Yay for Murals!

Well, after a hang up or two...or three...we FINALLY finished our educational murals!!! With the help of fellow volunteer Janet and some artists from her community, we painted the entire alphabet. Unfortunately, I had spinal problems and we weren't able to finish with the drawings until recently. I hand drew all of the drawings that correspond with the letters (A-apple, B-boy, etc). Then I had a bunch of teenage muchachos paint them...which was great because they really wanted to help....but also not so great because they were rushing, painting bees with green heads, fighting over who got to paint what, etc. Lori and I were able, however, to touch up any little errors and I think that both murals (one in each of the 1st grade classrooms) turned out really great. The best part is that we still have lots of paint left and some money for materials, so one of the teachers at the school wants to head up a painting project in which they create map murals! So thank you all for your generous donations and we will be sure to continue putting the funds to good use!

Happy Baby to the Best "Son" in the World!

So, for those of you who don't know already, I have unofficially adopted a Dominican son. Granted, he has a mother (who happens to be my best friend in the barrio), but he is just SUCH an awesome kid that he temporarily has two moms. I am his "Gringa" mom and Pilar is his Dominican one. We pretty much spend everyday together playing games, watching movies, doing homework, and, of course, practicing English. He recently had his 12 birthday, which was the event of the CENTURY. We juntar-ed all of our money to buy fruit (to make a delicioso punch), snacks, popcorn, decorations, and a piñata (yes, i know, they are a mexican thing, which is precisely why our piñata was not the most aesthetically pleasing). Since I am the town baker, I whipped up two 2-layer cakes that though delicious, were clearly made more with love than any professional skills. After the house was covered with balloons, and the reggaeton was bumping, it was ready for the festivities to begin. To my utter dismay, however, there were like THIRTY kids there!! Needless to say, Pilar's small, 3-room house was busting at the seams with little muchachos who, naturally, started dancing some of the raciest reggaeton I've ever seen! If you think that the adults at the discoteca dance a little dirty, you have never seen the 8-year-olds in my barrio. Precisely why I told my little son Miguel that he is LUCKY that I'm not his REAL mother because I would have turned that music off and put on some nice, kid-friendly bachata. Unfortunately the most disturbing videos were accidentally deleted, but this little show still survived:

Anyone want a gato...or two???

Well all, here she is. My beloved Dominican "hija," also lovingly referred to by neighborhood children as "La Gata Diabolica." She looks so cute and innocent, playing in that attempt at a piñata, doesn't she?? Too bad that in addition to her adorable cat hugs and kisses, she has a tendency to bite, scratch, and generally claw me and my guests to death. The GOOD news is that she is apparently pregnant! That means that I get to spread Frita's wonderful joy through her (hopefully not too many) offspring. Stay tuned for photos and videos of her precious babies!!! I'm accepting orders..... :)

Attempt at a Project #2

Perhaps my greatest challenge thusfar was the 3-day teacher training workshop I recently held at my school. Not only did it involve months of my investigating Spanish literacy (largely through trial and error with my pull-out groups), but I also wrote a 70-page guide IN SPANISH. During the writing process, of course, my laptop completely died....at which point I had a mild heart attack and then called Lori to borrow hers. I would like to add, however, that my printer is my FAVORITE toy ever (Thanks again, mom and pop!). I also had Robyn in town with me for almost a week and she was a GREAT help. I mean who else will sit up with me at 2:00 AM when we haven't slept for DAYS, cutting/pasting/plastificar-ing words for a word wall (in the dark, mind you, as the electricity se fue)???? She was definitely a lifesaver. Robyn, Zahira, and myself each had a full day of presentation, and it was really great information, if I do say so myself : )

The first disaster came when I went to retrieve those aforementioned guides. After spending about 6 months writing it, all of my sweat and labor finally paid off because I had, in my hands, 20 copies of the COMPLETED manual. Then, I quickly flagged down a motoconcho and he threw the box of my new guides right on the front of his motorcycle. Approximately 10 seconds later, he attempted to depart and the entire box fell right into the MIDDLE of the road! I had to scurry around like a madwoman to pick up my precious books, as SUVs and motorcycles were trying to run us over!!! Only in the DR....

The other disaster came when my slightly witch of a directora came in on my day to present and informed me that even though I had the dates of my taller planned since FEBRUARY, we would have to postpone my presentation for another day, as they had something ELSE to do. The best part was that the teachers were in uproar because they were very excited to talk about the reading manual that I had prepared for them and we quickly had a one-hour session (Good thing my rapidfire speech has carried over into Spanish). I definitely left a bit frustrated but, all in all, I think we had a really successful workshop and hope desperately that some of my teachers actually EMPLOY some of the things we talked about! For once I have a project that, as of now, I can call a success.

Attempt at a Project #1

After many months of being in the school constantly and avoiding working with teachers, I decided to actual attempt a project. Lori (IT volunteer from nearby Luperon) and I decided that a mural project would be fun. We had various plans for raising the money (all of which fell through) so we decided that we could sell Mistolin (very popular floor cleaner), or a homemade version of it, that is. So, we began collecting bazillions of old water and pop bottles, and I talked to my school about it almost weekly. Finally, the great day in June arrived. I had purchased all of the necessary chemicals in Santiago and Lori and I whipped out gallons and gallons of great-smelling (though the color was a little...off) floor disinfectant. My school, however, heartbreakingly let me down in that they did NOTHING to help us. My directora even kept walking around telling everyone that the money was going to be for our "summer camp" when I had repeatedly told her that it was for a mural. In the end, we were left with a ton of Mistolin (to which the school helps itself, I might add) and no money. Through your generous donations, however, we were able to get a move on the mural project and, as soon as it is finished, I will provide proud updates! Just have to mark the Mistolin fundraiser as one of the many failed project attempts...and move on to the next one.

Celebrating American Independence....DR style

This 4th of July, I think that I was more patriotic than I have ever been. And I don' t think that it would be much of a stretch to say that many of my Peace Corps peers have the same sentiments. As Dominicans don't exactly celebrate our beloved Independence Day, we volunteers joined the Peace Corps tradition of partying hardy on one of the most beautiful beaches on the southern coast (Bahia de las Aguilas). The best part, of course, was the transportation. This VERY remote beach requires a six hour trip from the capital to nearby city Pederales. From Pedernales, one has to hop in the back of a truck for about a good hour down one of the worst roads I have ever seen. The final stop: a beautiful boatride (complete with life jackets) through el mar caribe, ultimately arriving at this beautiful, isolated beach!

Kevin had the brilliant idea, however, of creating what he called a "The Kevin Inviational Party Bus." That's right, about 35 of us road the six...okay, so really it ended up being more like TEN hours from the capital to Pedernales. They somehow managed to acquire a KEG (the only one I have ever seen in this country) so that we could all drink our way down south. We sang horribly tacky American songs like the National Anthem and "I'm Proud to be an American" with more heart than is at all necessary. Perhaps we are just a bunch of drunken idiots but, then again, perhaps we have just learned to appreciate our native land of flushing toilets, hot showers, and paved roads.....that's right..."there ain't no doubt I love this laaaaaaaaaand, God Bless the U.S.A."!!!

“¡Tú eres más dominicano que un plátano!”

A few months ago, while hanging out with some English teachers in the campo, I was told, "Pero, diache Sarah, tú eres más dominicano que un plátano!”(translation: Geez, Sarah, you are more Dominican than a plantain!). Aside from the fact that I think the statement is intrinsically hilarious, I also find it tremendously flattering. For some reason, right around the 1-year mark of living in this country, I transformed. I went from "sticking it out" because I'm committed to my project, to actually WANTING to be here. Almost without noticing, I began to love many of the very things that had driven me nuts just a few months prior. I used to hate that Dominicans just wanted to sit around in plastic chairs and "compartir," and now it is like my favorite pastime! I used to think "Rice and beans AGAIN??" and now you will find ME in the kitchen whipping them up (on the rare occasions that my neighbors don't deliver them to me).
I think that I just let go of trying so hard to be "me" and, therefore, "American." I feel like "Dominican-ness" has just somehow seeped into my veins, without effort and without consciousness. Now when people ask me, I tell them that I am American-Dominican. So be prepared for lots of rice and beans and, of course, plátanos.

I Actually Had a Visitor!

So, although Ann's visit was quite some time ago, I think it still deserves a spot on my blog. I was SO anxious/excited/nervous to have my first (and probably ONLY) visitor here in the DR. I was soooo worried that it was going to rain everyday she was here (yes, it does that here), get bitten by a bad mosquito and go home with Dengue, or have what we volunteers lovingly refer to as "explosive diahrrea." Thankfully, we only got one day of monsoon rain and a little bit of vomiting! Other than that, I think her trip was a total hit! We rode the cable car, visited all of the so-called "monuments" of Puerto Plata, drank Presidente, climbed 7 of the 27 waterfalls, went swimming at the beach, got hilarious Dominican manicures, waited for HOURS to see Leonel (Ann became his biggest fan) who we never did see, ate rice and beans, and danced our hearts out to merengue and bachata.

Even though she couldn't communicate with them, Pilar and her family absolutely adored "Anna" (as they call her) and still ask about her regularly. Pilar even regalar-ed a bracelet and a pair of sandals! Though some moments may have been a little insane (the 2 of us on a motorcycle during a monsoon, for example), I think that Ann had a good time. I am just thrilled that she got to see a little bit of what my life is like here and, despite the dirt roads and constant blackouts, appreciate the beauty of my 3rd world home.

Funeral, Anyone?

Don't ask me why but, for some reason, Dominicans (at least in my community) have a tendency to invite people to wakes and funerals. I definitely love being invited to do things, but I think that these activities might be a bit of a stretch. The first time I went with Pilar's family, I didn't find the invitation tooooo strange because it was really more of a memorial than a funeral. It is something like every seven years after someone dies, his family/friends get together on the day of his death and have a small mass and eat lots of food. On this particular occasion, we went to the campo, ate lots of fruit, had a delicious moro with chicken, and spent time with their relatives.
More recently, however, they invited me to the funeral of the childrens' uncle, a famous judge who lived in the capital. Though there were many people in attendance, I felt very uncomfortable. I did not have the opportunity to even meet the man and, although I adore Pilar and her family, did not particularly enjoy being surrounded by such mourning. His children and siblings were beside themselves with grief and, Gracias a Dios, I have been fortunate enough in my life to have experienced very little of it. All in all, I am touched that Pilar considers me part of her family, but I think I will stick to birthday parties...

Independence Day Mania

As Robyn astutely noted, the Dominican Independence Day (27 de febrero) somehow brought on MORE work in the school than a regular school day. On the eve of that insane day I was stuck in the school painting, drawing, coloring, etc. mostly because the teachers INSIST that my writing is so "pretty." At 8 o'clock in the morning, I was downtown with a bunch of teachers and students from my school, getting ready for the parade that was supposed to start at "8 o'clock." Around 9:30, it actually began, and then we marched for about an hour and a half. The Dominican sun was a little unforgiving; I returned home pretty similar to the color of this little muchachitas pom pons! All in all, it was an exhausting day...most of us americans agree that our Independence Day (drinking, barbecues, fireworks, etc.) is the way to REALLY celebrate :) I will note, however, that we lack the ridiculous HOMEMADE fireworks seen above. Yes, that's right. These 10-13 year-olds (See Above) were playing with fireworks made out of rusty old tomato cans, tape, gun powder, and some sort of flammable liquid. Sounds suuuuuper safe to me!

Sparke the......baker?

As mentioned previously, the fact that I own a digital camera makes me the community photographer. Apparently, the fact that I have a muffin pan and some boxed cake mixes (Thanks, mom!) makes me a world class baker. Many a Dominican doña has said to me, "Sarah, you know how to make cakes? You MUST teach me!!" These women, who make rice, beans, stews, plantains, fish, chicken, etc. EVERY day and almost exclusively use raw materials (No Hamburger Helper here!) are asking ME how to cook something. For those of you who have tasted my "cuisine," I am sure that this comes to a rather hilarious surprise. But, hey, my deal with them is as follows: If they teach me how to make all of their scrumptious Dominican comida, then I will show them the magic of Duncan Hines. I have a feeling that my host mom might not be SO impressed when she sees that a chimpanzee could make my "sabroso" chocolate cake. =) (Pictured: my little neighbors painting a cake).

My Muchachitos are the Bestest!!!

Oh, what would I do without all of my little amigitos? Yes, they are all under the age of 12 but oh, how much entertainment they provide! In just the last month they have turned my house into a baseball field, a discoteca, a movie theater, and a bakery. We color, play mancala, do puzzles, eat candy, and generally do things that I loved when I was 12 and, apparently, still can't get enough of!

Some of their more hilarious adventures involve the day that Angel and Miguelito (pictured in photo in front of my bathroom: first and second from the right, respectively) asked me if Angel could take a shower in my bathroom. He has wanted to for a LONG time because I have...that's right...running water! I for one, am a fan of the bucket bath (at least I can make it warm!) but he had never had a running shower, especially in my I-have-an-obession-with-hygiene-products-shower. I of course, said claro que si! but just dont tell the mean, old owner of my house because she will have a fit that I am "wasting water." When Miguel was explaining to Angel which soap is for what he got so excited that he decided that HE had to bathe, too! So they BOTH jumped in at the same time and were giggling up a storm as they showered and lathered up in my girly soaps and shampoos. I, meanwhile, was dying of laughter and how much they were enjoying it. If only I could take them to Nueva York and let them have a HOT shower!

Another classic was the day they decided that they wanted to do my Pilates video. I told them that it was kind of "for girls" but they responded, "No importa!" Again, I was curled over with laughter as they streched and rolled and tried to do things like "The Saw" and "Rolling like a Ball." Sadly, I probably look JUST as ridiculous...

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

So, I realize that it has been AGES since I last updated my blog but I have been trancada in my site and am just now in the capital where I have access to that god of an invention known as Wi-Fi. That said, there are a few random incidents that I thought were blogworthy. For example, one day I went to the "far" colmado (being about 20 steps away instead of 15) because my usual was closed for lunch. As I was purchasing my usual gourmet lunch (bread, cheese, etc.), the little muchacha who works in the colmado (one of four siblings who essentially run it for their parents) said, "Ah, Sarah. A buen tiempo!" Which always means: FOOD. As I had happened to arrive as their lunch was being served, they regalar-ed me a whole plate of moro (rice and beans mixed) with chicken! Might not seem like that big of a gesture, but I am sometimes taken aback by the extreme generosity of many Dominicans. No matter how rich or poor, sharing (especially food) is as inbedded in the culture as bachata and merengue. I stood there at the counter enjoying a delcious domincan meal (though I admit, I had to decline the chicken claws) from a family that hardly knows me and for whom I have done absolutely nothing. I know we may complain a lot, but Dominicans are freaking sweet.

That said, not EVERY aspect is so desireable. The other day, por ejemplo , I discovered that the new cock fighting location is DIRECTLY in front of my house. Gather 'round kids, lets watch two chickens peck each others' eyes out. Not exactly this Animal-Planet-loving volunteer's idea of recreation.

I am also at issue with the tigueres who get drunk and, subsequently, very angry, and decide that throwing bottles is a fun idea. When I went to some INSANE festival on the malecon (pictured above) the other night, I spent about one hour with Pilar and her family, treking through a humongous crowd. As we stood around waiting for Pilar's two sons, suddenly people started RUNNING for their lives, screaming and practically trampling one antother. Apparently, this was the signal that all of the borrachos were breaking their Jumbo bottles and throwing them, cutting each other, etc. I later learned that this is a REGULAR occurance and that there are often innocent bystanders who end up bleeding from head to toe. Luckily for me, Pilar treats me like I am 9, grabbed my hand, and RAN with me to our pick up truck, at which point I and about 13 muchachos hopped in the back and we flew back up to the barrio. On the way home, they taught me where the "women for sale" are and starting yelling "5 pesos!!" at them. Let's just say, I was happy to get home to my quiet house and my insane little kitten pie!

Holy Helmet

As I mentioned, I recently discovered the whereabouts of a few great new locations in Puerto Plata. What I realized is that andaring around in this city really requires motorcycles, motorcycles, and more motorcycles. I, for one, LOVE riding motoconchos. I know that they are beyond unsafe, but they are so quick, cheap, and convenient! Why, then, the reservations to motor all around town?? Note Exhibit A: my casco. Peace Corps requires that we wear helmets EVERY time we ride on a motor. In my community, however, helmets are a true rarity. There are hundreds and hundreds of motors, and maybe 2 or 3 guys who wear helmets. Plus, they are about one THIRD of the size of my monstruosity, and they definitely do not say "tough" right across the top. I am constantly questioned about my helmet...most of the kids think that since I have a helmet, I must OWN a motor. I brought my helmet out at a party and there was not one dominican who didn't laugh hysterically. When I rode home to my house the other day, I literally had a group of kids start cracking up when I rode by with my super-cool head gear. But, you just wait. I think I will be starting a trend. Soon the whole TOWN will want to be "tough" just like yours truly!

Gringos are Great

The last two weeks in my site have been SWEET. There is a group of gringas from Vermont who came to do a program called "Healthy Schools, Healthy Children" (or something of the like). I got the chance to work with them in a few of the classrooms, and was really impressed with the help they provided to our fourth and fifth grade teachers. They also had an intern named Grace who came to live in Puerto Plata for three weeks. Even though she was here for a short time, she met TONS of people and learned her way around Puerto Plata much better than I do! She taught me about a really sweet grocery store (it even has a deli-I can now buy cheese OTHER than "squeaky colmado cheese"!!) and she met a lot of really eclectic friends who drove us around town. We even ended up in a discoteca in Playa Dorada that featured a man dressed as Jim Carey from the Mask, a machine that poured bubbles from the ceiling, and a man dressed as Spiderman (who later FLEW across the ceiling!!). All in all, it was really nice to have some americans to run around town with. The best part is that Grace is working on getting a group of 8-10 more students to come down and help me with work in my community in February of next year. I'm definitely ready for round two!

Home Improvment

Guess who got a toilet seat!!! I am TRULY in the 21st century now!! Jealous? Well, if you would also like one, all you have to do is move into an apartment in the DR, ask your dueno every month for about 5 months if he can put that seat on your toilet that he keeps promising you and, then, he will randomly show up at your place one afternoon with the seat that he mysteriously found lying god knows where. All in all, my apartamentcito is truly coming together. I also made myself the highly sophisticated shelf seen below. It is not exactly aesthetically pleasing but it is SO functional! I wish I had made it sooner. And, equally as exciting, I have a table AND two chairs that my host family loaned me. I went MONTHS with nothing but ample floor space and, as SOON as I mentioned that I was having some gringos in town, my host family practically ran over with my new furniture. Point is: now all of you americanos really have no excuse...you have to come see me. You can sit down to eat AND to hacer caca!

Kieslings are Kewl

This Janu,ary Robyn's younger brother, Brandon, and younger sister, Taylor, came to visit her for about a week. After being rained on NONstop in Sabana de la Mar, Samana, and Cabarete, they came to Puerto Plata, where they lucked out and at least got a FEW rain-free moments. We went up to the teleferico and they were stunned by the beautiful view. Somehow, the skies were clear as could be and we could see everything. After a meal in a cool, but deserted, restaurant on Puerto Plata's malecon, we went back to my apartment for some cerveza and a very Peace Corps evening. The power went out, so we drank and played Mancala using candles and a headlamp hung from the ceiling. Sleeping arrangements were also a bit tight, as the airbed that I worked so hard to bring into this country has a HOLE in it, so Taylor made herself a hilarious little nest on TOP of their luggage. Very typical of Peace Corps lodgings!
We also went to Sosua, which is a beautiful beach about 30 minutes east along the coast. We had to cram into a guagua (Robyn's sibling were definitely LESS than impressed with DR public transportation) and, surprise, it was raining when we got to the beach. We again, however, lucked out, and were able to have about 3 or 4 nice hours of sun. We perused a lot of the really cool shops that sell junk like Amber and Larimar jewelry, taino-inspired paintings, lots of things made out of coconut shells, etc. Everyone was bargaining up a storm and I even splurged and bought a 400 peso painting for my house! Its saweeet!
We then came down to the capital where we had beautiful sunny weather, and spend a nice day touring the Conde (cobble-stone shopping street) and some Columbus monuments, including a very giant, scary statue of him that overlooks the sea. All in all, it was REALLY nice having some visitors in my site! We had lots of fun and even Robyn and I got to pretend to be tourists for a few days =)

Sparke the.....photographer?

So I was sitting in my house the other day and I heard my "doorbell" (aka a muchacho climbing on my neighbor's roof and yelling my name), so I scurried over to the door to see who was looking for me. Enter two of my muchachos-Miguel and Angelito. Apparently, it is Angelito's birthday and the two boys want to know if they can borrow my camera to take pictures of his party. Uhh...let me think about that. Some similar muchachos BROKE my old digital camera so how about a NO to that request. Being the sucker that I am, however, I can't possibly JUST say no to Angelito and his 8th bday bash (his FIRST birthday party, no less). So, I pack up the little digital camera and head over to his house. There is no electricity, but that doesn't mean a shortage of children. The room is full of little guys and gals and the mother literally starts telling me, "Hey, take a picture of this. Oh, and now this. Can you take a picture of these two together, Sarah? Take a picture of the baby" etc. Funny part is that I am actally TERRIBLE at taking pictures but, then again, Dominicans are delighted with ANY pictures of themselves. For now, I am happy to give Angelito a few precious pictures so that he can destroy them in a week. But if I start being called upon at every community event, my camera might have to mysteriously "break" for a little while =)

AHHHHH!!!! Readjustment

Well, as I mentioned earlier, my trip home was wonderful. I realized how much I really do love Chicago and everyone/thing in it so, therefore, it was a bit depressing for me to return to the DR. I left Chicago around 7am and arrived to my house in Puerto Plata at around 11:30pm. I came in to find a disgusting mess (my cat babysitter didn't do so well with the litter box) and a VERY pent-up kitten. The first few days were a bit tough, I mostly sat around feeling sorry for myself whilst eating a bunch of Hershey's Hugs. I really wanted to be ALONE for a bit, but everyone knew that I was home and people were bugging me all day long. After the first rough patch, however, I had some really fun visits by some of my local muchachos. You can see them above-one is wearing all of my winter gear so that he can be ready for "Nueva York," and the other is playing with what is apparently my new COOLEST possession: a geeky headlamp! I also had Pilar come over with just about her entire family (pictured below)..and we all hung out on the floor because I STILL didn't have any chairs! They were all really excited to see me and I was delighted that they had so been looking forward to my return.

I was also really welcomed by my host family (my host sister called about TEN times) and they made me a nice welcome-home lunch. I brought them lots of little gifts with me, but I think that the shoes were by far the biggest hit. Well, that and the Hershey's chocolate that they devoured in one sitting. The children at my school also went insane and ran out to see me. I was extremely happy to see them again, though I must say I am still not EXTREMELY excited about my project at the moment. In any case, my community is really awesome and I love all of my little muchachos and my neighbors. I will also adore Frita soon (as soon as I cut her razor sharp nails!!!!)

I Heart Nueva York

Well, thank you Mom and Dad for the best Christmas present ever-a trip to Chicago! I was only able to spend about two weeks at home, but I had a great time seeing friends and family, eating delicious foods WELL beyond capacity, playing "Superman girl" with Nathan, and, of course, using Mom's new fancy pants margarita maker. I even loved the freezing weather and snow. I actually WANTED to wear pants!!! Wahoo! And thanks to all of you who helped me out by giving me goodies to take back to the DR. I'm finally settling into my new apartment and making it nice and comfy! Best wishes for the New Year!