Livin' la Vida Loca: Peace Corps DR!

Adios la RD...

2009-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

This has been the most difficult blog to write, which is why it has taken me four months to do so. There's not a great way to sum up my experience in the Peace Corps, nor could I easily convey what this experience has meant to me and how it's changed me - it's just something you have to live to understand.

It was tough to leave - I cried my eyes out when the Peace Corps van drove me away from my site. And it wasn't easy at first being back home. Adjusting back to the US has definitely been a process. While some things - hot showers, por ejemplo - are welcomed changes, I have found myself, on occasion, longing for the DR way of life. I miss my Dominican friends, speaking Spanish, the sense of community and belonging... But I know that I will carry much about what I lived and learned with me for the rest of my life.

Each time a group of volunteers finishes their service, the Peace Corps DR magazine, The Gringo Grita, sends out a survey to the COSers (COS = Close of Service) to publish in their latest edition. For my last blog, I've decided to share my survey with you.

Thanks for following and please let me know if you're ever in New Orleans!

Paz y Amor,

Tarita

Grinto Grita COS SURVEY

Name: Tara Loftis

DR apodos: Sarah, Kara, Clara, Rita, Carolina (or the name of any other white girl living in Bayahibe)

Site: Bayahibe, baby!

Program: CED [Community Economic Development]

Project assignment: Artisan Group and Ecotourism Route

Project reality: Putting out fires among artisans, organizing and attending artisan fairs, selling artisan products, giving Ruta tours to American tourists, Ruta trash pick-ups, too many English classes, GLOW, Escojo Mi Vida, volunteering at a clinic in La Romana, venting to and listening to Dilana vent about “el diablo lleva TJ Max”, babysitting, living in a hotel for two months, going to the beach, hosting PCVs, trips to Isla Saona, and spending my savings just to get by.

Most useful thing brought into country: Open-mindedness, laptop, collection of dvds

Least useful thing brought into country: A boyfriend

Best “I-know-I’m-in-the-Peace-Corps-now” moment: Probably one of the many times I had diarrhea during CBT: When I showed up to Spanish class (about 30 minutes after I had told my host mom why I didn’t want coffee that morning), the first thing out of Alissa’s mouth was “so I hear you have diarrhea.” Of course, the chisme [gossip] made it to Alissa in less than 30 minutes.

I knew I was Dominican when: I started showering after lunch.

Funniest experience in country: With Dominicans: During CBT, Danny had just taught us a new phrase in Spanish class, so I tried to use it. I said to my host dad “Voy a echar un porvito,” [I'm going to take a little... well, it's slang for intercourse] instead of una pavita [a nap]… I’ve never heard any two people laugh so hard at me as he and my host mom did. Also, there was the time that this Dominican guy wouldn’t leave Rachel and me alone. He started to get touchy, so Rach slapped him. That pissed him off and he threw his beer at us. We had to take off running to avoid getting pegged by the rocks he then tried to throw at us! With volunteers: Any time I spent with Rach (who doesn’t laugh when she’s around?), the 4^th of July in Bahía with G-Funk, sneaking into an all-inclusive with Erica twice in one day, Dilana’s diatribes, skinny dipping in the ocean at midnight on New Year’s 2008 and the chaos that ensued when we thought the police had stolen our clothes.

Most memorable illness or injury: Dengue during training, after only 10 days in the country. I had to go to Moca anyway for my volunteer site visit, because the med staff didn’t believe me (I was told it was probably just sinuses). A few hours after I arrived at Cat Wood’s house, I received a call from Boriana [one of the Peace Corps doctors] telling me to get on the next guagua back to the capital because I had Dengue. I could barely walk the next morning when I left Moca, but I eventually made it back to the capital. I made it all the way to the intersection of Gomez and Bolivar, when I realized that I didn’t know which way to turn, and of course, as a trainee I didn’t have a cell phone to call and ask directions. So I asked random Dominicans for directions in my choppy Spanish. Not wanting to quedar mal, they sent me in the wrong direction on Bolivar to a church with a Jesus statue. When I realized that they thought the church was Cuerpo de Paz, I decided it was best to look for the office on my own. I ended up walking my “bone-breaking” legs, overstuffed bag, and helmet, back and forth on Bolivar for almost hour before I finally found the office. When I got there, Lisette said, “oh, you already have the rash; you’re almost over it. Go back to your host family’s in Pantoja and rest.” On the way to Pantoja, the guagua broke down and I ended up walking another half mile or so to get home. ¿Y es fácil?

Most Dominican habit you’ll take home with you: Coffee-drinking, hissing, improper Spanish. “Coño, pero que vaina.”

Most beautiful place in country: The airport… only kidding… my host family’s house in Los Camacho, Moca, the mountains of el Cibao, and the beaches of Bayahibe.

Most creative way you killed time in your site: Watching ants march around canela [cinnamon], experimental cooking, picking ticks off my dog, making a vision board, trying to see auras.

How have you changed during your service: I finally know what I want to do with my life, and I believe in myself enough to do it. Also, I am less idealistic and more skeptical about development work in general; less stubborn, more laid back; less materialistic, more appreciative of what I have and where I come from; less concerned with my social life, more focused on my family; less of a push-over, better at watching out for me… and I know I never want to work in negocios [business] again!

What are you glad you did here: Became friends with some awesome PCVs, met Lenis, dated a Dominican, invested in some good spices, GLOW, Escojo Mi Vida

What do you wish you had done here: Changed sites, done more youth projects, not attended so many meetings, built furniture, planted a garden

What will you miss six months from now: My friends, my lazy days, not having to study or write papers, speaking Spanish, fresh mango and aguacate, and the beach

What won't you miss six months from now: Cold showers, sweaty guagua rides and polvo [the dust from the dirt roads].

What next: Demasiada escuela… pero mucha! [lots of school]

Big plans for your readjustment allowance: ha… that’s funny.

Advice to a new Volunteer: Just breathe.

Algo más: I miss you already, 517-07-02!

Girls, Girls, Everywhere!

2009-07-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sometime around last year I applied on behalf of my community to be involved in one of my favorite Peace Corps initiatives – Camp GLOW. Fortunately, Bayahibe was granted the opportunity to participate, and I was lucky enough to bring 3 girls from my little fishing town to

learn all about GLOW – Girls Leading Our World. Of course “GLOW” is what we call it among the gringos; as it doesn’t easily translate, we call it Campamento Ser Mujer (Camp Be a Woman) in Spanish.

Just imagine, if you can, about 20 volunteers, 60 Dominican girls, 5 days, 1 bathroom, 20 tents and a tropical storm. It was quite an adventure, especially for my Bayahibe princesses, who are not exactly used to daily water and electricity outages (they aren’t your average girls from the campo). Needless to say, they weren’t very excited when I told them they could only shower once a day and at a specific time. Fortunately, they made it through the week and hopefully learned a thing or two.

Ser Mujer is a volunteer-led annual summer camp that brings young Dominican women from around the country together to learn about… well, being a woman, which isn't as easy as it sounds in the very machismo DR culture.

This year it was held July 20-24. The girls received charlas on all kinds of topics from goal-setting and career paths (with a panel of professional Dominican women) to nutrition and healthy decisions; from learning about women in different cultures to learning about their own bodies; from income generation projects to volleyball lessons and more. Basically, the Peace Corps volunteers offered a assortment of educational talks and activities, through which the girls learned new perspectives, ideas and hobbies that they can take back with them to their communities. It was wonderful to see them absorb the information and reflect on it; it was as if we could watch them grow as young women in just those five days.

Apart from learning, the girls had some time to divertirse. There was a swimming pool, of which they took full advantage, dance and yoga classes, scrapbooking, arts and crafts, sports, a bonfire, and more. Of course, we had a few photo shoots as well (Dominicans LOVE posing for the camera), which I was more than happy to facilitate.

We did spend a couple of days trying to avoid a nasty tropical storm, including one night of sleeping in a pavilion on mattresses because our tents were soaked! It was somewhat stressful, but the fun we had outweighed everything else. In the end, my girls were so thankful that they were able to participate, even if it meant roughing it for a week. I was also so glad to have had the opportunity to help plan, participate in and execute such an amazing event. A huge thanks to Rachel and Emily and all volunteers who participated for making it an experience we’ll never forget!

Mujeres... Whoo!

We can do it!

Fiesta de Condones! (Condom Party!)

Me and my girls in our tent.

Pool Time!

Making vaginas

Happy girls

Painting a Mural

Vogue

Camp coordinators (aka miracle-workers)

Volleyball lessons

Butterfly Ceremony

Ser Mujer

Mi Gente, Mi Pueblo

2009-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Me with two youth I brought to an Escojo Mi Vida conference in San Cristobal and the two Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders who organized it. What you can't see is the staph infection on my face. Yikes!

My neighbor coloring in my big "Finding Nemo" coloring book.

My favorite little girl

The story of my life.

Mother's Day Celebration

Easter Eggs!

Sunset in Bayahibe

Mi niña.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth! I hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July. I, for one, really missed my family today, especially after receiving a phone call from a family reunion, in which I spoke to family members I haven’t seen in quite a while.

Volunteers celebrated the 4th in different places. Some went to the south to Bahia de la Aguilas (which is what I did last year), some to Samana, a few to Puerto Plata, and others, like myself, just stayed in their sites. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been here for so long or if it’s because I’m not as social as I used to be (too much alone time, maybe?) but I just wasn’t feeling a big celebration this year. The idea of traveling for more than 6 hours to hang out with a bunch of drunk Americans just didn’t appeal to me (no offense, fellow volunteers). So I decided to stay my site and celebrate with my close Dominican friends. But when the day came, none of them was very interested in celebrating. So I ended up taking Abbie Mae to a bar on the beach in the afternoon and hanging out alone… for a while.

After a couple of glasses of wine, I heard someone speaking English to the bartender, asking him about any parties around Bayahibe for the night. I thought it strange, considering the very few American tourists that come to Bayahibe, but I decided to investigate anyway. Sure enough, a fellow American had decided to spend his 4th of July in the small pueblo of Bayahibe. In a last minute decision (literally, he bought the ticket 10 hours before his flight), Steve, a Korean-American from Connecticut, had chosen to come to the Dominican Republic. Of all places in the world he could go, he showed up in my little town just in time to celebrate with me… and exactly on a day when I was really missing American companionship! The universe is a crazy place sometimes.

We hung out the entire day and I taught him a lot about the DR, the Peace Corps, and my life here in general. He seemed just as grateful as I to have someone to relate to on this day of celebration.

And to top off the evening, I got to see a short display of fireworks, which was very exciting, considering it had been 3 years since I’d watched fireworks on the 4th.

I hope each of you had a wonderful 4th and truly took some time to consider how fortunate we are to be Americans, when there are so many less-liberated alternatives.

I'm alive!

2009-06-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, I’m starting out a post apologizing for the deficient dedication I’ve demonstrated over the past few months to my blog and its followers. Thanks to those of you who’ve sent me emails reminding me that I need to update; I appreciate your curiosity about what’s going on here in this vida loca. As you know, I don’t have much internet time, especially when I’m busy, so even if I write a blog at home, I sometimes forget or don’t have time to post it. Asi es la vida. Naturally, a lot has happened since my last post. As much as I’d like to, I’ll make no promises to be brief.

My dad came to visit in February. He didn’t bring Lisa this time, which means he spent a fair amount of time alone, waiting out or following me to meetings, being left out of conversations in Spanish, and just trying to understand my life here, which can definitely be shocking for a parent, I’m sure. It also means that I had a date for Valentine’s Day and Lisa didn’t (sorry for stealing your man, Lisa!). We had a delicious dinner at sunset in a restaurant right on the water, with a view of the Bayahibe Bay. It was such a nice treat.

As usual, Dad helped me fix up my house with interesting inventions, like a extending a shower curtain rod from a random piece of metal, sticking out of my wall to make a “closet” and hanging a piece of pipe from the ceiling rafters to make a towel rack! So inventive, that dad of mine! He also did a few odd jobs around the neighborhood, like transferring a cabinet from one wall to another in my neighbor’s house. Probably the toughest day though was the day we spent on Lenis’ artisan taller (workshop). Dad is accustomed to having good tools or at least a good hardware store where you can buy good tools, but of course, both of those are difficult to find in my little fishing village. So we worked with what we could find, which meant the job took probably ten times longer than it would have otherwise.

What? You mean the resources were scarce or took forever to find, and even when you did find them, they weren’t want you were expecting, making the job more challenging than it should have been, and causing you to want to pull our your hair? Hmmm. Yep, that’s sounds about right for work in this country. Welcome to my everyday life, Dad! Glad you got a taste of it.

March saw the start of the project that I’ve most enjoyed in my Peace Corps service as well as a surprise trip home for Mom’s birthday, in which I surprised my mother by “working” behind a glassed-in counter in a random sketchy gas station that she visited in North Little Rock on her way down from Fayetteville to New Orleans… it was a riot! We had a great time in New Orleans, especially at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Bourbon. Let’s just say my mom and I are the Queens of Beads.

So, on to the project I’ve most enjoyed so far… Escojo Mi Vida (I choose my life). Because of the difficulty I’ve had with getting the youth in this town to show up for anything I try to do, I tried a different route to trap them into this much-needed course. The course focuses on teaching youth to make healthy decisions in regards to some of the pubescent excitement they might face at this time in their adolescent lives – sex, drugs, and alcohol. I worked out a schedule with the teachers in both 7th and 8th grade so that I could come for an hour and half once a week to each class and give a charla (a talk) on these subjects. The 2-month course consisted of imparting information to about 40 students, rebutting local myths (like you can’t get pregnant if you have sex in the water), and teaching them important things like how to use condoms and the possible consequences if they don’t. I think they appreciated having the opportunity to have a forum in which they could talk openly about these subjects and have their questions answered and doubts cleared. The teachers were excellent to work with as well. They’d help whenever I would get stuck on a word or explanation and were also open to share their knowledge with the students on such matters; that, in itself, was surprising and a unique stroke of luck – most people in this country aren’t as open-minded. I think it was also beneficial that the teachers learned the material as well. Now they are better prepared to teach this information to future classes. In the end, I was very proud of all those involved. I held a small graduation to celebrate their participation, complete with cake and certificates. They loved it. And so did I.

Escojo Mi Vida has really gotten me through the past few months of Peace Corps, as I have faced many challenges and grown discouraged with my main projects – the artisans and the ecotourism route. One thing we have accomplished is building talleres (workshops) for each artisan. Now 4 individual artisans have their own places to work. These talleres will be essential in creating our tourist route Descubre Bayahibe (Discover Bayahibe), which will include the two ecotourism routes, a tour through Bayahibe, a stop at the manatiales (natural fresh water pools), and a visit to each artisan taller. We’ve started selling this package to some of the universities in the country and began giving successful tours, but we still have a good deal of planning and organization to do before we promote the route nationwide and eventually h internationally. Unfortunately, only one person in the community is currently dedicating her time to working on this project, which is why it is taking a while to get up and running.

A part from Escojo and Descubre Bayahibe, my work has been scattered between youth activities, attending and planning summer youth camps, volunteering in an HIV/AIDS clinic, and giving various English classes. I’ve also helped plan and host celebrations for Mother’s Day, Easter, International Women’s Day, and a few birthdays. On the side, I have attended conferences for volunteers and on ecotourism, borders and bateys (focusing on DR-Haitian relations), etc. I hope to go into more detail about those events in another blog, but I’m running out of time.

My spare time, if I have it, I spend compartiring with friends in the community, hanging out with my Dominican boyfriend (a blog topic for another day), going fishing, swimming in the manatiales, going to the beach, playing with Abbie, shooing kids out of my house, experimenting with cooking, waking up with yoga, reading, and planning my future… which brings me to my next topic… the future.

As you know my service is quickly coming to an end and lucky for me, I finally figured out what I want to do with the rest of my life (even though I’ve known it for at least 10 years). I finally decided that I am going to be a doctor. Finally. The details I will talk about in a later blog (I promise), but for now at least, you (and I) have the answer to the frequently-asked question, “What next?” And I am very excited about the response.

I’ll write soon.

Love and peace to all,
Tarita

Take a woman to fish…

2009-04-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

I’m constantly trying to find ways to break down the gender norms in my community: women cook, clean, and have babies; men work, drink, and play dominoes. These well-rooted roles aren’t extremely easy to tackle, and talking to locals about awareness of these culturally-created gender characteristics has proven to be just as difficult, but I try whenever I can to point out the society-enforced responsibilities that constantly influence the everyday expectations of the population of Bayahibe. I can recognize that this is a world-wide phenomenon that will not go away this year, in 10 years or even in this century, and though my one-man efforts seem small in the big scheme of things, I cannot write them off as futile, as this type of education is the important first step to creating a world based on equality.

Because of this passion of mine, one of the things which brings me the most joy in this job is happening upon progressive-thinking Dominicans, which I did the other day in a conversation with my neighbor, Maximo. Through various conversations with him, I’ve discovered that in spite of the “machismo” culture he was brought up in, he actually has a decent grasp on gender equality – or at least a better grasp than most Dominicans, and that gives me a smidgen of hope.

Maximo, who has four teenage girls, has made it very clear to them that their first priority is education, not creating a family. He tells them that each of them has to go to college and decide on a career before settling down. This sounds like a normal parental request to most Americans, but in the Dominican Republic, it is not so common. Many young girls start having children at the ripe age of 13. They drop out of school and focus on their two-person family (because usually the father abandons the mother and child upon hearing the news of the pregnancy). After talking to Maximo about his requirements for his four beautiful daughters, I was so elated (I’d never heard another Dominican father take a stand like this) that I almost hugged him. That, of course, would have seemed odd, so I simply commended him for his good parenting skills and told him that we need more men like him in the Dominican Republic.

The other day, Maximo surprised me again. After at least three months of trying to get someone to take me fishing, I finally had a break through. Every time I asked one of my male friends to take me, he’d simply respond “Fishing’s for men; not for women or children.” No matter how many times I argued my side – that women can do the same work as men, that I should not be placed in the same category as a 4-year-old, that I wanted to help them develop their fishing businesses so I needed to see the methods they use, etc. – I couldn’t convince him to take me. One day I ran into Maximo, another fisherman friend. “Will you taking me fishing?” I asked. “Of course,” he said, “whenever you want.” After I explained to him the hard time I had convincing others to take me, that they would simply tell me that women can’t go, Maximo replied, “Pero eso no es nada… las mujeres pueden ir a pescar, igual que los hombres.” (But that’s nothing, women can go fishing just like men.) And so, my fishing experience will be realized and I will happily wave to the other fishermen we see on the water and let them be envious of the boat containing the lone fisherwoman in Bayahibe.

Mujeres... Whoo!

2009-03-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

The 8th of March is International Women's Day. Of course many people here were unaware of that, so to raise awareness and to celebrate women, I organized a parade through Bayahibe. We started out at my house with cookies, sign-making and some fun facts about famous Dominican women. Then we marched through the entire town of Bayahibe, shouting, blowing whistles and bubbles, throwing candy, and waving our signs. It was quite a spectacle and many residents weren’t sure just how to react, but we did receive shouts every time we yelled “Grita para las mujeres!” (Shout for women!). Some people even joined us mid-parade, so that by the end of the route, we had quite a nice group of women and children (and one Spanish man) walking through the streets, celebrating the female sex and accomplishments. It was a day I'll always remember.

Here are some of the photos:

A Very Happy Un-Birthday

2009-02-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

“Cumpleanos Feliz, Cumpleanos Feliz…” As a group of my closest Dominican friends sang "Happy Birthday" to me in their native tongue, I reflected on how very unbirthday-like my birthday was for me this year and delighted in the fact that I was having so much fun in spite of the unconventional celebration I chose to have.

My birthday fell on the same day as the Superbowl this year (Feb. 1st), meaning that most of the people with whom I would usually choose to celebrate my birthday were gathering in the capital anyway for the weekend. It would have been very easy for me join them and have a group of people (some of whom I barely know) sing "Happy Birthday" to me during one of the Superbowl commercial breaks, but this year I wanted something different. I decided to celebrate “campo-style” in my little pueblo of Bayahibe, with the people who have become my closest friends here.

The celebration started around midnight on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I was just getting ready for bed when I there was a knock at the door. I opened my blinds to see one of my friends, Fabricio, standing there, grinning from ear to ear. “Felicidades,” he said, and gave me a hug. He told me that a group of my friends were planning to come “hacer buja” (make noise) outside of my window at midnight, but true to Dominican form, one of them didn’t show up, another fell asleep, and so the other few gave up. So Fabricio decided to come on his own. Just the thought of them planning to sing happy birthday to me outside of my window at midnight (whether or not they came through with it) made my little heart happy.

The next morning at around 9:00, my phone rang. Jovanny, who works with the association and wakes me up at 6:00am each morning to go for a walk, was calling from the capital. “I’m sorry I won’t be there to celebrate tonight,” he said. “Save me some cake.” About an hour later, another knock at the door. My best friend’s 10-year-old son Sendy had walked over to my house just to wish me a Happy Birthday. “Felicidades,” he said, giving me a hug, "que cumplas mucho mas" (and many more). And the warm wishes continued. All day was like that - people coming by my house or stopping me in the street to wish me a happy birthday. One of my friends who owns a small restaurant told me to stop by that night so that she could “brindarme algo” (offer me something to eat/drink). All day I felt loved and celebrated.

In the afternoon I took a trip to the beach alone with Abbie. I was catching the last rays of sun and enjoying my book, when I noticed that group of Dominicans in nice clothes (not in their swimsuits) was gathering near the shore. One of the members of my kids’ club came running over to greet me. I asked him what was going on and he informed me that a group of women from the church, his mother included, was going to be baptized. I sat back and took in the scene from my spot in the sand.

It was one of the prettiest ceremonies I’ve ever seen. They had convened under a tree on the far shore of the cove, in the shade of the setting sun, which was hitting the water at just the right angle to make me to have to shade my eyes to watch. The pastor was dressed in a white robe; the women to be baptized, in their best dresses. He stood in the shallow waves and preached, raising his hands on cue, praying intermittently. They stood on the beach, barefoot, dresses blowing in the breeze, nodding occasionally and responding with “Amen.” A group of witnesses gathered behind them – family members, neighbors, friends. A little 2-year-old brown girl in a pretty pink dress with perfect curls waded daringly in the water before being snatched up by a young woman in a sarong. As soon as she was put down again, she charged towards the inviting ocean once again, short little legs making tiny strides. Soon the women, led by the pastor, joined hands and waded to chest-deep water. One after another, they were fully submerged and with the guidance of the pastor, brought up again, refreshed, sparkling in a combination of sunlight and saltwater – a symbol of devotion to their respective Christian journeys. It was a beautiful scene.

I was fortunate enough on my birthday to have the company of my fellow volunteer and good friend, Dilana. She met me at the beach, with her 2-month-old puppy, Piña (pineapple), who chased Abbie all around the beach. We stayed until almost sunset, talking, watching our dogs play, fending off Dominican men, enjoying the moment.

When we got home, I cooked a Betty Crocker cake (I really don’t like Dominican cakes, so I decided to splurge on something more familiar) in my olla de horno (oven pot) since I don’t have an oven - white cake with candy bits and vanilla frosting. Yummy. One of my Dominican friends had been fishing the day before and gifted me a huge tuna fish, which I talked him into cooking for me for my birthday dinner. He brought the fish and I brought the cake and bottle of wine (yes, I made an exception to my New Year’s Resolution) and we all had dinner at my friend’s outdoor restaurant. Since sharing food is such a big part of this culture, I had already cut the cake and given a fourth of it to my neighbors before dinner, but that didn’t stop everyone from singing “Happy Birthday” to me before digging into what was left of it.

We ate our cake and headed to the discoteca, where danced the night away – bachata and merengue mostly, but they also played “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy – one of the few American songs they have – in honor of this gringa’s birthday celebration. While we probably would have rolled our eyes at this song in other circumstances, Dilana and I were relieved for the chance to dance freestyle to music of our own language. We ate it up.

So between my day at the beach, a Betty Crocker cake, fresh tuna fish, our night at the discoteca, “It Wasn’t Me,” and the mere lack of gringo presence on my birthday, I like to call this year’s celebration "a very happy unbirthday" ... and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

New Year. New Pres. New Place. New Me.

2009-01-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

¡Feliz 2009 a Todos!

The first thing I did when I got back to the DR on January 1st, was go pick up my sweet little pup who was staying with my best friend Lenis. It was so great to see both of them and it felt pretty nice to be back “home.” Abbie Mae was super excited to see me, especially since I brought her some sweet gifts from Santa. She ran in circles around me and buried her long snout in my neck. Lenis was also very happy to see me. Although she didn’t put on the show that Abbie did, she asked me to spend the night with her, which I gladly did.

The next day she helped me pack up my old house and move into a new one. It’s just around the corner from her place, which is so nice. The neighbors are super friendly and helpful and so far, trustworthy. The area is quieter and in a better location (closer to the center of town and my favorite beach). My house is bigger, which both Abbie and I appreciate. It still only one room, but has a bigger kitchen counter that’s tiled and beautiful wooden cabinets. The house is brand new, so everything works well and it feels fresh and good. My spirit is definitely a lot happier there.

Right now, things are pretty slow here – that’s just the way it is through December and January in this country. There have been a lot of one-day holidays and traveling lately, so people aren’t quite back in the work groove, but I’m trying to stay busy. My daily schedule looks something like this:
6:00 – early morning walk with Jovanny (a new employee to the association) and Abbie Mae
8:00 – shower, tea and morning read
10:00-6:30 – go to the association, work, run errands, various activities
7:30 – Run in circles on the baseball field
8:30 – Shower and fix dinner, meetings
Then in the evening I read, visit friends, watch a movie or lately (and this has been so much fun) I've been going to the discoteca (club) and dancing the night away.

Things that make me happy these days are:
- Abbie Mae
- Good books (I’ve been reading more than I’ve ever read in my life; check out my goodreads.com page – www.goodreads.com/tarita)
- Dressing up to go out - “Pero tu estas linda.” (You look pretty), “Si, esta linda. Para mi, Tara esta enamorada porque siempre esta linda ahora.” (Yes she does look pretty. To me it seems like Tara is in love because she’s always pretty these days)… always nice to get a compliment.
- Perfecting my bachata skills
- My exercise routine
- The Genius feature on iTunes
- Exploring the aisles at the grocery store for new and different food options
- Making my new house more homey

- Inventing new meals
- The friendship and support I get from Dilana and Erica
- My dad’s visit in February
- Long phone calls from Mom
- The renewed love I feel for my brother and sister, after spending such quality time with them at home

At some point in early January, I made a list of my 10 New Year’s Resolutions, and for the first time in my life, I feel certain that I can accomplish all of them. Here’s a sampling:

- Be more dedicated to my projects
- Take better care of my body (exercise more, eat healthy) - isn't that everyone's?
- Stop drinking
- Stick to being a vegetarian
- Read more
- Be more careful with my heart
- Don’t compromise or do things I don’t want to do
- Have a better year than last year

I am excited about this year and what awaits me. I’ve been sticking to my goals and really trying to take care of my physical and mental health. I am convinced that if I can do that, everything else will fall into place. It sounds selfish, but I’m determined to focus more on myself this year instead of investing so much of myself in situations/people I can’t control – work, project partners, Peace Corps staff, gossip, other volunteers. It will be challenging, but I think it will be good for me.

2009 is going to bring a lot changes for me, for those back home and for the world. We have a new president, one that encourages us to put aside our differences and come together as a nation to rebuild our strength and reputation. I think his intentions are good and his character is strong (and I grow more convinced of this the further I get into his book Dreams from My Father, which I’m currently reading), and I expect great things from him. If you don’t agree with me, that's fine. You can at the very least be happy that we have a change in our government, which most would agree was needed after 8 years of a declining economy and destructive decisions. You can at least be hopeful that this change will bring us only good things. I’m sure it will.

So, I’m pumped about this new year, our new president, my new house, and a new me. I think I have a lot to look forward to with finishing my service and deciding on what to do with my life after Peace Corps – yes, I’ve thought about it; no, I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. The options are endless and I want to do them all. It’s okay though; I still have time.

I hope everyone back home is happy, healthy and safe. Special thoughts go out to those in Arkansas who are stuck in the ice storm right now and facing all the frustrations that it brings and especially to Emily Cole-Chu and her family as they deal with their loss. I love you all!

Here’s to a peaceful and better 2009!

2008, Goodbye and Good Riddance

2009-01-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell you how excited I am that 2008 is over.

It was a year full of ups and downs in work and personal life, more adversity than I have ever faced both physically and mentally, and probably the most personal growth I’ve ever seen (for more information, see blog post Happy Anniversary!). It was, overall, exhausting, leading me to end it not by ringing in the new year, like most people did, but by doing what one does best when exhausted – going to be early. Yes, I “slept” in the new year. But I think it was an appropriate farewell to 2008. “Goodbye year. I really don’t want to live more of you than I have to, so I’m going to go to bed instead of seeing you through.”

Alright, I don’t need to be so harsh on last year. Considering how much it taught me, it deserves a little more credit. But still, I am glad it’s over.

Fall 2008
Since I didn’t even give you all an update on the last three months of 2008, I’ll try to sum it up quickly. The end of September saw one of my biggest projects and greatest successes here so far. With the help of Reef Check (an international organization dedicated to protecting coral reefs all over the world), I held a two-day kids’ marine education camp called “Estrellas del Mar” (Translation: Stars of the Sea, aka “Starfish”). We educated local children from Villa Padre Nuestro and Bayahibe about protecting marine life and preserving the ocean and the environment in general. We played games, fished for plankton, tracked currents, watched a documentary on reefs, went snorkeling, painted a mural on the school wall and more. It was fun, but a lot of work. And due to the lack of disciplinary structure in classroom settings, the kids were at times a bit difficult. But the kids LOVED it. They still ask me when we’re going to do it again. “Un dia, si Dios quiere,” (One day, God-willing) I tell them. Sidenote: “Si Dios quiere” is the ultimate Dominican copout for “it ain’t happening, sister,” so when I hear that, I know there’s a pretty good chance that Fulano isn’t showing up to the meeting I’ve planned. I hope they get the hint.

After the camp, the next big project I worked on was an art exhibition in La Romana for all of the artisans in this zone. We invited local store owners and street vendors to the art fair, as a way of introducing them to the local artists and the products they’re making, in hopes that we’d make some connections for some steady market opportunities. I worked hard, hand delivering invitations to all local gift shops and trying to promote the fair. It went pretty well. There were a decent number of people that attended, but it wasn’t the turnout I had anticipated. Luckily we had help (read: transportation costs and rental costs for the fair) from the Secretary of Tourism, so it came at no cost to our artisans. Next time, though, I know to be more persistent with the invitees and perhaps enlist some help from locals, offer some free incentives, etc. It was a good lesson.

After that fair, I worked arduously to sell my artisan products wherever I went, including at the Peace Corps volunteer Thanksgiving celebration (several volunteers gave me a hard time for working during a holiday party… I was tempted to point out that I had just taken their money… who is the dumber one here? Besides my artisans were happy with the sales, which was more important to me than eating more turkey or drinking cervezas), a couple of fairs through the Embassy in Santo Domingo, the Peace Corps office, our one-year IST (in-service training), and finally… at home. I realize that this sort of activity isn’t exactly teaching sustainability – which, no doubt, is a Peace Corps goal – but I couldn’t really give up these opportunities to make money for my friends. And each time I brought money back for them, our weekly artisan meetings were somehow so much more enjoyable.

I think I should pause here to thank all of you back home who purchased artisan products from me over the holidays. We made a total of US$750 (WOW!), which goes a long way down here. Because it was at no cost to my artisans (I obviously didn’t charge them for my work), all of the money we made went directly to them. And… this is the part that makes me so proud… because it was so successful, they decided (on their own; this wasn’t even my idea) to each take percentage out of their earnings and open a small bank account for the Bayahibe Artisans Association, so that they will have funds for future projects they want to realize…. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all of your support. You made a small group of people here very happy. “So, Tara,” they asked me, as I divvied up the money, “when’s your next trip home?”

The Decision
It might be hard to believe after the recount of my latest successes that I spent from August to December trying to decide if I wanted to continue my service in the Peace Corps for another year, but, as I’ve alluded to occasionally, my experience here isn’t always a rosy one. Over the past year I experienced many challenges with my project partner. In October, the issues I had with the hotel association reached a culmination, making me feel discouraged and upset about the work and projects to which I’d been assigned. This is a pretty normal experience in a volunteer’s work, but I felt morally afflicted with some of the issues, making it even more difficult to continue working with them. That, coupled with a general frustration about my living situation and weariness of living in a different culture, speaking a different language, and all other hardships of living and working in a developing country, made me strongly consider calling it quits. But after thinking about it for a couple of months, I decided what I needed was a site change (meaning Peace Corps would move me within the country to a different place). The Peace Corps staff didn’t seem to think that was a good idea. Actually, they made it clear that they would rather me ET (Early Terminate aka “quit”) and go home than switch sites, which was a difficult realization I had to face. I took some more time to think about my options and I decided that I should try to change my attitude about the situation and just suck it up for the remaining 11 months. Besides, I decided I’d rather finish what I started than quit and regret it.

That period of time was one of the most challenging in my life – issues with my project partner, then with the Peace Corps Office staff, feeling unsupported, powerless, stuck and frustrated, wanting to work, volunteer my time and life, make a difference, but feeling like I didn’t have the support or resources to do what I know I’m best at… it was just a tough situation. I’m still amazed I stuck it out, but I’m glad I did.

December 2008
So, you know how when you want something so badly, you can almost will it into being with your constant thoughts of it? That’s exactly how I felt the first week and half of December in regards to my impending trip home. As soon as December 1st hit, my mind was on the plane back to the states. The first ten days of the month I just went through the motions, keeping myself occupied to make the time go by, with my mental and physical selves in different worlds. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to make the days pass, it felt like December 10th would never arrive. It was the longest 10 days of my life. Of course, when December 10th did finally arrive, my flight was delayed, making the trip home seem like an eternity, but at least I was finally going home. As my plane landed on the runway of JFK airport, I let out a silent squeal inside. I wanted to jump up and down and do a little dance, but it seemed inappropriate at 1:00am to exert so much energy after such a long day of travel. Besides, some of the other passengers were still asleep. My heart was pounding as I raced to meet my dad, who had driven all the way from Arkansas to pick me up (He came to help me move all my stuff, including my winter wear, out of storage in New York to Arkansas… yes, he’s a great dad). He was standing at arrivals, cute smile on his face, worn out from 2 days of driving in the rain, but so happy to see me. Tears filled my eyes as we embraced at baggage claim. Man, it felt good to be home.

December was, by far, the best month of 2008. Between my time in India (Feb.-June 2007) and my first year in the DR, it had been almost 2 full years since I had felt cold weather, seen/felt snow, worn my winter scarves and jackets, or curled up by a fire in flannel pjs. Obviously, with the exception of numerous long HOT showers (oh, how I miss hot showers), I was cold from the minute I stepped off the plane until I landed back in the DR. Even though I complained every now and then about being cold, it was so nice to feel the crispness of winter air on my face again, catch a whiff of burning wood, see my breath on the air, feel my toes go numb. I had forgotten how much I loved winter.

My vacation was spent listening to Christmas music, baking sugar cookies, sending out holiday cards, eating out, shopping for and wrapping presents, playing tennis with Dad and Lisa (as they can attest, I was bit rusty), catching up with old friends, attending holiday party after holiday party (including Lisa’s office party, at which they asked me to give a little impromptu speech about my work in the Peace Corps to a group of about 50 people whom I’d never met before… yikes! Good thing I had some wine in me.), eating all kinds of exciting food - sushi, Thai, pizza, tofu, Subway, Mexican, Starbucks southern home cooking, so much variety! (my stomach had a bit of a hard time adjusting, but she powered through it), getting lost in Wal-Mart (that place is bigger than I remembered), smoking hookah, playing games, but most of all, just having an amazing time hanging out with family. It’s never felt so good to be home. Between four different Christmases, at least four holiday parties, and visits to Little Rock and Harrison, I was pretty busy. And as if I wasn’t cramming enough in to 3 weeks, my mother surprised us with a trip to Las Vegas on the 26th!!! It was absolutely one of the best trips we’ve taken as a family. My sister, Allie, turned 21 on the 27th, so we celebrated by eating at an amazing restaurant called Tao and then getting VIP passes to the club in our hotel and dancing the night away, followed only by… gambling, of course. My brother won $765 in a poker tournament. Our friend, Carolyn, won $300 in craps. I wasn’t as successful, but I came out ahead. We walked the strip, went shopping downtown, saw a Cirque de Soliel show, ate at good restaurants, and just had a blast with each other. I’ve never felt closer to my family.

Home was so good. I needed the break. What surprised me though was how much my mentality about the way we live has changed. I guess I kind of experienced these feelings in my two previous trips home, but this trip in particular, perhaps because it was longer or maybe because it was in the middle of the biggest commercialized holiday we know, I really felt out of place. Even tucked in under my big feather comforter in a beautiful warm home with anything I could possible need just a Wal-Mart trip away, I wasn’t completely comfortable. Everything was just too easy. Life was too easy.

I’ve grown so accustomed to living with so little, to not having options, to barely getting by, and all the other everyday inconveniences that come with living in a developing country that the lifestyle with which I was all of a sudden faced didn’t seem like one I knew anymore. Furthermore, there was so much “stuff” – junk – everywhere I turned… and so many options (I’m still shocked that Doritos came out with a two-flavors-in-one bag of chips and Skittles now has chocolate flavors), that I just grew overwhelmed at times. All the things that we acquire and keep – the candle holders, picture frames, the books, mementos, clothes, souvenirs, office supplies and electronics…. There’s just too much of it. And it drove me crazy. I guess I just had a hard time facing the reality of what my life used to be, after having lived every day with people who could have really used the money spent on those unnecessary expenditures to get by in their everyday lives, to feed and cloth their kids, to pay their bills, etc. I spent so many years and money acquiring things and what good has it done me? I have 14 notebooks and 239 pens and 16 bags and 103 picture frames, 256 shirts… and my neighbor has to skip meals so her kids can eat. That just doesn’t work for me anymore.

This general discomfort drove me to start getting rid of things as soon as I could. Within the first two days of being home, I had cleaned out my entire room and part of the attic. A few trips to goodwill and several trash bags later, I felt a little bit better, but I know when I get back, I’ll be doing a reassessment.

So, December was wonderful. My vacation was about as good as it gets, and I came back to the DR renewed and refreshed. I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend that time at home. It was peaceful and fulfilling, just what I needed after a few months of turmoil. I miss my family dearly now and I am so looking forward to the next time I get to see them.

Robbed!... Again?!?

2008-09-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

This has got to be a joke. This is the fourth time (that I know of) since February that I’ve been robbed in this country, but this time, I don’t know when it happened or who it was.

I guess I’m just too trusting of people. I let them into my house, give them coffee and food, listen to them talk about the rain, the work, the lucha (struggle)… and I should have learned by now that leaving my wallet out is not a good idea. One of the problems is that I am not used to having to be so vigilant with my things especially with the people I trust. Every person that has been in my house the past 2 days (which is when the incident happened) has been someone who I trust and who I thought I had confianza with. I guess no matter what amount of trust I have with these people, in their eyes, I am still an American with money.

I have to find a good hiding place for my valuables, but it is sometimes tough in this one-room, tiny house. Many PCVs have a rule that people can’t come into their bedrooms and they just keep their valuables in there. Unfortunately, my bedroom is my living room which is my kitchen and my dining room… so it’s somewhat difficult for me to rope off a place (maybe a corner?) in the house from these people and someone with sticky fingers knows that and took full advantage of it by swiping my wallet.

Anyway, luckily we only have one week left of September, which means I’ve spent most of my monthly stipend. Unfortunately, the ladron took all the money I have left for the rest of the month. Gracias a Dios, I still have some pocket change which will buy me a few eggs and some bread.

The part that sucks the most about this is not the money (in fact, Peace Corps will probably help me out if I need it); it’s the feeling of being violated in my own house by someone that I know and trust. This happened to Rita (my good friend here from Spain) a couple of years ago. Someone broke into her house and stole all her valuables. It was someone who knew exactly where she hid everything (a friend who had to have visited her a few times) and since she never found out who it was, it’s someone who she still greets on the street and treats as a friend and probably has over to her house. Though on smaller scale, that is what’s going to happen for me. One of my “friends” will continue to be “friend” and might even be invited back over for coffee or a chat or one of my delicious meals (mac ‘n’ cheese, anyone?)… and I will just have to be creative about keeping my things away from those sticky fingers. Or maybe from now on I will just tell everyone that Peace Corps is tired of me getting robbed and told me that I can’t have people in my house anymore. Think they’ll buy it?

Bienvenida to your second year here, Tarita! It’s a great start. What would another year in the Peace Corps be without a little bit of drama anyway?

Cheers!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

2008-09-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today, September 13, is the one-year anniversary for the group of 50+ volunteers who arrived in country with me on this day last year. The intense range of emotions that I felt at that time still reverberate inside of me – from excitement for a new adventure to anxiety about what I’d encounter, from ecstasy that the day had finally come to sorrow from leaving friends and family. I worried about a hundred different things as our plane flew over the ocean to the island I would soon call my home: Did I bring the right clothes? Did I pack the right things? Will Dave be able to visit me soon? What if my host family doesn’t like me? Is it really 3 whole months of training? Why? Where will I be placed? What kind of project will I be assigned? Will I like the people I work with? Can Dave and I make it through this? Will Spanish come back to me after 2 years of not using it? Will they have tofu? Will I be able to go home for a visit? Am I really going to make a difference there?…etc. All of these questions ran through my mind repeatedly, but my main uncertainty was “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” followed closely by, “How am I going to make it the 2+ years that I signed up for?”

Actually, I sometimes still ask myself those last two questions, but after reflecting on a full year of living in one of the most beautiful countries and in some of the most difficult situations, those uncertainties have faded and are overshadowed by an overwhelming sense that this journey has been the most influential life experience that I’ve had so far in my 25 years on the earth and definitely well worth it. This experience has been significant not only in the skills I’ve gained from actually living and working in a developing country, which definitely poses challenges that I must deal with in my everyday life, but also in the way this experience, as a whole, has aided me in furthering my personal quest of personal growth, so that I will leave this world a better soul.

Okay, so just what has this crazy gringa learned in her first year (I can’t believe it’s already been a year!) of her Peace Corps adventure?!?

Well, I have obviously learned a great deal about the Dominican Republic – the people, the culture, the politics, the food… and I’ve grown to love it, in spite of the things that really bother me about the culture (machismo, for one, corruption for another). I’ve learned that I can make very good Dominican friends in spite of our cultural differences, but that I would probably not make a very good Dominican wife. I’ve learned that I love bachata, I need more salsa practice, and that merengue is kind of boring (unless your dance partner is a very good leader). I’ve learned that I love rice and beans, that I still don’t like meat (though I’ve learned to eat it), that I love viveres, that I cannot get enough of DR avocados, and that I actually can drink a whole cup of coffee, if it’s offered to me (ew!).

Although I do love it here, I have gained a newfound respect for where I’m from. I’ve come to realize how incredibly lucky I was to be born in the USA, to be raised with the experiences that I’ve had and to have the opportunity to do the work I’m doing today, which would not be possible without my parents, who have provided for me everything I’ve needed and more. My parents have given me love and support throughout the years and the many decisions I’ve made (whether or not they’ve agreed with them). They’ve let me have my freedom and choose my life path, which is not a characteristic common in many cultures, or even in all families in our country. For their incredible influence, I am grateful… and I realize that they would not have had the chance to raise me the way they did without the freedom that our government (as imperfect as I feel it is sometimes) gives us. We live in great country, and sometimes it just takes being away from it for a long period of time to realize it; that is certainly what has happened for me.

Anyway, apart from the love that I’ve gained for the DR and America, I’ve come to know and love myself more this year as well. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I definitely have felt a personal growth spurt this past year, in which I have learned more than I can describe (I couldn’t possibly put my lessons into a comprehensible summary; besides, my words wouldn’t do it justice) about myself and my personal relationships.

When you’re stuck in a situation where you are forced to be alone, which often happens in Peace Corps – and I’m not talking about physical isolation, where there is just simply no one around (I am surrounded by people almost every day); I’m talking about an loneliness which results from having no one around you that knows where you’ve come from, that knows anything about your culture (besides the latest Shakira songs), that understands your need for privacy or vegetarianism… that basically understands why you are who you are because of your shared cultural background… when you’re stuck in that type of situation, you are forced to make friends with the one person around that really understands you – YOU. And I think all volunteers have come to know themselves better through this experience, myself not excluded.

Part of this personal growth has come about because of the many life experiences I’ve been through this past year:

- Fighting dengue fever (and getting lost while trying to make my way, on legs that barely moved, from Moca to the Peace Corps medical office in Santo Domingo) after only 10 days of being in country; it was so tempting to pack up and go home. I learned pretty early on that this journey was going to require my “fighter” side.

- Getting mugged in the streets of Santo Domingo on my 25th birthday – another moment when I called mom to tell her I wanted to come home. Also another moment when my Darwin “survival of the fittest” instincts kicked in, which resulted in me chasing the guy in my jean skirt and cowboy boots through the dark alleys of Santo Domingo (perhaps not the smartest move); at least we can laugh about it now.

- Living without hot water, tile/wooden floors, paved streets, an oven, a microwave, a toaster, a TV, sometimes electricity, sometimes water, a washer and dryer (or at least a Laundromat), fast food (esp. Taco Bell and Subway), a feather mattress, a car, regular access to internet, a good cell phone plan… oh wait, an income… and realizing that those luxuries are just that – luxuries – and people do live without them all over the world, and so can I.

- Coping with loneliness, at which I’ve never been very good, but I must say I handle pretty well now, to the point where I actually kind of like it sometimes.

- Abbie Mae. Owning my first dog… … well the first one that is mine – not Brad’s or Allie’s or Mom’s. She has brought me so much joy and companionship every day, as well as a sense of responsibility that I’ve never had before. (Note to self: if dogs are this much work, wait to have kids.)

- Losing the biggest love of my life and having to learn to let it go – not an easy task at any age/place/time, and definitely not helped by my current situation. I still do find myself missing Dave some days, and I can’t decide if it was the magnitude of our love that has made the break so difficult or my circumstances that have not allowed me to let go as quickly as I would have liked to (it’s not exactly like I have a group of my closest girlfriends to go out with every night, which has always helped in the past with break-ups). At any rate, it was my biggest love, and the break-up has been one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever faced. However, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and the universe provides us with experiences like this to strengthen us. I know that this is the best possible situation for me at this time in my live and no matter what happens in the future, Dave and I share some amazing memories together and a truly special place in each others’ lives – and that cannot be taken away from me.

- Feeling the butterflies of “new love” again and being able to recognize them for what they are – just butterflies.

- My first meditation and exploring spirituality in new ways.

- Going through and overcoming a tough depression, which led me to meet the most amazing psychologist, who is partly (if not mostly) responsible for everything I’ve learned here.

- Practicing patience like I’ve never done before – in everything, from public transportation to projects for work.

- Learning how to say “no.”

- Visiting, listening to stories about, and watching my Aunt Pam, who is struggling with cancer, but, in spite of it all, has an incredibly upbeat attitude and pleasant demeanor, which I have faith will pull her through it.

- Having RD$500 stolen from me by my 10-year-old neighbor, teaching her better alternatives for earning money (baking brownies), and watching her react to her own mistake and learn from it with grace and humility. A big lesson learned for both of us.

- Finding happiness within myself, during the good times and the bad; I’ve come to realize that true and lasting happiness can only come from within – not from relationships with others, not from money, not from toys or possessions, or alcohol or drugs… people can be perfectly happy without any of those and that is one of my goals for my second year here – to learn how to obtain that lasting happiness which comes from within and cease from depending on outside factors for it.

- Working with an incredible group of volunteers who share my beliefs and passion for life and who inspire me every day to be a better person.

- Making the best friends I’ve ever had, who accept and love me for who I am, who are always on my side and don’t pass judgment for things I do or have done. I love my friends here and feel so lucky to have them in my life.

Well, those are just a sample of the experiences I’ve had so far in this Peace Corps adventure, which have forced me to feel, to laugh and cry, to love and hurt, to soar and crash, to live life fully and honestly and, most importantly, to grow into the person I’m becoming, into the person I will be years after this experience – an experience which will undoubtedly leave a deep mark on my soul and become engrained into my being forever…. and I am so happy for that.

It’s only been a year (we aren’t even halfway!), but I know I could leave now and come away with much more than I expected to get out of this two-year experience. I understand now why they tell us in training that often times a volunteer comes away from his experience feeling as though he gained so much more than he has given. I certainly feel that way. I only hope that in the next year I can influence these people and this country one tenth of the amount that they have influenced me. Wish me luck!

Peace and Love to all!

Recommended Readings:
Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2008-09-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

I have always loved rainstorms. I guess I still do under normal circumstances, but rainstorms in the DR have started to become a bit of a pain in the ass. First, there’s my house. Every time it rains, I end up with a nice little lake inside my house and a flowing river in front of my house, which runs past my house and fills my neighbor’s house with water as well. So I spend a good majority of the storm not enjoying it, as I would like to, but sweeping water under the door so that the “lake” doesn’t overtake my little casita. Furthermore, all of the moisture in the air from these storms has caused mold to grow in interesting places – the walls, the door, the windows… my purse?

(My town gets ready for Hurricane Ike by pulling the boats ashore.)

Then there’s my door. You see, it’s made of wood – the kind of wood that expands when it’s wet. So after each rainstorm, I can’t close my door, and when I finally do close it, I can’t open it (this has led to me having to sleep a couple of nights with my door slightly opened… might be a safety issue). I generally have to enlist help from one of my neighbors with a machete and a strong arm to help me open the door from the outside and then yell to someone walking by my house “AYUDAME… EMPUJE DURO!” (HELP… PUSH HARD!) to open the door from the inside. And when door no longer actually fits the frame and really doesn’t close, I have to call my landlord to come shave part of it off, which he does unenthusiastically with my kitchen knife.

And finally, there are the streets of my wonderful little pueblo… fabulously unpaved and thus incredibly muddy and sometimes completely flooded, they make for interesting walks whenever I need to go somewhere – the colmado, my friend’s house, a meeting. Quite a different experience from rainstorms in the US, where I’m generally safe in my car or in my house or at work without having to worry about sinking in the mud when I have to go from one place to the other.

We’ve had quite a few rainstorms lately, since we are in the middle of hurricane season. Hurricane Ike was the latest, which didn’t do as much damage as we thought it would. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my kids’ camp which was going to take place last weekend, with lots of fun activities, including a snorkeling adventure. Instead I was called in to the capital for consolidation, which lasted from Friday until Monday, and was, as it turns out, completely unnecessary for me. Apparently in Bayahibe, it was a beautiful, sunny weekend – perfect for a snorkeling trip.

And I was stuck in the capital, which usually isn’t a bad place to be for consolidation. Last year, when Olga came, we were consolidated in a nice hotel in the capital – Barcelo Lina, with hot water, a buffet, feather mattresses, AC, cable TV, a casino, etc. This time we were put up in the pension (where volunteers usually stay when we come to the capital because of its cheap rates), which is like a hostel, and possibly my least favorite place in the world… definitely in the country. The rooms are damp and uncomfortable, with as many as 10 people crowded into one room, each of us with our own twin-sized bed, terrible mattresses and pillows, cold water, mosquitoes and the rudest staff imaginable. (In fact, due to the rude staff, I’ve actually made it a point on several occasions to spend more money and stay at a hostel called Bella Epoca, which, although is more expensive and further from the Peace Corps office, is more pleasant because of the people who work there… just so you get an idea of how much I don’t like this place.)

But, in spite of the less-than-ideal living situation, we made the best of it. A few of my friends and I decided to welcome Hurricane Ike with a hurricane party, complete with hurricane drinks and a sancocho – a typical Dominican dish, which is basically a soup with every meat thinkable (which I happily left for my meat-eating friends) and every type of vivere (platanos, potatoes, yucca, etc) found in the DR. We mixed some hurricanes (151, Rum and chinola concentrate, blended with ice), devoured the sancocho and waited for the rain… and waited… and waited for the wind… and waited. Nothing. No rain. No wind. Nothing. So after we finished off the ingredients for the hurricanes, we left our dance party of American music mixed with bachata, salsa and reggaeton to go to a concert of a local Dominican band called Toque Profundo (Deep Touch). It was awesome – a great way to spend the evening, which I had originally thought would be spent staying in and watching a movie while it poured outside. It finally rained while we were at the concert but only for 2 minutes, which wasn’t enough to make us leave.

The downpour happened the next night, when a few of us went to a hookah bar – such a great find in this country. We actually got rained in at the restaurant; the cabs literally stopped running and the Santo Domingo streets flooded with water. So we ordered another bottle of wine and waited it out. When the rain finally stopped, we left the restaurant to find ourselves traipsing through knee-deep water back to my friend’s apartment. Quite an adventure.

So, after a trip to the capital, a hurricane party and a flood, Hurricane Ike is over for us, headed for the states, apparently, and I’m back in Bayahibe and back to work… at least until the next hurricane graces us with her presence.

Hope all is well on the home front. Miss you all!

*PEACE*

Below Pictures: Bayahibe bay before the storm and Bayahibe bay on a normal day (notice how calm the water is)

Below Left: Hookah Restaurant (my new favorite)

Below Right: Tuto and I pause from the hurricane dance party to take a picture

Home Again

2008-08-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

After my last trip home in May, I said I wouldn’t be coming back. It was just too difficult of an adjustment for me to go back and forth… I live in such a different world down there. I guess the universe/God/whatever higher power you believe in had other plans for me.

Not long after I wrote my last blog, I received terrible news. My dad’s sister, Aunt Pam, 52 years old, has been told that she has only a few weeks to live. She has cancer – originally of the gallbladder, now in the liver – and apparently there is nothing they can do to save her life.

My family is having a reunion this week for Pam. I hate to think of it as my last opportunity to see her, but that’s what it feels like to me. Romeo, the country director for Peace Corps in the DR, was such an angel when I called to ask for permission to go home on such sort notice. He told me to take as long as I needed and then comforted me with words of support and love. Each of my friends in my community also gave me words of encouragement and hugs as I said goodbye and embarked on my 9-day trip to the US.

I’m home now, spending time with Dad’s family and Aunt Pam, hurting, crying, laughing and loving, going on hikes, playing cards, watching the Olympics – just doing whatever to pass the time together. It has been a very difficult thing for me to process. Sometimes I just don’t know how handle the sadness that overcomes me when I think of her leaving us. I know my dad is hurting right now, and I’m trying to be there for him, although at times I feel so helpless, like nothing I say or do can make it better. But, I feel so lucky to have this time together, and so grateful that I can easily come home when I need to. I know how much it means to Aunt Pam that we’re all here with her.

(This picture is of my Aunt Pam behind her sister Mary. We hiked Mt. Pinnacle in Little Rock at Pam's request TWICE and she beat everyone up the mountain both times. She's amaing.)

I also will be visiting my mother this trip... a kind of regrouping time, which is much needed after such an emotional visit at my dad's. I'm looking forward to time alone at my mom's (which is sometimes difficult to find in my site, with neighbors and kids dropping by whenever they feel like it) and learning from this sad time about what life, especially in the face of death, means to me.

Please keep my aunt in your thoughts/prayers. And remember that life is so short (shorter for some of us than others); live it to its fullest, with no regrets. Drink that third margarita; eat some chocolate cake; be nice to strangers; dance, dance, dance; splurge on a sexy pair of heels; help someone in need; go on a spontaneous road trip; love like you will never get hurt; enjoy every minute you have. You just never know when it’s your last.

So Long, Summer!

2008-08-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Wow. I haven’t written since June 14th! Sorry to have left you hanging for so long. I guess I talk to most people who read this blog on a regular basis anyway, but for the rest of you, let me try to sum up what’s happened in this vida loca of mine.

What a summer. So much has happened; I don’t even know where to start. Summer, for me, means a time of personal growth. I don’t know if it has to do with my sign (Aquarius) or the way the earth is tilted during the summer months or what, but every summer I go through a personal growth spurt, and come fall, I emerge a changed person. And this summer is no exception.

Lately I have done a lot of self-discovery through yoga and meditation. In July, my friend Rita had her family visit from Spain. Her mother, an incredible yoga teacher, offered yoga classes to me in exchange for English classes for her son. So at nights, I would go to their hotel, give an English class to Rita’s brother, and then meet her mother for yoga on the balcony. She taught me new positions and techniques, which she has picked up over the years through practice in several different countries, including (one my favorite places in the world) India. I’ve always wanted to learn how to meditate, but never have been able to find a teacher or the time to do it, so I was excited when she told me she could teach me. My first meditation experience was one I’ll never forget. We sat there on the hotel room’s balcony in complete silence, while the noises from the pueblo below whirled around us. In the midst of bachata music, crying children, and motoconchos, we were able to find inner stillness and tranquility. What an incredible, nourishing experience. She has inspired me to return to India one day to practice in an ashram. (Just add that to the endless list of things I want to do before I die!)

Being balanced inside has also helped me in my work. We’ve accomplished a lot this summer (though, I feel like it’s still not enough). First, there’s La Ruta Cultural, La Punta – my main project. Mid-July a La Romana-based TV program called Punto Verde came to Bayahibe to film a segment on the Ruta, complete with an interview with Ileanys (the administrator), Giovania (a guide), and myself. We spent several hours filming and re-filming to make the coverage just right. Then a few days later, Ileanys and I went to the studio in La Romana for a live interview with the TV show. It was quite an experience! We had the lights and cameras on us; I had to speak in Spanish; we did a prep with the show’s hosts, etc. I really wasn’t prepared for such a formal affair, especially with my less-than-perfect Spanish (at least I can use that as an excuse for any mistakes I made on air!). But it went very well, and the entire pueblo of Bayahibe told us how wonderful we were the next day. Hopefully, even with my faulty Spanish and nervousness, the show will bring more people our special little town. Punto Verde said they were going to invite us back to the show, which would be great. Then I’ll have a second chance at making a fool of myself for Southeastern DR!

Apart from the Ruta, I’ve been busy with a couple of other projects. First, I still have my weekly kids’ club, which right now just serves as a time for us to play and get to know each other. In the future, though I hope to do a few projects with the kids and perhaps some English classes. I’ve just been too busy this summer to plan anything other than games and coloring, but that should change soon (I hope).

The biggest project I’ve completed was setting up an art fair at the casino. About 10 minutes from Bayahibe is an area called Dominicus, which houses 5 all-inclusive resorts, a small expat community (mostly Italians, some Spaniards and French), as well as several gift shops, restaurants and other tourist traps, such as Casino Dominicus (that’s right… if you come visit me, I’ll take you to a casino!). Less than two weeks before the art fair was to be held, my project partner (The Association of Hotels, La Romana-Bayahibe) handed me the job of coordinating the entire project – from setting up the physical fair (tables, panels for paintings to hang on, electricity, etc) to coordinating with 3 different communities of artisans (not always easy when some places do not get cell phone service!) to transportation of hotel guests, to the promotion of the fair (for which, of course, we had a very limited budget). The end result was not bad, but it definitely could have been better. I was actually hoping for more of a turnout, but with the limited budget, I’m afraid we didn’t reach all the people we would have liked to. At any rate, the fair looked nice, the artisans were happy to make a bit of extra money, and the clients seemed pleased with their purchases. Overall, a success, I think.

Through planning the art fair, I learned a lot about working with Dominicans - things that I knew or had been told, but hadn’t yet experienced, such as: If someone says it will be done in two days, plan on it taking at least a week; and sometimes it takes 10 phone calls to the same person before they’ll finally send you the information you need; and it is very important to be specific with all details when it comes to promotion…of course, that depends on the accuracy of and the unchanging relay of information from people running the event… Whew. Glad it’s over. I’m definitely more prepared to plan the next one, though, which might be held in Bayahibe instead of the Casino. We’ll see.

After the art fair (and basically two weeks of 12-hour work days), I needed a vacation. Luckily it came just in time for Erica’s birthday (Erica is one of my best friends here), which we celebrated in Santiago. A group of us got together for a weekend filled with drinking, dancing and shopping – just the kind of weekend I needed. I love hanging out with other volunteers, especially when I haven’t seen them in a while. And it had been a while – at least 2 months. The last time I had hung out with other PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) was the weekend of the Kevin Invitational and July 4th. A group of us (invited by my good friend Kevin, hence the “Kevin Invitational”) rented a guagua and a keg and drove a loooong drive (I can’t even remember how long it was… who was counting anyway. We had a keg to keep us busy) down to Bahia de las Aguilas in the southwestern part of the country, where we met up with other volunteers to celebrate the 4th of July on the beach. There were about 70 volunteers in all and we spent the entire day playing in the water, napping on the sand, slip-n-sliding (okay, only the brave ones did this… and they have battle wounds to show for it), snorkeling, hammock-ing, etc. It was a great way for us to get together and celebrate Independence Day… even without the traditional fireworks show.

So, we have meditation, TV, kids’ club, art fair, partying with volunteers… que mas? Oh, I’m working with an organization called Reef Check to plan a kids’ camp for the beginning of September. We’ll be giving educational talks and doing activities related to the conservation of coral reefs, marine life, etc, followed by a day of snorkeling in Bayahibe. It should be a great couple of days and I’m hoping the kids will take away something useful from the camp about conserving the beauty of the ocean that is their backyard. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

I’m feeling good about where I am and what I’m doing. There are definitely hard days and I have certainly contemplated going home (mostly because of the Dave thing), but I’m determined to stick it out through the good and the bad. I’ve already learned so much about myself, and I’m very excited to see what in store for me for the rest of the ride. As of August 13, we’ve been in country 11 months! At the one-month mark, we’ll have a celebration, and I know it will be downhill from there. My next trip home will either be in November for Claire Bennett’s wedding or December for Christmas! Hopefully I’ll see some of you then.

I’ll be in touch before then… Sending each of you thoughts of love and peace,
Tara

Favorite Fotos

2008-06-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite shots of my community...

Overdue Update

2008-06-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

So it’s been quite a while since I last wrote, and, as you can imagine, a lot has happened.

First let me just add something to my last story about my little vecina who stole RD$500 from me. The next day, when I saw her, I checked her hands to make sure they hadn’t been burnt. Gracias a Dios, they hadn’t. She then apologized to me profusely again. I gave her a hug and said, “It’s okay. We all make mistakes and you corrected yours. You did the right thing.” Then I told her that I understood why she took the money, that everyone needs money, but that there are better ways to make money besides stealing. I suggested that we think of alternatives for making money. We came up with a few ways and decided to start by baking and selling brownies. We spent the morning baking brownies and then sold them all within an hour. She made RD$150 (about US$5) and was so excited to have her own spending money, which she used to buy her family food. We sold brownies a few more times and made our own sign for our negocio (Dulces de Doris – Sweets by Doris). Now we’re working on other projects such as making and selling jewelry and a local cleaning supply called Mistolin. Her sister and her mom are both taking an interest as well. They all seem pleased with her progress and I think they’ve all learned through it. I’ve also learned through this experience, including the process of selling things on the Dominican market, which is not always easy. In the end, what could have been very messy situation has turned into a very positive experience for all those involved.

Anyway, a part of working with my little girl, I’ve been very busy with my project. Every day I go to Lenis’ house to work on various projects with the artisans and our tourist route. Unfortunately, we keep running into financial roadblocks, so I think I will be looking for grant options soon. Because this is the low season for tourism, and there aren’t enough funds coming in to cover the salaries, we had to stop the tourist route and its workers, which was not an easy thing to do. But now we have time to work on training the guides, marketing our project to the local all-inclusive resorts, and just making the ruta better all around.

My mom's visit was awesome. She fell in love with Bayahibe and the people here, particulary Lenis (my best friend here and project partner). She helped me fix up my house by painting the things my dad built and buying some accessories. We went to the beach one day and had a grill out. Rita and Martires grilled fresh fish and we ate them off of big leaves. It was so nice to have her here, and I immediately missed her when she left.

I went home in May and it was so wonderful to see my family and to be around high school friends again. My childhood friend, Emily Sprott, got married and I was an honorary bridesmaid in her wedding. We had so much fun. I spent a lot of time with my mom and my little sis, which was very refreshing. We smoked hookah and listened to good music and just relaxed. I also got to see aunts and cousins that I haven't seen in a while. My dad was working most of the week, but he came up for a few hours one day to see me, take me to Starbucks, and buy me a new computer (I know, I'm spoiled) which has made my work here so much easier. It was hard being home though, because it’s such a different lifestyle than what I’m experiencing here, and the whole time my mind was in Bayahibe. Coming back to the country was also difficult, but as soon as my taxi driver pulled over on our way from the airport and bought me a Bohemia (local beer), I started to feel better. Dominicans are great like that.

I absolutely love Bayahibe and the people here. There’s actually nowhere in the world I’d rather be right now. I have a great support network and some fabulous friends, which has been very important in helping me get over my breakup with Dave (yes, we broke up). I generally don’t want to leave my site (even to come to meetings in the capital) and when I’m away from it, I’m itching to get back. The other day I went fishing with one of my Spanish friends. He has his own snorkeling gear and a harpoon, and we snorkeled around Bayahibe and fished. Later he cooked the fish in amazing seasoning and made a delicious apple crisp for desert (probably the best meal I’ve had here!), which we shared with our mutual friends. It was one of the best days I’ve had in country.

Another one of my favorite days I’ve had here was the Universal Environment Day. I helped a local marine biologist organize a clean-up day for Bayahibe, which was a huge success. We worked with local organizations, which gathered 450 volunteers to help pick up trash from La Romana to Dominicus. I was in charge of a group of about 10 Dominicans, who were assigned to a specific area of Bayahibe. We spent the day picking up trash, getting sunburned and jumping in the manantiales (natural pools). Then we had a big celebration at the airport with the other volunteers from the la Romana-Bayahibe area. It was awesome to see everyone get so excited about picking up trash and even more rewarding to see the results of their efforts.

Anyway, I think I’ve written enough for one blog. The only other update is that Abbie Mae is wonderful. She’s such a little love and makes me smile every day. She’s getting very independent now and thinks she can come and go as she pleases. I’m trying to teach her differently, but I'm kind of a pushover when it comes to her.

I miss everyone at home. Send me your updates when you can!

One Beautiful Mess

2008-04-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

I am finally feeling like this place is my home. Today I spent almost the entire day with my 10 year old neighbor – one of my best friends here. She’s so sweet. She always helps me clean and cook. She taught me how to cook rice correctly (since the last time I burnt it and thus am not prepared for marriage) and then we shared the arroz y habichuelas while listening to some 80’s music. Afterwards, I did some work while she played with Abbie. She loves to say “sit” and “shake” and watch Abbie obey. She likes to help me rearrange my stuff, loves helping me clean my house, and just likes my company in general, I think.

Anyway, at the end of the day, I was getting ready to leave for my English class that I give on Saturday nights, and I went to my dresser drawer to take out some money to buy a drink on the way there. My 500 pesos (which I had seen earlier in the day) was gone! Now there was only one person (other than me) in my house today so there was no doubt in my mind who had taken it… my sweet little vecina friend. I was so disturbed. Here I had invited this girl in my house (this wasn’t the first time either; this was probably the 20th time), fed her my food, shared with her my things, let her use my toiletries and paint her nails with my nail polish, fixed her a hair band to match my own, etc… and she had stolen from me! I was just so saddened by the thought of it. If I can’t trust one of my best friends here, who can I trust? And I was also upset because I knew this meant I would be at odds with one of my neighbors – someone who I like to have over and spend time with and that I wouldn’t be able to have her over ever again. It was just distressing.

I saw her mother on my way to class and told her about the 500 pesos I was missing. When I got to English class I was so disturbed that I didn’t feel like giving the lesson. I told the students (all single women who I consider my good friends) what happened, and we decided it was best to get it settled right away instead of waiting until after class. One of the women went with me to my house to sort things out. The father of the girl was outside of my house when we arrived and my friend asked if we could talk to his daughter. I had a feeling that we were going to have an argument with the mother and daughter and that it wasn’t going to get sorted out. When I heard this little girl coming up the path, I started to get nervous. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say or how to approach the subject. I was anxious to see the look on her face to see if I could read her and get a feel for the situation. As I was anticipating the worse, the sweetest little face, wet with tears, appeared on my doorstep with 500 pesos in her hands. She was so upset. I gave her a hug, as my friend praised her for doing the right thing and returning the money. The little girl shook as she tried to explain through her tears that she was scared that her mom was going to burn her hands. Yes, burn her hands! Her mother had threatened to put her hands on fire. I couldn´t believe it. I felt even worse. Can you imagine?

My friend, also a mother of 3, then went to speak to this girl’s mother to convince her not to punish her daughter physically, that already she had learned her lesson and that she felt bad enough about what she had done, that we’re all humans and we make errors, but at least the daughter was raised well enough to know that when she makes an error, she has to fix it. It was such a beautiful moment for me to hear my friend work her magic with her words and convince the very upset mother not to physically harm her daughter. She said, “Listen. I am a mother, too. We can’t mistreat our children. We have to teach them but not through hurting them. They need our love. Please promise me you won´t hurt her.” After about 10 minutes of pleading, the mother finally agreed to not burn her daughter´s hands. My friend looked at me, as she hugged the mother and daughter together and said, ¨These are my people, Tara. These are my people.¨ What I thought would be a terrible mess turned out to be a very touching moment. I will never forget it.

Muchos Visitantes!

2008-04-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

Wow. A lot has happened since I last wrote. My dad and Lisa came for 5 days. It was so great to have them here. We basically spent the whole time fixing up my house. My dad built shelves for my books, my kitchen, and my bathroom and a table for my stove. He also bought me a plastic table (for eating… finally, I don’t have to eat on my floor!) and a set of drawers, so I don’t have to dig through my suitcase anymore. It made such a difference for my little house! It was so nice to have them here and to show them what my life is like here. I made them guacamole and grilled cheese and they took me out to nice dinners. We went to Isla Saona – the island just south of us – with Sirilo and spent the day at the beach. We had delicious breakfasts at their hotel, I got to take hot showers and sleep in a big comfy bed. It was just a nice break from my real life. Needless to say, I was sad to see them go. But…

Only a couple of weeks later, Dave came for his Spring Break, which was so much fun. We met up with his cousin, aunt and uncle at Casa de Campo for lunch (they came in on a cruise the same day he got here). We went for runs, went snorkeling, watched a lot of Scrubs, cooked yummy meals, etc. I feel so lucky that he’s in my life and miss him a lot.

And as if I’m not already the luckiest Peace Corps Volunteer to have already had all these visitors, my mom is coming in just a week! I cannot wait!

Anyway, so apart from visitors, which have kept me pretty busy, things with my project have really been picking up. My project partner, The Association of Hotels for La Romana and Bayahibe, just had a management switch. Now the executive director of the association is an American – an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer! She’s back and forth right now between Texas and the DR, so things have been a bit hectic, but having her around makes such a big difference. We have so many plans for Bayahibe; I’m positive that when I leave here in two years it’s going to be a completely different place.

I’ve started giving English classes on Saturdays and Sundays to a group of adults – 5 women and 2 men. Sometimes we have a couple of kids join us too. Most of them already speak some English, but very basic things, and with thick accents. It’s fun to teach English, and they’re so eager to learn. This week I had them watch an episode of Sex and the City for listening practice, which was a fun activity for all of us, as most of you know that I live for that show.

I hope everyone had a good Easter. I went to church with my host dad. It was a pretty interesting experience – very different from what I’m used to on Easter Sunday. Since my host dad is very involved in the church, he had to go early, so I came after him and I was a little bit late to service. I got there and found him in the pew that was 3 rows from the front, so I marched up the asile and sat down next to him, happy to have a friend to sit with. About mid-way through the service, I realized that we were in an Evangelical church and that means the women wear skirts and no jewelry. Well, I had on jeans and lots of jewelry – that’s how I attended church in Moca (during training), so I figured I could dress the same. Well, as if that wasn’t bad enough…. A little bit later, I was noticing that there were a lot of single men, which I thought was interesting because from my experience here, women are more likely to go to church than men. Then I realized that they weren’t single men, that they’re wives and families were on the other side of the church. I had sat down on the men’s side!!! So here I was, the only woman on the right side of the church in my jeans and jewelry. I felt like such a fool. But then again, I am a “gringa,” and as such, I can get away with a lot of things that Dominicans can’t. I’m sure they understood.

Abbie is doing well. She’s growing so much. Last week we went to visit Rachel, who lives near this amazing place called Rancho Campeche – a kind of ecological resort in the woods, where they hold the annual Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our Word). Rachel has a puppy too – Abbie’s sister, Whiley – so we were anxious to get them together. When we got there, Whiley was so excited to see Abbie, but Abbie, being the little baby that she is, was not so happy. Since she was taken from her mom, she hasn’t been around other dogs much, and all of a sudden she was around this hyper little puppy and these big dogs that live at Rancho Campeche. She keep running and hiding from them and crying when they tried to play. It was such a funny sight. By the end of our two days there, she was a little bit more like a dog, but she’s still timid around others of her kind. I think taking her away from her mom at such a young age has given her a bit of an identity crisis – sometimes she acts more human than dog.

Anyway, that’s what’s been going on in my life lately. I will try to write more often to keep you all updated.

Hope all is well back home. Give the states a kiss for me!

5 months down, 21 to go!

2008-02-19T07:50:00.001-08:00

February 13th was our 5 month anniversary in the country! It's gone by surprisingly quickly, but feels so slow. I still have 21 months to go - seems like forever.

We had our 3 month IST (in-service training) this past week, which is where we get together in our sector groups and each volunteer gives a presentation on his/her community (the first 3 months in our sites, our assignment was to do diagnostics on our communites). Then we had a planning day with our project partners to come up with a work plan for the next year. After that our project partners left and the volunteers went through a couple of days of training - things like how to create a webpage, how to teach English, how to write a grant, etc. Finally, we did "group bonding," which, lucky for us, was an excursion into the town of La Vega for Carnaval (DR equivalent to Mardi Gras, without boob-flashing), which was quite a time. Dominicans dress up in crazy costumes and dance through the streets, swinging pig bladders filled with sand (or something hard), which they swing at people's butts. It actually really hurts to get hit with one. A few girls came away with huge bruises on their butts. Luckily, I didn't get hit too hard.

Anyway, now it's back to my site and my new house. It was nice to be reunited with all of the volunteers from CBT, but I'm ready to get started on my work plan for my community. I've been out of my site for a week now and I'm itching to get back.

Abbie Mae is good. She's gets more and more energic every day. Her personality is really starting to form, and I can tell she's going to be a bit stubborn. We'll be a good match.

My dad and his girlfriend (Lisa) are coming on Friday, and I'm super excited to see them.

For some pictures from the past couple of months, click here.

Sending my love to everyone back home...

Puppy Love!

2008-02-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

I GOT A PUPPY!

Abbie Mae joined my little Dominican family (and if by “family” I mean… just me and her) on February 12.

One of the Peace Corps doctor’s neighbor’s dogs had puppies. The owner said she was going to throw all the female dogs out on the street (they don’t have money to feed them or get them spayed and they don’t want more puppies, so the females are generally left to fend for themselves), so the doctor decided to bring them into the office and see if any volunteers would take them, and that’s how I met Abbie Mae.

She’s the cutest thing in the world. She’s only a month old, and though she’s a mutt, she looks like a little black lab. She’s still too young to eat food, so she only drinks milk. She hasn’t quite figured out how to walk steadily – She prances with her front paws like a show pony and with her back paws, she walks bow-legged and sticks out her but like she’s going to pooh – but she walks around like she’s a princess. She’s wobbles a lot and falls over and spazzes out and jumps at any sudden movement and is just so fun to watch. She makes everyone fall in love with her.

The day that I got her she had just been de-wormed, so she was sick and lethargic and unenergetic. I was trying to think of a name for her, and it came to me as I watched her sleep (as she had been doing all day), while her sister wrestled and chewed things up. She didn’t seem to have much personality at that point (she’s definitely proved me wrong since then). So I said to her, “You’re so aburrida.” (aburrida is “boring” in Spanish) and “aburrida” became “Abbie,” which I think fits her pretty perfectly. Abbie Mae.

Even though she wakes me every couple of hours at night (I feel like I have an infant… definitely not doing that any time soon), she’s just what I needed and I couldn’t be happier. She is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Here's a video of her:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-acu_2UUq0o

So happy! =)

We're NOT in (Ar)Kansas anymore, Toto.

2008-02-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

Right now I’m sitting under my mosquitero (mosquito net), which I haven’t used in a while since I lived in a hotel, listening to the Evangelical Church service going on just a few yards away from my house. These Dominicans are very loud and passionate about their Jesus and I get to hear it every few nights (I haven’t quite figured out the church service schedule yet, but I’m sure I’ll get to know it very well after living in this house) Anyway, I’m listening to them over my Ted Leo music, as well as the sounds of my new neighborhood settling in for the night. I’ve only stayed here one night, but it’s pretty calm from what I can tell. I’m incredibly close to my neighbors (I can hear when someone takes a shower), which I think is good for security purposes, but obviously not great for privacy. It’s okay though because “sin vergüenza” (without shame) is how we Dominicans live our lives.

My house is very cute and Dominican. It’s only one room like my studio apartment in New York, but 1/10 the size. Right now all I have is a bed (box spring and mattress), a mini-fridge and a table top stove (it’s just 4 burners). My friend and the owner of my house, Sirilo, lent me a table so that I have somewhere to put my stove. My clothes are in my suitcase. I have no table for eating and no chairs for sitting. I’ll get paid again the first of March, when I’ll go straight to the store to purchase some sillas so I don’t have to offer my neighbors buckets to sit on when they come to visit.

Anyway, today felt very Peace Corps to me. I woke up in my new house after spending my first night here to one of my guías (a guide for the project I’m working on) knocking on my door. She wanted me to go to La Romana with her to look for a place that does ID cards (the guías want them for their job). I got ready quickly, went to the colmado and purchased some pan y guineos (bread and banana) for breakfast and then caught the next guagua to La Romana. When my guía and I reached the store, no one was there, which was disappointing, but almost expected since it was Sunday. So she went to class and I went to Jumbo (the supermarket – it’s the DR’s version of Wal-Mart) to purchase some things for my new house. Since I’m on a tight budget, I had to forgo things like a trashcan (I’ll just use plastic bags for the time being), a measuring cup, the cute plates and bowls, etc.

I returned to Bayahibe with all my purchases but not before visiting the fruit stand guy and buying a Styrofoam box of pina (pineapple) guineo (banana) and melon, which was delicious. When I got a home, I took a long nap (it’s customary in this country to rest after lunch, so I didn’t feel bad for spending my afternoon this way) and was woken up to a donkey he-hawing outside of my window. What a strange noise. I then started cleaning my little casita. After about 5 minutes of cleaning, my neighbors - 11 and 13 year old girls - were at my door asking if they could help. They were so cute. They washed my dishes (by the way, my “kitchen” sink isn’t yet finished. It doesn’t have tubing, so it drains into a plastic bucket under the counter top and I have to empty it every so often), mopped my floor, etc. As a “thank you” I cooked them grilled cheese sandwiches with peanut butter on bread as a desert (which they loved) and played Scrubs for them in Spanish, which I don’t think they really understood, but it was still fun.

In the middle of our peanut butter and bread deserts, Sirilo came over and I put on some bachata, which they loved. It was cute – a good bonding experience for my first full day in my new home. All in all a pretty Dominican day, which definitely made me think about how different my life is here, with my little 4 burner table-top stove, my bachata, and my cute Dominican neighbors cleaning my house. I can't wait for some of you to come and experience it with me!

My Bratty Two Cents

2008-02-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

You may disagree with me, but I don’t think a person can be too bratty about his/her house. It makes perfect sense that when it comes to where you’re going to live, you have to be picky and do things your way, because you’re the one who’s going to have to come home to it every day and mellow out in it every evening.

Well, I’m being a brat about my new house.

So as you know, I’m staying in this hotel/apartment/condo. It’s really nice. It has hot running water, cable TV, a little stove, living room, bedroom, etc. It’s really just as nice as my place in New York. (Not very Peace Corps like, huh?) Most Peace Corps volunteers stay with their host families for the first 3 months in their sites, but because I’m staying in a hotel, I had a deadline to move out by January 25 (which I found out about on January 10). Housing is really hard to find in Bayahibe and VERY expensive (compared to the rest of the country), because it’s a tourist town. So after 3 or 4 houses that fell through for one reason or another, I finally found my house 2 days before my “deadline.” It was basically a pile of rocks with walls at that point. The owner, Sirilo, one of the nicest men I’ve met here, said they could finish it in 2 days (of course that’s 2 days Dominican-time, so basically 2 weeks American time). So since the house wasn’t yet finished, I’ve had my say throughout the building process and I’ve definitely felt like a brat at times. My perfectionist demands of “Put the ‘kitchen’ there,” (I say “kitchen because it’s really just a tiny cement counter with a sink.) “No, put the ‘kitchen’ here,” (I’ve never been good at decisions) “Move the toilet 2 inches mas por aca,” “I want blinds instead of doors on my windows,” etc have only been met with utmost respect and patience by him and his workers. However, when it came down to one of the most important aspects of the house – the paint – I was not around to put in my bratty two cents, and now I’m facing the consequences.

Sirilo’s sister was in charge of painting the house. I made it clear what colors I wanted the house to be – light green on the inside and bright blue on the outside (side note: in the US, I would never have a bright blue house, but this is the DR and I feel compelled to). Well, two days ago, I went to their house to let her know that I have to move out by Saturday and we had two days to paint the inside of the house because I didn’t want to spend the night inhaling paint fumes. She asked for the first month’s rent (this is after I had already given them 3 month’s worth) so that she could paint it before I moved. I told her I would get the money later that day (as I have to take a 30 minute bus ride into La Romana to withdraw cash) and she said that was okay and we’d all go pick out the paint together. Well, you can imagine my surprise when I went to the house about 4 hours later that day and the inside was almost completely painted a BRIGHT LIME GREEN! I hadn’t even given her the money yet to buy the paint and here I was standing in a lime skittle (I could almost taste the sourness). It was upsetting, but it didn’t seem right to make a big deal out of it, because the job was almost done and she’d clearly been working all afternoon. Plus she was so sweet about it. I couldn’t bring myself to be that big of a brat. “Besides,” I thought, “at least the outside will be a pretty blue.”

THEN, as if living in a skittle isn’t hard enough (I keep thinking to myself, “How the hell will I ever be able to spend more than an hour in this color?”), it got worse. Yesterday I spent the entire day in La Romana with Sirilo shopping for my furniture (I decided to take a Dominican man along to avoid the “gringa” prices that I was sure to get charged without him.). It was a very stressful day, partly because after we got there at 10:00am, we had to wait until 4:00pm for the cash advancement from the Peace Corps to reach my account, and partly because shopping for furniture is just stressful (it is in America, let alone a developing country where hardly anyone speaks English and waiting for a hour for the moving truck to arrive is a prerequisite for any big purchases). So, after spending my entire settling-in allowance (Peace Corps gives each volunteer RD $12,000, which is the equivalent of $400, to by a bed, a stove, a fridge, a table, chairs, and ALL other household essentials like forks and plates, pots and pans, a bookshelf if you have books, etc) on a bed, little stove, and mini-fridge (guess I’ll just eat off the floor with my hands for the time being), we headed back to Bayahibe. We unloaded my stuff in the hotel and then went straight to the house, which was supposed to be finally finished (all we lacked was the door, one window and the paint). Oh it was finished all right… in a ridiculous PEACH color. (Peach, by the way, is one of my least favorite colors of all time.). Where she came up with this peach color I have no idea, but again, I had to bite my tongue, because the job was done and she had worked so hard on it.

So I have a coral/peach house with a green skittle interior and I’m just not sure how much longer I’m going to keep my mouth shut about it, because frankly, it is not okay. I cannot live in a house with those colors – do peach and lime green even go together… ever? I couldn’t sleep last night because of the house. I’m depressed that I’m going to move into my skittle/peach house today and that I won’t have shelf for my books or a closet for my clothes or a place to put my stove (it’s a table stove, so I guess that would require a table, wouldn’t it? Peace Corps didn’t really think this money thing through very well… since when is $400 enough to furnish a house?). And on top of all of this moving and stressing about eating off the floor (which, I don’t know why I’m worried about it, I did it in India and I survived), I’m supposed to somehow come up with a presentation on my community diagnostic, which I’m supposed to give on Wednesday at our 3 month IST (In-Service Training) meeting in front my boss, etc. Man, that Steve & Barry’s corporate job and my posh NY apartment are sounding pretty damn good right about now.

This whole experience is making me feel spoiled and ridiculous. After all, at least I have a house, right? I’m doing better than many people in this country. I think the situation is just exacerbated by the fact that I'm already living in a stressful situation. I guess I just wanted the color of my house to be aesthetically pleasing, since living in the house is going to be physically uncomfortable in so many ways.

Anyway, I’m going to get over it and embrace the peach/skittle that I’ll be living in for the next two years – or until I get permission to repaint it. I know I'll be fine once I move in.

PS – I really wish I could post a picture to accompany this blog, so you can see , but of course, my camera is probably being sold on the black market somewhere right now.

Mugged on My Birthday!

2008-02-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

I decided to start a blog, so that all of my adventures can be documented in one place and seen by whoever wants to read them. I've posted the three email updates I've sent so far to friends and family, but from here on, I'll update everyone via this blog.

Since this is the first time I've ever done this, I wasn’t sure what to write, but I guess I'll start with my latest Peace Corps adventure: My Birthday!

It just so happened that my birthday fell on the same weekend as committee weekend (a weekend where lots of volunteers unite in the capital to talk about committee business) so I came to the capital on Friday (my birthday) along with lots of other volunteers.

I had a fabulous Mexican dinner with about 20 other volunteers (who claimed they came for my birthday celebration, but I know most of them were there for the 2 for 1 margarita special). We went to Tequila John's and had chips, salsa, fajitas, and of course, margaritas. It was delicious – a great change from the yucca dinners I've been getting every night at my dona's house in Bayahibe.

So after dinner, we all went out in the Colonial Zone and met up with some of the older volunteers. We went to a couple of bars, hung out at a colmado, danced the night away. Then as we were going to get a cab, my friend Rachel and I ended up walking a few blocks ahead of the rest of the group (stupidly), and a man with a knife (or was it a gun? it might have been both... it happened so quick I don't even know) came up and asked us for our purses. When it became clear that I wasn't going to give up my stuff very easily, he cut the straps off my bag and ran with it. And that's how I started my 25th year on this earth!

Rachel didn't get her things taken, but I lost my credit cards, RD$1500 (about $45), a flashdrive, and worst of all, my camera – a 3 year anniversary from Dave. Sad day. Luckily everything's replaceable.

It's been a somewhat tough situation to process. The memory of the incident keeps replaying in my mind, and I can’t help but feel angry with myself. I also just feel really sad for the man who robbed me. It’s hard for me to grapple with the drastic economic contrasts in this country. I’m bothered by the fact that there are people in this country (and world) who feel like they have to resort to crime because of economic situations, while there are so many wealthy people in the same country/world (like all of the celebrities who have mansions in expensive resort areas like Casa de Campo) who could do so much to help them.

Anyway, needless to say, this past weekend has been an emotional roller coaster and educational experience – one that I won’t forget. Tomorrow I’m heading back to "real life" in my site, so the luxuries of the capital - free internet (which we get at the Peace Corps Office in Santo Domingo), a variety of food options (ie sushi) and hanging out with people like me - will no longer be mine.

I hope all is well wherever you are!

Please send some happy thoughts my way.

Email Update #3

2007-11-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

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

Email Update #2

2007-10-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

Peace Corps Adventure: Mid-training

Saludos a Todos!

I know it's been a while since I last wrote, but access to the internet is very limited. As you can imagine, a lot has happened. I'll try to sum it up in this email, but I doubt I can completely convey how amazing this experience has been so far (and it's only just begun!). Here it goes (starting off with the not-so-amazing part):

After 12 days of being in the country, I came down with Dengue Fever (a virus transmitted by mosquitoes), also known as "Breakbone Fever" because it feels like your bones are breaking every time you move. I got a mild strand of it, which entailed pain behind my eyes every time I moved them, headache, extreme pain in my legs to the point that I had difficulty walking, fever, sweats, etc. Luckily, it did not put me in the hospital like many of the other strands do, but it did cause me to miss a bit of training. Dengue Fever is very common in the DR, and at least 1/3 of volunteers got it last year. They say it's a rite of passage for every volunteer, but I think I set the record for the least number of days in country before getting it!

After 3 weeks in Santo Domingo, our training group split up into our specific sectors – Youth, Health, Water Sanitation and Community Economic Development (CED) – and moved to different communities throughout the country for Community Based Training (CBT), which will last 5 weeks. The 17 CED volunteers are now living in various barrios in Juan Lopez, Moca, which is about 2 and half hours northwest of the capital. The drive to Moca from the capital is absolutely gorgeous; it's lined beautiful mountain ranges on either side, and dotted with palm trees and quaint villages. Juan Lopez, located about 5-10 minutes away from the city of Moca, is situated in the Cibao valley (the breadbasket of the Dominican Republic). Our neighborhood (Los Camacho), which is nestled in the foothills of a mountain range (great for hill workouts!), is what we call "the campo" – a tiny, rural, farming community. Although the amenities are similar to those in the capital, we don't have easy access to transportation, and thus are rarely able to venture out to take advantage of what Moca has to offer (which is much more than the 4 colmados in Los Camacho). The neighborhood, like mine in Santo Domingo, is comprised of only dirt roads; I take a bucket bath every day, and the electricity is off more often than it is on. The community is basically one big family – The Camacho Family– who lives and earns money off the land and animals. Most families here (including mine) raise chicken and pigs. I'm sure you can imagine what that does for the smell of this little campo, but I love it anyway.

My host family is awesome. They're incredibly welcoming and loving – like most Dominicans - and patient when I don't understand what they're saying. I live with Grandma Camacho, who is 80-something, has produced 14 children in her lifetime (many of whom live in this neighborhood), and listens to the radio station every night at 7:00 to recite the Catholic rosary. She lives with her daughter, Milagro (my host mom), who is 65, Milagro's husband, and their daughter-in-law and granddaughter (their son is currently working in Haiti). My host mom is wonderful. She cooks amazing food and is incredibly caring (she even heats up my cold bucket baths with a tin can of boiled water!). Our house is cozy; I basically share a room with Grandma (there's a curtain between us), which has redefined my concept of personal space, but I really don't mind. We have an incredible assortment of fruit and vegetable trees in our yard– mango, avocado, guava, yucca, orange, platanos, patatas, bananas, etc. I get fresh guayaba juice and ripe avocados every single day – it's heaven! We have pigs squealing in the back, chickens roaming the yard, a dog named "Jonti" and a one-eyed cat who begs at the dinner table every night. The dinner table, by the way, is in an outdoor area (covered by a roof, of course) that is situated between the kitchen and the rest of the house. And our house has a tin roof, so when it rains, a sweet melody ensues (which is perfect for naps) - it's exactly how you'd imagine a house in rural Caribbean. I love it!

I'm learning a lot about the culture here. I've learned how to dance merengue and bachata (the local dances here), and I'm getting pretty good at Dominoes (though I had a leg up on that since I've played a fair amount with my dad; it's not the same here though, Dad; they don't cheat like you do). Sunday, I went to a baseball game. Baseball is not just a sport here – it's a religion. My host dad watches it every night. In fact, I know more about the Yankees now than I did when I was living in New York! Here, when they play baseball, the whole community comes to watch. It's an all-day affair with several games, between which the donas bring food for the players and the fans. Everyone drinks rum and cerveza throughout the game (including the players) and Dominican music blares over the loudspeakers the entirety of the event. Occasionally, you'll catch the third baseman doing a little merengue step in between pitches. It's quite a show.

My days are filled with technical training and Spanish class. We've learned a lot about what we'll be expected to do once we get to our project sites. We still don't know where we'll be placed for the long term, but I'm hoping it's similar to Los Camacho. There are various prospective business projects – coffee production, cacao production, artisan groups, youth entrepreneurships, eco-tourism, etc, and the director of CED is working to match each of us with the best fit. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to finding out what mine will be. We find out in 3 weeks, right before the end of training.

Anyway, I don't know when I'll be able to write next. We'll leave CBT on Nov. 10^{th, then spend about 5 days visiting our future sites, and finally swear in as official volunteers on Nov. 21st – the day before Thanksgiving. After that, all current and new volunteers get together for a big Thanksgiving feast and then we head off to our project sites, where we'll spend the next 2 years!} I hope each of you is healthy and happy. I look forward to hearing updates whenever you have a chance… and please remember that I can't always respond quickly, but know that I LOVE to hear from each of you! Your emails brighten my days.

Peace and love,
Tara

Email Update #1

2007-09-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

My Peace Corps Adventure: Week 1

¡Hola a Todos!

Greetings from the sunny barrios of the Dominican Republic. Yesterday marked one week since I arrived in this incredible country, which will be my home for the next 27 months. I´ve already done so much here, it seems as though I´ve lived here for months... and yet I still have 115 weeks left!

This past week has been a fairly intense immersion into this culture and life - a mixture of adjusting to living with a host family, sleeping under a mosquito net, taking baths with a bucket of cold water, taking guaguas (very packed buses) into the city, eating fried platanos for breakfast, lunch and dinner, dancing and playing games with my 7 year old host sister, and spending time with one of the most interesting groups of people I´ve ever worked with (my fellow volunteers).

I live with a host family not far from our training center, which is located just outside of Santo Domingo. The barrio (neighborhood) is a maze of dirt roads dotted with little colmados (convenience stores) and small houses. Chickens roam the streets, and stray dogs happily greet passersby. I go to sleep each night to the sound of my vecinos playing dominoes and drinking cerveza and wake up each morning to the sound of roosters crowing. Most of my day is spent in class, learning how to ignore piropos (catcalls), how to avoid being a victim of theft, how to interpret Dominican body language, the differences in cultures, how to use public transportation, the Dominican version of Spanish, and of course, Peace Corps policies. My brain is on information overload, and I love it!

As part of our 3-month training, we each get to visit a current volunteer in his/her site for 4 days next week. I´ll be visiting a girl in Moca, which is about 2.5 hours northwest of Santo Domingo. I´m very excited about seeing a volunteer in action and familiarize myself with what my life might be like after training. It should be an incredible adventure.

Unfortunately, I don´t have internet at home - oh the luxuries of the US!... but I live fairly close to an internet cafe. This is, however, the first time I´ve been able to check my email since I left for DC on September 11, so I apologize if I have an email from you sitting in my inbox - I will get to it eventually!

If you´d like to send a letter to me please send it to the following address:

Tara Loftis, PCV

Cuerpo de Paz

Avenida Bolivar 451, Gazcue

Apartado 1412

Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic

It cost 90 cents to mail a letter from NY and takes from 1-3 weeks to reach me. Although I´d love some snacks from the US, it´s advisable that you don´t send any packages, but if you must, please do so in a padded envelope instead of a box, as boxes tend to be opened in transit and many times things disappear from them. Also, if you´d like to send a post card, please put it in an envelope, as those tend to end up on the wall of the post office.

I hope each of you is doing well. I´d love to hear from every one of you. I promise to keep in touch as much as possible.

Besos y abrazos,

Tara