Email Update #3

Finally an Official Volunteer!

Hola Mis Amigos!

Como estan? I hope this email finds each of you healthy and happy and still feeling loved and fulfilled after an excellent Thanksgiving week.

Everything is going well here in the Dominican Republic. I've had the best few weeks yet. We made it through our first tropical storm, Noel, finished training, found out our sites, feasted on a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and then set out for our respective sites.


It was sad to leave Los Camacho. My host family there was the best experience I've had here. I've already promised to visit them in March when Dave comes for Spring Break. My dona made homemade guava marmalade for me to take with me and gave me a bag of besitos (my favorite cookies, native to Moca), along with various recipes for my favorite dishes of hers. It was so sweet! The last night in our barrios, all of the donas got together and threw a party for us, at which they presented us with presents and speeches about how much we'll be missed. The next morning, the donas all gathered to see us off with tears in their eyes. I hadn't seen my dona cry once the five weeks we were there, but she joined in with the others when we loaded up our maletas in the neighbor's big truck and said our goodbyes.

We went back to the capital and met up with the rest of the volunteers from the other sectors. It was great to see everyone again. The next Monday we found out our sites for the next two years. I was originally told that I would be going to Los Cacaos in San Cristobal (about an hour and half from Santo Domingo) to work on an ecotourism project with coffee producers. Unfortunately, the site was affected by Noel, and I couldn't even reach my site. A landslide had wiped out part of the town, and the ecotourism aspect was not even functioning. For those of you who don't k now, Tropical Storm Noel devastated communities of people throughout the country. At least 125 people were killed and several hundred are still missing. It rained for about 5 days straight in my site, which made it hard to leave the community. My home didn't have electricity for the last week that I was in Moca, but we didn't even see the worst of it. It was pretty tragic for the entire country.

Anyway, because my site was affected, they changed my assignment to Bayahibe, which is located near La Romana on the southeast coast. After we found out our assignments, we went on our site visits for 5 days. I was amazed at how lucky I am in my placement. My neighborhood is right on the beach – a gorgeous beach with sparkling aqua-blue water. Small colorful boats bob up and down with each wave and sailboats boasts their stark white sails against the perfectly clear blue sky. The sunsets here are breathtaking. I'm attaching a picture of the first one I saw. You'll see why I fell in love with this place.

My project is a two-fold tourism project in correlation with the Asociacion de Hoteles de La Romana –Bayahibe (an inspiring private-sector organization dedicated to environmental-friendly, community-based tourism). The first part of my project is called La Punta - an archeological tourist attraction, which came about when the town of Bayahibe decided to add on to their school and during the dig, they found a grave and bones from 800 b.c. in the schoolyard. They developed a ruta cultural around the bones, which is what I'll be helping them organize and develop. Mostly, they need help with marketing and structuring the personnel. The second part of my project is working with the local artisans in developing and marketing their products. There are painters and jewelry-makers and a talented man who makes model sailboats. The art is vibrant and unique, and I'm very excited to work with (and buy from) these artists, and even more excited to show off their work to those of you who come to visit me!

So I arrived in my site after an incredible week in the capital. We became official volunteers on Wednesday, November 21, after which we all went out and celebrated. Then on Thursday (Thanksgiving), all volunteers (including those who have been here a year and those who are on their way out) got together at a club in Santo Domingo and spent the entire day together. We played soccer and basketball, swam, lay out by the pool, ate a huge Thanksgiving feast (pumpkin pie included!), had a bachata and merengue contest, and danced the night away. The next day was the all-volunteer conference and then a few of us spent the weekend in a hotel in Santo Domingo (with HOT showers!) It was so relaxing and rejuvenating - just what I needed after 10 weeks of training.


Now I'm in Bayahibe, and for the first time I'm alone, without my awesome Spanish teacher (yikes!), without technical trainers telling me what to do, without fellow volunteers. Furthermore, because my site was assigned so late, they still have not found a host family for me. So, I'm living by myself in a hotel/condominium (which feels more like vacation than the Peace Corps) in the middle of the community. Needless to say, I'm actually kind of lonely here. As any volunteer can tell you, loneliness is nothing foreign to a Peace Corps volunteer. I knew it would come eventually, but it doesn't make it easier. Fortunately, I have a cell phone, which makes it easier to communicate with Dave, my family, and my fellow volunteers. (By the way, if you want to call me, my phone number is 809-723-9780).

Anyway, it will take a bit of time to adjust to this community, especially since I blend in with all of the tourists here. Apparently this is a big vacation destination for Italian and French populations; I haven't met many people from the States. This neighborhood has such a different dynamic than Los Camacho, where I was one of the 4 gringos and the center of attention all of the time. Here I get asked if I want to take a boat to Isla Saona every day, and I have to repeatedly explain that I'm not a tourist, that I live here. I'm looking forward to the time when I'm integrated and feel like I'm a part of the community.

Anyway, that's the latest in my life. I miss you all dearly, especially during this holiday season. Tonight I've been watching the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center on TV (the tree is SO beautiful this year!)… man I miss Christmas in New York! I saw the weather forecast and traffic report for Long Island this morning, and even though I was cursing the cold weather and crazy traffic last year, it made me so homesick that I decided that I'm going to buy a Christmas tree this week if the funds allow it. =)

I hope you are all enjoying winter in the States. Think of me in the next few weeks when you hang your Christmas ornaments or light your Chanukah candles. I'll be thinking of you! And if you need to escape the winter weather, there's a place for you on the sunny beach of Bayahibe, DR.

Paz y amor a todos,
Tara

PS – Some of you have asked about sending me packages. While it is not advisable to send packages due to high incidence of theft and heavy customs taxes, many volunteers have received packages without any problems. The best would be to send inexpensive small packages in padded envelopes (boxes tend to be taxed and opened more frequently). If not, a simple letter (with pictures!) will do. Here's my address:

Tara Loftis, PCV
Cuerpo de Paz
Avenida Bolivar 451, Gazcue
Apartado 1412
Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic