website about PC experiences.  This is me.

Do what you can. Where you are. With what you have.

Todos Leen/Yo Se Leer is a PC literacy program. There is a concentration of volunteers in my region working under the same model. We tutor small groups of elementary students and also supervise facilitators who do the same. Olga and I officially started this week working with our small groups. Another facilitator will hopefully join us on Monday. Before we began, I had to evaluate the students. The teachers provided lists of students that they felt were behind. I then evaluated them individually. Around 90% of them struggled to identify the vowels. I always feel a little down after evaluating them, but after this first week I am feeling good. They are intelligent kids who just need an extra push. I need to thank my mom for all the great tools and ideas. My alphabet playing cards, magnetic letters, and educational puzzles make learning fun, and my job a little easier.

I am able to use my house to tutor. We all sit on my floor and work. I like the informal feel of the space. My facilitators however work in the school. It isn't ideal because there are children running around, joining in on their study sessions, and making unsavory comments. My search for a space has been extensive. I tried the empty bar, the owner wanted me to rent it, the evangelical church, is ready to fall down during the next earthquake, the fritura (fried chicken shack), is afraid the kids will break the glass display case, the neighbor's house, where they may or may not be entertaining 'female' guests, was vetoed for obvious reasons. I am now crossing my fingers to use the Panaderia (bakery) next to my house. It hasn't been functioning for years except on Christmas Eve when they bake chickens.

My presence in the school has made me a celebrity with the kids. Wherever I go some little voice is calling me, “Misky”, or if they've been in my program before, “Mikki”.

I used to get upset when things didn't go as they should at the school. Until a wise man reminded me that I should just work with what I have. So my goal is to relax more and do what I can, where I am, with what I have.

We Need Your Help!

Here's the deal: several volunteer friends and I have collaborated to share a Peace Corps Partnership grant for materials and group trainings for the work that we do individually in our communities, helping children who are severely behind in an already lagging school system. Between five Peace Corps volunteers, we are working in five different rural communities with 20 local facilitators and over 300 children benefiting from our work.

PLEASE DONATE HERE: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?

The goal is to make our programs sustainable, so that our local counterparts will continue this work long after we leave. We need materials and trainings to make this possible. Your donation will contribute to a sustainable future for a program that helps the children who need it the most: children whose parents may be illiterate, who are at risk of dropping out of school in favor of work, who have often already been given up on, and therefore have given up on themselves.Last year, our results showed a significant improvement in the reading levels of participants. It is so gratifying to work with these kids. The ultimate goal is to keep this going, to begin a slow change that will continue after I leave. 100% of your donation will go towards materials, trainings, and facilitator support. (Peace Corps volunteers don’t really have overhead costs…)

Decisions decisions

I officially have just 10 months left of my service.  The time has flown.  There has been more talk about future plans among the volunteers.  I get excited and nervous and then overwhelmed. How do I choose?  I feel like I could live anywhere and do so many different things.  

Working with the kids at summer school is fulfilling but also difficult.  Do I want to be a teacher?  Maybe in bilingual education?  This next year of tutoring will give me a better idea if working with children is a good idea.

I would enjoy working in the non-profit field as well.  In a multicultural environment where I can speak Spanish, maybe?

As for location, I don't have a strong preference or attraction to any one city or state.  How do I decide?  

I hope that after more time stewing over these decisions will help me decide.  I welcome any wisdom.

Summer School

2 days down!  I cut the camp from three hours to just 2 hours.  It was difficult to keep their focus for that long.  I tip my hat to full time teachers who occupy children all day long.

The first day I was flying solo.  They were all sitting in their chairs silently looking at me.  I froze for a second and though, what did I sign up for?  I decided  to dive right in though.  We sang the alphabet song.  They thought it was hilarious.

Olga showed up today and jumped in to help.  I am so thankful for her.

So far so good.  I hope the rest of camp/school continues to run smoothly.

Camp Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the first day of my summer camp.  There will be around 15-20 kids.  We will focus on learning the alphabet.  There will be lots of games, play dough, and sugary snacks.  Wish me luck and patience!

Visiting Home

I left for Arizona mid June.  I thought I would be really emotional and overwhelmed about the whole ordeal, but it felt normal to be back.

I loved lounging on the couch all day in my pj's, mixing up delicious drinks at night, cooking with my mom, and the peacefulness of my parents house.

It was difficult to communicate to family and friends what my experience in the DR has been like so far.  To really understand my life here I think you have to come live it first hand like my Mom, Grandma, and Aunt did back in January.

I chose the right time to visit home.  I appreciated everything and enjoyed every second, but  I was also ready to be back in the DR.  I don't think I would have been able to say the same a couple of months back.

I think this next year will be productive, fun, and fulfilling.

Random observations:
The technology in the US is awesome, IPhones, IPads, emailed receipts, paying with a card at a vending machine. I am in awe about what my new(!) Kindle can do.
Arizona is super dry.  My body was in shock going from this humid island to the dry desert.
Gracias a dios I have learned some patience in my time here.
I still haven't learned to pack light.
I don't miss driving.
Modern washing machines are one of the greatest inventions.


"It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Break

I haven't posted in awhile because I have been tutoring the kids, enjoying life, and with limited internet.  I am on vacation in the US until July.  I will take some time to catch up on my blogging.

Pathetic

If school starts at 8:30, and recess is from 9:30-10:30,then the day ends at noon; when exactly are these kids learning anything?

Truth be told, they are not learning anything.  That is why I am working with 14 third graders who don't know their vowels.

Since Monday, the best attendance for teachers in the school has been 2 out of 6 if you include the director.  Two teachers showed up.  You are suppose to send a substitute when you can't make it, but many teachers do not want to pay a substitute, so they just leave their class without a teacher.  The kindergarten teacher sent a 13 year old today to teach her class.  Really?

When I showed up they were like monkeys who had just been let out of their cage.  They were climbing up the flag pole, walking across the desks, tearing the one poster there is off the wall.

You can imagine how frustrated I feel.  I want to freak out and yell at all of the 'adults'.  I cannot do a thing though.  News would most definitely get around that I am the whistle blower.  I would lose any respect they have for me, which is really none if you are a male teacher or the male director.

Ahh!  I get so stressed.  Luckly, on Sunday I am headed to beach with Laura.  My parents and grandma reserved a room for me as a birthday gift.  I can't wait to have a drink in hand on the beach, and pretend I am a tourist.

Literacy

ADULTS


The adult literacy class has been in session for around a month.  Last night I sat outside city hall with the facilitator waiting for the students.  Out of 80 community members, we initially invited 20 we thought to be the most motivated.  Six of those twenty have been attending class regularly.  Last night two showed up.

I am confused as to what is the problem. Are they not interested?  There is nothing else to do here, so they are probably at their houses.  How can I motivate them?

It is a bummer they don't regularly attend, because the two teachers are fantastic.  They surpass my expectations every time.  I am lucky to have them and will do anything to help them get nombrared (given a teaching job, which is competitive and very political).

CHILDREN

Three other volunteers and I had our Todos Leen (children's literacy intervention program) workshop last weekend in San Juan.  It went great, and I think the participants, who are children's literacy tutors working with the volunteers, learned about literacy and techniques.  The three people I brought from Monte Bonito cannot stop talking about it.  I hope we can repeat the workshop again.

The workshop was a kickoff to the literacy program I have at the elementary school here.  One other facilitator and I are working with 3rd and 4th graders in small groups.  These students are not reading and writing at the level of their peers.

I wanted to run the program during the morning session.  On paper it goes from 8-noon.  In reality, they start around 8:15/8:30, leave for breakfast around 9:45 to 10:30, and depending on the grade, leave before noon.  If you go to the school you will most likely find the teachers gathered in the principals office or outside the gate chatting with each other while the children are running amuck in their classrooms.  No wonder these kids can't read!

While I was evaluating the children we work with, one 4th grader sat down with me.  I asked him to write his name on the paper.  He looks and me and says, I don't know how to write my name.  I was astonished, what do you mean you don't know.  He explained how he used to know, but he has forgotten since.  I assured him he would learn how to read and also write his name.

Today is day two of the program.  I was exhausted after day one.  It feels good to be busy and making a positive impact though.

Literacy Class Success

Olga, Annettis, and I have been sitting in front of the ayuntamiento for days now, we were waiting for the adult literacy students to show up.

Tuesday I recruited a girl from my Chicas group to walk around town with me advising people once again about the class the next night.  We stressed it started at 4:30.  

Yesterday afternoon I baked brownies with Olga.  I was thinking it would motivate the students who show up to continue attending.  

I headed over to the ayuntamiento at 5, because nobody is going to be there at 4:30.  The church across the street is packed, it's Ash Wednesday, everyone is at church, perfect.  Annettis and I wait, 5:30 passes, we are still alone.  Five minutes to 6, a student arrives!  We agree that we will have the class with just one more student.

By 6:30, there are 8 participants inside the ayuntamiento eating brownies and learning their vowels.  Success!  

I handed out notebooks, and Annettis assigned homework.  We don't have a chalk board, so we are using large paper for now.  There aren't desks, but there are plastic chairs.  And big bonus, an inverter meaning we will always have electricity.

Classes will be held 3 days a week, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 5-7 pm.  Keeping the students interested and motivated will be key to the classes survival.  Wish me luck!

It feels so good to have something work out!

Literacy Program Failure

My literacy program should have hypothetically started days ago.  A couple things have prevented that from happening. 

First, I spent the whole last week in Santo Domingo helping out at the 50th Anniversary of the PC in the DR.  It was so neat to meet all the RPCVs, listen to their stories, hear about what they have done since.  I was invited in a few special things because of my participation in the conference.  I had dinner with two RPCVs who served in the same providence as me in the early 90s.  They were good friend during their service, and have stayed in contact ever since.  I got to check out the ambassador's house at a party held there.  The free food and open bar made the party extra awesome.  To wrap up the conference, there was an outdoor dinner at a museum in the capital.  I had a great time!  All that time away was beneficial for my mental health, but not helpful to my literacy program.  You have to remind people here a relentless number of times about a meeting, and they still don't show.

Second, a teenage boy from my community was killed in a motorcycle accident.  The funeral was the very day I returned to my site.  The whole community gathered at his house. His mother was wailing, his aunt fainted, people filled plastic chairs that lined the street.  My heart aches for his family and friends.  The whole community has a grey cloud hanging over it.  There has been no music for days.  They light candles all along the main street. He was a joyful person and will truly be missed.  This tragedy has diminished the student's motivation.

Third, the weather is not cooperating.  It inconveniently starts to drizzle at 5 pm, the exact hour of our class.    

Realistically, I do not know if this literacy class will happen.  All of the above will continue to happen.  The schedules of adults here are already full.  Then there are the excuses like, I had to wash my hair, it rained yesterday so it is muddy today, or I don't have a pencil.  

The uncertainty surrounding the success of the adult literacy program has motivated me to pursue other projects.  My new plan is to work with children's literacy.  The teachers and I are identifying students, we are looking for a location to tutor kids, and the evaluation of the students begins next week.  The other facilitator and I will start tutoring our small groups after a training day in March three other volunteers and I have been planning for a couple months now.  We recently received our grant money and have been busy spending it.

Things will work out in the end as they should, but that doesn't make thing less frustrating  now.  

Gifting

I feel like Dominican culture is really testing my patience, and kindness.

A woman once told me I needed to buy this child something so he would love me. You are not gifting to be nice here, you gift to be liked.

When my family was here visiting more than one woman came over to ask when she can come pick up her gift.  Ugh!  Really?  The little children still come to my door and say give me something.

When you go to the captial or to the pueblo, people expect you to bring them something.  I travel frequently and when I tell people I am leaving or I just got back their first question is, what did you/will you bring me?

If you neighbor brings over an avocado, it's an unspoken rule you need to bring her some oranges.

I don't have a farm, there aren't any fruit trees in my yard.  I am pinching pesos.  I am sorry people but I don't have gifts for you all!

Needless to say I am tired of the giving and receiving.  If I want something, I will buy it.  If I want to give you something I will, but because I want to, not so you will like me.

The Basketball

My parents Rotary Club donated sports equipment to the school in Monte Bonito.  I had the equipment at my house before I brought it over to the school.  The neighborhood kids and I got out a basketball to play.  We spent a long time running around, throwing the ball, yelling, and laughing.  We had so much fun all the kids were back the next night ready to play.  The first throw and the ball is punctured by something, who knows if it was the glass on the ground, a rock, the zinc roof, or the barbed wire fence.  I was super bummed.  Day two and we already broke a ball.

The children begin to rally, they strategize, and then pool their pesos. They bring they ball to someones house who fixes moto tires, he can't fix it, they try and buy a patch at the colmado, they're all out, at one point they tape up the hole, nothing worked.

Lastly, they come back from the colmado with super glue and ask me for laundry detergent.  We mix the two things together, like we were told, and spread it on the ball.  Viola, it's good as new, but a little deflated.

They let it dry for exactly 2.5 seconds before starting up their game again.  I loved seeing all the children come together and try so hard to fix the ball.  It makes no difference to them that it is broken.  They would have continued playing with it had it been beyond repair.

Familiar Faces

My Mom, Grandma, and Auntie Shelly arrived on New Year's Eve in Punta Cana.  The trip was planned just a few months ago.  The tour group grew from one to three.  I was a bit nervous to have three Americanas who didn't speak Spanish touring this developing country.

I had planned on us taking public transportation the whole trip, but after seeing their bags I dreaded even walking to the bus stop.  So we got a cab from the Punta Cana airport to our hotel in Santo Domingo.  The ride was a full three hours of nail biting and near heart attack moments.  The only person not questioning whether we'd make it alive was the driver who was dancing, swerving in and out of the other lane and talking on his two cell phones at once.  We made a pit stop at his aunt's house to pick up a microwave and a clean shirt, then at his cousins restaurant for a glass of ice.  After safely arriving at the hotel we headed to the Plaza de España for dinner.

The next day we checked out the Colonial Zone and searched for a place to exchange money.  Most store were closed because it was New Year's Day, just our luck.  After exchanging money with a less than legit man we got on the bus that took us towards my site.  They packed three of us in the back row with our luggage.  I had to keep shifting so one part of my body wasn't asleep for too long.  We arrived at my house after dark.   The night ended with a game of Scrabble and a much needed bottle wine.  

Our first full day in my community we took a hike to my friend Olga's family farm.  It is located down a mountain a good mile and a half.  There we helped shell lentils and ate oranges while Olga and her mom, Daisy, cooked lunch.

Daisy in the outdoor kitchen.

Lentils and rice

That night, after experiencing their first bucket showers, we had dinner with my host mom Nilda.  She made Spaghetti with toastones.  The Americanas didn't know what to think.  Back at my house Mom and Grandma mixed up some Mojitos before we headed up to the discoteca.

The last day at my site we got our nails painted, handed out gifts, did some visiting, played games with the crowd of children who arrived at my house, and had lunch with my neighbor and good friend Maciel.

Wednesday morning we left Monte Bonito for Las Galeras, Samana, a small town on the beach.The main street is lined with tourist shops and foreign owned restaurants.  There is a French bakery and an Italian cafe along with Dominican cafeterias.  To get there we took a truck, a small bus, a coach bus, and a taxi.  That night there was a substantial increase in the flavor our food, maybe because it was no longer Dominican.

It rained off an on Wednesday and it continued to be cloudy the rest of the trip.  It keep the temperatures mild where it was pleasant to walk everywhere.  The bed and breakfast we stayed at was a short walk from the beach and also the center of town.

Piña Coladas on the beach

We spent Thursday walking on the beach, shopping, and eating.  That night we enjoyed dinner at the bed and breakfast.

grilled lobster for dinner

Our last day in Las Galeras was similar to the day before.  More shopping, walking on the beach, and eating.  The volunteers that live in town suggested we check out El Cabito, a restaurant overlooking a cliff. It was decided we should walk instead of call a cab.  We walked along the beach, picked up a police escort part of the way,  and then climbed a hill to reach this restaurant.  When we arrived, it was instantly worth the hour and a half walk.  The restaurant was literally hanging over the water.  It had a thatched palm roof, a few wooden tables, an out door kitchen.  You could hear the whoosh and feel the mist from the waves crashing into the rock wall.

Here we are looking over the railing at El Cabito.

Everything we ate was grilled, the Mahi-mahi, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables.  It was all delicious.  The best meal of the trip!

Saturday we had to get back to Punta Cana.  I debated with myself over how we should get to the airport, by bus, or boat, or taxi.  Transportation is anything but timely, fast, or convenient here.  We started early, at 4 a.m.  The owner of the B&B was nice enough to give us a lift to the bus.  At 5:30 a.m. we were all packed onto the mini bus on our way to Santo Domingo.  I had decided it was safest and most reliable to go from Samana to Santo Domingo to Punta Cana.   After way too many hours on a bus, we arrived at the airport on time.  We had some papaya milkshakes, and they were off.

It was such a great visit.  We hit a lot of what the island has to offer, from the tourist zone, Punta Cana, to Santo Domingo, urban and dirty, my community, mountainous and rural, and lastly Las Galeras, the beach and expat population.

I am feeling recharged now and ready to take on the next year and a half.  Things are coming together with my projects, and there are some PC events happening in the next couple of months.  I think I might make a trip home this year too.  

It was neat to see their reaction and opinions about the DR, I'm sure I thought the same things when I first arrived, but have since grown accustom to them.  Some things that stood out were:

• Noise level.  They thought it was extremely noisy.  There is always loud music, crowing roosters, braying donkeys, barking dogs, and people yelling.  
• Warm people. Almost everyone you come into contact with is friendly and accommodating.  The men help women out of the bus, hold their bag, give your their chair, offer you food.  It's pretty great.
• Closeness. There is no personal space here.  Thankfully they are so friendly since you are so close.
• Bland food.  The best food we had was not Dominican food.  They cook with lots of salt but few herbs or spices, and whether it's rice, beans, or chicken, they all contain the same seasonings.

My community will continue to ask if they made it home okay, when they are coming back to visit,  telling me their trip was way too short, and lastly how jovencita (really young) my mom looks.