Saturday, July 25, 2009
A view of our training...
This video was made by one of a fellow PCT, Jessie. She did a great job. I hope you enjoyed it!
Happy (belated) 4th of July
Written on 7.4.09
Happy Fourth of July!
I had a great 4th of July. At 7:10 my host mom woke me up and we walked to school with the other “gringos.” ‘Los gringos’ is basically a word for white people. It can be a loaded word but here they use it as a term of affection.
I had a few hours of class: medical, cultural, etc. Then a few people had to get vaccinations. All of the volunteers had to stay until this was finished. The women here work very hard, especially during lunch. Our PC training director does not want us to be around the house during lunch because is it very stressful for them. Basically, that means we get to hang out with each other for a few hours. My friend John and I went looking for mangoes. There are various types of fruit trees around the training center. We found a few ripe mangoes, but finding them is the easy part. You have to take a green mango and throw it into the tree, aiming for the ripe mango. John was pretty good at this so we were able to eat 5 mangoes. Of course, once everyone finds out that you have mango they come looking for you!
My host mom’s mom came to pick all of the ‘gringos’ up from school. I live in an area called Los Cocos. Everyone is related and they all host volunteers. This makes it really fun for us volunteers. We enjoy trying to figure out the family ties because this is a very different culture than our own. At first a few of the volunteers thought my host dad was my host mom’s son! We thought an older gentleman was my host dad’s dad; however, another man sleeps in the house with my host dad’s mom. I hope that made sense. If you are confused—you know how we feel!
On Friday, my host mom talked about a “baby shower.” Yes, they actually call a baby shower a “baby shower” in Spanish. I thought it would be a small family gathering at one of the apartments in the area. I was wrong. A baby shower is a great reason to throw a huge party. After my classes, I went with my host mom to help set up the baby shower. We walked over to a bar… “hmm, this can’t be right.” Well, we did not walk to the wrong place! We started setting up a bunch of really cute decorations. There were a ton of balloons and Styrofoam baby decorations. After we helped set up for a few hours, we went home to get ready. I did not bring any clothes for a party! I do not have running water, a hair dryer, makeup, cute shoes, etc. Somehow all of the Dominicans still manage to look amazing, while I look like a sweaty mess!
Around 9pm, we drove to the party in a pick-up truck filled with people. All of Los Cocos was going to this party. We arrived and the party was full! There were a few dance floors, tables in the street, and decorations around the bar. We saw a few other volunteers sitting with their host families. Then there was beer, food, and a lot of dancing. In the middle of the party, the “baby shower” games began. The first involved two blindfolded people who had to feed each other baby food. It was hysterical watching the baby food go everywhere else besides into their mouths. Next, three men sat on chairs and had to pretend that they were feeding the “babies” on their laps with a bottle. I was one of the “babies.” Of course I do not remember drinking out of a bottle, but it is much harder than I thought. The Dominican women drank it much faster than I did.
Then, everyone started to dance. It was awesome. People of all ages were dancing. The little girls dance better than most women in the United States. There is so much music here I think they are dancing from day one. All of them have rhythm—I am so jealous.
We got home around 1 AM. All of the kids were still awake and wired. From what I can see, the children here are tougher. If they fall, the parents do not come running and the child does not cry. I love my host brother and sister. They always want to color or watch movies. I am learning to play baseball with sticks. My domino skills are also evolving. Once I learn to understand the older gentleman who is trying to teach me, I will probably be a lot better.
I finally slept well last night. The water and electricity are unreliable here. The water comes on at night usually. The electricity is more sporadic. We usually have electricity when it is dark outside, but during the day it is never consistent. My host mom made me a mango smoothie this morning (7/5/2009). We had to wait until around noon until the electricity finally came back. They are used to it so many of them have generators in their houses. My host family has one for the fridge but the other two broke. They are very expensive to fix so my family has learned to live without electricity. Most of the community spends time outside which makes electricity of minimal importance.
Anyways, I think that is all for now. I love you and I hope everything is going well in the states. I am going to the grocery store for the first time tomorrow. It is supposed to be similar to the supermarkets in the States. I need to buy a bag big enough to fit my laptop. The small backpack I brought is perfect for going to class with my books, but it is too small for my laptop. I wish I would have thought about that! I also need shampoo. My hair is very greasy here because I take bucket showers. My host mom offered me her two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, but my hair is greasy after an hour in this heat. I think the shampoo is going to cost three days of my wages! What a concept! Lastly, I told me family I like to cook. They thought it would be fun if I cooked them a dinner! I will let you know how it goes.
E-mail me with any questions you have. It is hard to spend a long period of time on the internet. I will do my best to respond to everyone who has already e-mailed me. Thanks for all of the encouraging responses. I really appreciate it.
¡Qué pases bien el día! (Enjoy your day)
Happy Fourth of July!
I had a great 4th of July. At 7:10 my host mom woke me up and we walked to school with the other “gringos.” ‘Los gringos’ is basically a word for white people. It can be a loaded word but here they use it as a term of affection.
I had a few hours of class: medical, cultural, etc. Then a few people had to get vaccinations. All of the volunteers had to stay until this was finished. The women here work very hard, especially during lunch. Our PC training director does not want us to be around the house during lunch because is it very stressful for them. Basically, that means we get to hang out with each other for a few hours. My friend John and I went looking for mangoes. There are various types of fruit trees around the training center. We found a few ripe mangoes, but finding them is the easy part. You have to take a green mango and throw it into the tree, aiming for the ripe mango. John was pretty good at this so we were able to eat 5 mangoes. Of course, once everyone finds out that you have mango they come looking for you!
My host mom’s mom came to pick all of the ‘gringos’ up from school. I live in an area called Los Cocos. Everyone is related and they all host volunteers. This makes it really fun for us volunteers. We enjoy trying to figure out the family ties because this is a very different culture than our own. At first a few of the volunteers thought my host dad was my host mom’s son! We thought an older gentleman was my host dad’s dad; however, another man sleeps in the house with my host dad’s mom. I hope that made sense. If you are confused—you know how we feel!
On Friday, my host mom talked about a “baby shower.” Yes, they actually call a baby shower a “baby shower” in Spanish. I thought it would be a small family gathering at one of the apartments in the area. I was wrong. A baby shower is a great reason to throw a huge party. After my classes, I went with my host mom to help set up the baby shower. We walked over to a bar… “hmm, this can’t be right.” Well, we did not walk to the wrong place! We started setting up a bunch of really cute decorations. There were a ton of balloons and Styrofoam baby decorations. After we helped set up for a few hours, we went home to get ready. I did not bring any clothes for a party! I do not have running water, a hair dryer, makeup, cute shoes, etc. Somehow all of the Dominicans still manage to look amazing, while I look like a sweaty mess!
Around 9pm, we drove to the party in a pick-up truck filled with people. All of Los Cocos was going to this party. We arrived and the party was full! There were a few dance floors, tables in the street, and decorations around the bar. We saw a few other volunteers sitting with their host families. Then there was beer, food, and a lot of dancing. In the middle of the party, the “baby shower” games began. The first involved two blindfolded people who had to feed each other baby food. It was hysterical watching the baby food go everywhere else besides into their mouths. Next, three men sat on chairs and had to pretend that they were feeding the “babies” on their laps with a bottle. I was one of the “babies.” Of course I do not remember drinking out of a bottle, but it is much harder than I thought. The Dominican women drank it much faster than I did.
Then, everyone started to dance. It was awesome. People of all ages were dancing. The little girls dance better than most women in the United States. There is so much music here I think they are dancing from day one. All of them have rhythm—I am so jealous.
We got home around 1 AM. All of the kids were still awake and wired. From what I can see, the children here are tougher. If they fall, the parents do not come running and the child does not cry. I love my host brother and sister. They always want to color or watch movies. I am learning to play baseball with sticks. My domino skills are also evolving. Once I learn to understand the older gentleman who is trying to teach me, I will probably be a lot better.
I finally slept well last night. The water and electricity are unreliable here. The water comes on at night usually. The electricity is more sporadic. We usually have electricity when it is dark outside, but during the day it is never consistent. My host mom made me a mango smoothie this morning (7/5/2009). We had to wait until around noon until the electricity finally came back. They are used to it so many of them have generators in their houses. My host family has one for the fridge but the other two broke. They are very expensive to fix so my family has learned to live without electricity. Most of the community spends time outside which makes electricity of minimal importance.
Anyways, I think that is all for now. I love you and I hope everything is going well in the states. I am going to the grocery store for the first time tomorrow. It is supposed to be similar to the supermarkets in the States. I need to buy a bag big enough to fit my laptop. The small backpack I brought is perfect for going to class with my books, but it is too small for my laptop. I wish I would have thought about that! I also need shampoo. My hair is very greasy here because I take bucket showers. My host mom offered me her two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, but my hair is greasy after an hour in this heat. I think the shampoo is going to cost three days of my wages! What a concept! Lastly, I told me family I like to cook. They thought it would be fun if I cooked them a dinner! I will let you know how it goes.
E-mail me with any questions you have. It is hard to spend a long period of time on the internet. I will do my best to respond to everyone who has already e-mailed me. Thanks for all of the encouraging responses. I really appreciate it.
¡Qué pases bien el día! (Enjoy your day)
Greetings from the DR
Written on 7.3.09
Hi again!
I am writing my first blog entry as a real PCT. Today was my first full day of training. It has definitely been a day of “firsts.”
1) I learned that “soccer is the national religion and gossip is the national sport.”
2) I sat through a full “day” of school—in Spanish (9-5pm)
3) Took my first bucket shower which was not very successful
4) Ate “yucca” which tasted like a sweet version of a hard potato (It was good!)
5) Learned to strategize and play dominoes with other volunteers living in my area and an old “wise” man in town
6) Played baseball with a stick, a baseball, and bases made of garbage
7) Learned that Dominicans are some of the nicest people but they talk SO fast
8) Ate a homemade potato popsicle (which could bite me in the ass tomorrow) because my cute host brother bought me one and who can turn down a nine year-old with puppy eyes!
9) Sweat more than I have in my entire life
10) Had to ask how to flush the toilet (throwing a bucket of water down the toilet)
11) Learned that showering is not satisfying because you begin sweating the second you step out of the shower
Anyways, I hope you get a better idea of how my life is here. If you thought any of those previous 11 “firsts” were pessimistic, they were actually the exact opposite. I love my life here. For the first time in forever, I actually spent time outside for a reason besides umpiring or walking to and from my car. The entire community played dominoes and marbles, drank juice, talked, and enjoyed their time. At dark, my host mom began cooking dinner. I showered, ate, and went to bed. I know I will continue enjoying my life here. Actually, I am scared that my life will never seem as good in Honduras as it does here. We are living in an impoverished paradise with some of the greatest people—it doesn’t get any better.
I love everyone.
Hi again!
I am writing my first blog entry as a real PCT. Today was my first full day of training. It has definitely been a day of “firsts.”
1) I learned that “soccer is the national religion and gossip is the national sport.”
2) I sat through a full “day” of school—in Spanish (9-5pm)
3) Took my first bucket shower which was not very successful
4) Ate “yucca” which tasted like a sweet version of a hard potato (It was good!)
5) Learned to strategize and play dominoes with other volunteers living in my area and an old “wise” man in town
6) Played baseball with a stick, a baseball, and bases made of garbage
7) Learned that Dominicans are some of the nicest people but they talk SO fast
8) Ate a homemade potato popsicle (which could bite me in the ass tomorrow) because my cute host brother bought me one and who can turn down a nine year-old with puppy eyes!
9) Sweat more than I have in my entire life
10) Had to ask how to flush the toilet (throwing a bucket of water down the toilet)
11) Learned that showering is not satisfying because you begin sweating the second you step out of the shower
Anyways, I hope you get a better idea of how my life is here. If you thought any of those previous 11 “firsts” were pessimistic, they were actually the exact opposite. I love my life here. For the first time in forever, I actually spent time outside for a reason besides umpiring or walking to and from my car. The entire community played dominoes and marbles, drank juice, talked, and enjoyed their time. At dark, my host mom began cooking dinner. I showered, ate, and went to bed. I know I will continue enjoying my life here. Actually, I am scared that my life will never seem as good in Honduras as it does here. We are living in an impoverished paradise with some of the greatest people—it doesn’t get any better.
I love everyone.
Very First Thoughts from Miami
Written on 7.2.09
Hey everyone,
I am still doing great! Loving my life without air conditioning…not! We left for the Miami airport this morning at 7 AM for an 11 AM flight. The Peace Corps assumes four hours ahead of the flight is enough time to get everyone organized. We flew from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. From San Juan, we hopped onto a “Cody, Wyoming” style, propeller plane. I would rather swim between the two islands—it cannot be that far! However, the flight was not as bad as I expected.
We arrived in the DR at around 5 PM. The country directors for the DR were waiting for us as well as a current PCV. They escorted us through customs, visas, etc. before leaving the airport. At this point in the day, I am ready to take a nap. But, we board this bus with a Caribbean bus driver who proceeds to blast amazing Caribbean music over the speakers. I felt like I died and went to Caribbean heaven.
By the way, if you are not already jealous, we will learn to dance typical Dominican dances during our training. This is due to cultural immersion and is NECESSARY! I have no dancing ability, but learning to dance some sexy Latin dances sounds like fun!
The Staging staff (Miami PC staff) informed us that we would be moving in with host families upon arrival in the city. Due to the four different arrival times, we did not move in with host families. I am currently staying at a Christian Retreat house. It has dorm-style rooms with private showers and a fan. Now, it is not only hot but it is humid. Without air conditioning, I have been sweating constantly all evening. I would not care much, but meeting a group of 50 people while sweating like a pig is not very appealing.
We had a small training session after we arrived. They gave us some great basic survival strategies for the first few days. I was told about the typical “welcoming” acts that host families enjoy giving new volunteers. Manicures seem harmless—NOT! If the tools are dirty, you have the potential of contracting HIV/AIDS. Needless to say, I will not be bonding with my family over manicures. The training director also warned us about drinking the water and eating street food. We will receive a detailed safety session on Saturday. The Peace Corps also decided to fly the Honduran trainers into the DR in order to keep our training consistent with Honduras. While learning about Dominican culture, we will be learning how to live in Honduras.
For those of you who are still worried, I want to let you know that the Peace Corps is being very caring and generous to us. As a PCT (PC trainee), we do not worry about any of the logistics of the trip. Usually the logistics are already planned but due to the current events in Honduras, they changed our entire program. The PC has been working around the clock to find us host families, flights from Miami to DR, transportation from the airport, volunteers to meet us at the airport, cooks to feed us our meals, immediate lodging for the first night, etc. You can imagine how hard this would be since the staff only consists of 4 full-time employees and 5 seasonal workers.
Hey everyone,
I am still doing great! Loving my life without air conditioning…not! We left for the Miami airport this morning at 7 AM for an 11 AM flight. The Peace Corps assumes four hours ahead of the flight is enough time to get everyone organized. We flew from Miami to San Juan, Puerto Rico. From San Juan, we hopped onto a “Cody, Wyoming” style, propeller plane. I would rather swim between the two islands—it cannot be that far! However, the flight was not as bad as I expected.
We arrived in the DR at around 5 PM. The country directors for the DR were waiting for us as well as a current PCV. They escorted us through customs, visas, etc. before leaving the airport. At this point in the day, I am ready to take a nap. But, we board this bus with a Caribbean bus driver who proceeds to blast amazing Caribbean music over the speakers. I felt like I died and went to Caribbean heaven.
By the way, if you are not already jealous, we will learn to dance typical Dominican dances during our training. This is due to cultural immersion and is NECESSARY! I have no dancing ability, but learning to dance some sexy Latin dances sounds like fun!
The Staging staff (Miami PC staff) informed us that we would be moving in with host families upon arrival in the city. Due to the four different arrival times, we did not move in with host families. I am currently staying at a Christian Retreat house. It has dorm-style rooms with private showers and a fan. Now, it is not only hot but it is humid. Without air conditioning, I have been sweating constantly all evening. I would not care much, but meeting a group of 50 people while sweating like a pig is not very appealing.
We had a small training session after we arrived. They gave us some great basic survival strategies for the first few days. I was told about the typical “welcoming” acts that host families enjoy giving new volunteers. Manicures seem harmless—NOT! If the tools are dirty, you have the potential of contracting HIV/AIDS. Needless to say, I will not be bonding with my family over manicures. The training director also warned us about drinking the water and eating street food. We will receive a detailed safety session on Saturday. The Peace Corps also decided to fly the Honduran trainers into the DR in order to keep our training consistent with Honduras. While learning about Dominican culture, we will be learning how to live in Honduras.
For those of you who are still worried, I want to let you know that the Peace Corps is being very caring and generous to us. As a PCT (PC trainee), we do not worry about any of the logistics of the trip. Usually the logistics are already planned but due to the current events in Honduras, they changed our entire program. The PC has been working around the clock to find us host families, flights from Miami to DR, transportation from the airport, volunteers to meet us at the airport, cooks to feed us our meals, immediate lodging for the first night, etc. You can imagine how hard this would be since the staff only consists of 4 full-time employees and 5 seasonal workers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
