becky en la loma

The end of my service

2008-10-02T13:48:00.003-06:00

The time is coming.... November 21st I will be an official RPCV (returned peace corps volunteer) kicking up my feet and living the good life near my parents fridge. I have actually just completed my medical clearance to return. I was poked, prodded, scraped, and had samples taken of way to many things to mention. It was by far the most thorough exam I have ever had- and probably will ever have. Best part is all is clean and clear. Not even a cavity! Life is good....

I had an incredible summer! So often in this line of work you experience so much frustration- so many road blocks. Very rarely do you get those 'warm, fuzzy' 'i did something right' moments. It can be terribly stressful and most volunteers feel this frustration for the majority of their service. This summer I had several oppertunities that lead to to those 'warm, fuzzy' 'i did something sooo right' moments. I got to throw a graduation for my english class; finish a book club; participate in translations for a medical mission; and thanks to all of you who donated- act as a counselor in a summer camp for disadvataged youth. In these events there were plenty of eye-opening experiences all around.

The english class graduation was rediculous and Dominican, as one would expect. The 11 graduates arrived in their sunday best to my house. I passed out dipolmas. We took photos. They picked at (because NOONE here actually likes my cooking) the truely american mac and cheese and rice chrispy treats I made. It was just relieving to see something I helped accomplish (as clearly THEY are the ones who truely accomplished it).

The medical mission was heart-breaking and inspirational. My friend Bill, who also attended the mission, and I were recapping some of the cases we dealt with last night (over pitchers at the american sports bar in the capital) and he broke out in tears. The case he broke down over goes a little something like this- he was translating for a nurse and doctor doing a home visit in a rural community. The family presents a tiny TINY set of twins babys that are clearly suffering from mal-nutrition. Bill translates for the doctor "how old are the babies" the caretaker stumbles back about them "cumplir-ing" (having thier birthday) the previous month. Now Bill's not very confident in his spanish and these twins are so small that they could not possibly be over a few months old so he continues to question and ask for elaborations for a while before calling over a different volunteer, Jessica, with more confident spanish to take his place. Jessica discovers Bill was translating correctly these babies are a year old and so severly mal-nutritioned that they have actually stopped crying because they lack the strength. The worst part about the whole situation comes down to that all this was caused by mis-education! The family was feeding the babies regular powdered cow's milk, not even baby formula which they could afford! They didn't understand that babies needed special nutrition and mother's milk is best- infact formula is viewed as a status symbol here and; therefore, better than breastfeeding. The babies were taken care of by the doctor- given plenty of formula and the parents given new education about baby nutrition. My most moving experience of the med mission was helping a 19 year-old boy with horrible bed sores. The boy had been paralyzed from the waist down for 2 years after falling out of a canape tree why collecting canapes to sell on the road. Well the poor boy fell victim to bed sores that put him in the hospital 3 weeks prior that just wouldn't heal dispite the dedication of the family and neighbors who had been vigilantly caring for him and cleaning his wounds like the doctors prescribed. They had been cleaning his wounds with too much iodine that they couldn't heal. The doctors taught a new way to create a better cleaning solution to promote the healing along with a really cool hanging chair swing- that Bill created out of plastic chairs- to take the pressure off the sores.

Camp Glow presented an amazing oppertunity to empower teenage females- a very unempowered population here. The most rewarding moment for me was one night during 'small break down sessions' in which we discuss what the girls enjoyed about camp that day and anything they were thinking about in small groups of 5 girls to 2 counslers. One of the girls in my group was asked "what was your favorite part about camp?" and she thought then replied "this group. Noone ever asks me how I feel and what I like. Noone really listens like you. I just go to school, clean and take care of my brothers. Here I've been heard." The girls loved camping in tents (slightly amusing considering their daily lifestyle is considered 'camping' to many americans) an experience they've never had before. They were taught to plan life goals. When discussing this in the nightly 'break down session' one girl informed me that her goal is to buy her house before she marries. That way when the husband cheats on her or starts to treat her bad she can kick him out. She will still have her house and in that way be protected. Ouch! Sounds strange but thats what my host mom did here. Some parts of this culture hurt.

There was another situation in my site that I want to write about but this post is already really long and I'm in the capital and thinking about the rare oppertunity I have to eat pizza right now. I think I will go take advantage of that now.

Donation soliciting

2008-05-11T10:33:00.001-06:00

Ok so here it is- I am soliciting donations for two camps that I am working on with other volunteers. Read the letters below. You can even see me in the picture from Celebrando el Sur last year!

Camp GLOW

2008-05-11T10:32:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends and Family!
It’s our pleasure to be writing to you today. Imagine the Dominican Republic, strengthened, empowered and succeeding in the hands of powerful, young female leaders. Peace Corps Volunteers committed to Camp GLOW, a world-wide Peace Corps initiative, are preparing this year’s event. GLOW is short for 'Girls Leading Our World,' and here in the DR, we call our event '¡Campamiento Estrellas de Hoy!" (Camps Stars of Today). As volunteers involved in this year’s Camp GLOW event, we’re planning talks, workshops, games, and bonding activities for over 50 young Dominican women.
All this takes place during a weeklong camp where the girls have the opportunity to hear and talk openly and honestly about life goals, life planning, healthy sex and relationships and much more. From yoga to HIV awareness, the camp will be life-affirming for all our participants, and a much needed respite from social and economic pressures. Many young women in the Dominican Republic have children and are married or otherwise involved in a domestic partnership far before age 18. Camp GLOW aims to introduce and reinforce their power to make healthy choices.
The girls themselves raise funds to participate, and the PCV’s seek corporate sponsorships, as well. Yet, it’s still the generous contributions of our Stateside communities that make ends meet. Your contribution will pay for lodging, food, materials, and convey to these young ladies that the world cares about their well-being!
If you’re able, please consider sponsoring a camper by securely donating money at the Peace Corps-sponsored link below and send this email on to at one other person. Donations from $5 or more are warmly welcomed one and all. If your auxiliery club is interested in making a donation, we encourage you to contact your volunteer before using the website.
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-248
We would love to send donors Thank-You cards and a photo from camp in appreciation of your generosity. If you would like to receive one, please be sure to fill out all the contact information on the donation web form.
Thanks so much for taking the time to consider it!
Warm Regards,
Your Volunteer, the girls, and the whole Camp GLOW

Celebrando el Sur

2008-05-11T10:20:00.002-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from the Dominican Republic! I am writing to offer you all an opportunity to directly impact the lives of Dominican youth in my community. The Peace Corps offers a grant program through which volunteers can solicit donations for locally initiated projects from their friends and family. This is your chance to make an impact.
Celebrando el Sur (Celebrating the South) is an annual weekend-long youth conference focused on diversity and cultural understanding here in the southern region of the DR. The South is the least developed region of the country and youth throughout the area face great economic hardship and a lack of opportunities. I will be bringing two young people from my community and together with the 60 other conference participants they will participate in a variety of challenging talks and activities, broadening their perspectives to the experiences of others around them and people throughout the world. My kids rarely travel outside of our community, and this conference is an amazing chance for them to meet other young people from the South in a positive, stimulating environment.
I sincerely ask for your contribution to our fundraising efforts. I assure you that every dollar you are able to give will directly impact the lives of these young people. You can read an official grant summary online and donate by visiting the following website:
www.peacecorps.gov/contribute
Click on Donate to Volunteer Projects then select Caribbean as the region. The project is listed as Celebrando el Sur Youth Conference under the name M.Watson, and the project number is 517-249.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
Your support will make this project a reality. Thank you so much!

an update because i know i should

2008-04-09T13:31:00.002-06:00

I've reached that point in my service where I don't post anymore... Life here just seems like that- life. Things seem normal here and I guess that's a good thing as I've been here more than a year and a half.
So a quick recap of what's been going on since my last post. Same ol', same ol'. Attempted to start an english course and failed. Was in the process of writing a grant for stoves when my community lost intrest. Attempted another english course and then yet another and failed on both accounts. Attempted multiple times to get my sex-ed kids back together and failed- oh but they come over after the meetings were supposed to happen to hang out and reassure me that it's not me. They also reassure me that my meetings are way more fun than the PLAN international meetings. WELL THEN WHY WON'T YOU ATTEND THEM?!?! YOU ATTEND THE PLAN international MEETINGS! My little mystery. Of course theres always the literacy tutoring that I do. still successful. Oh and the 'jam' sessions with the instruments I have and the kids, and the braclet making, and the art stuff, still sucessful. but then came semana santa again and everything shuts down for 2 weeks. The girls get their hair cornrowed (which normally is a haitian style) and everyone breaks out the ron brugal (rum) mid-day and goes to the beach/river. As for me, my semana santa consisted of a full day 12 hour hike in the mountians behind my house with the host family. Don, Dona, 17 yr-old baseball playing brother Uziel, 4 yr-old brother Xabiel, and 2 teenage cousins. It was pretty intense and my feet got sore, but the next day I managed a killer 11 mile run. Yes my friends that is right, the more I try with my projects and fail the more frustrated energy I have going into my running and oh have I ever been sucessful with my running. Marathon running followed by marathon eating of Dona portioned rice and beans heaped up and inhaled with a soupspoon. How I plan on joining Over-eaters anonomous.
Sounds like I'm a very well equipt failure, and it's true I am. Well lately has been a different story. My 2 month of April attempts to start english classes have been successful and I teach 2 english classes now. My month of April attempt to start a book club has been amazingly SUCCESSFUL! Oh and cooking groups with my teenage girls. But now I am stuck in the capital thanks to a 'general' country wide strike. What are they striking about? General life here... Makes sense to me.
Trying to think of a good story to tell.... ehh! got nothin. I feel this post describes a pretty typical occurance in peace corps- rediculous amounts of trying to accomplish things that your site claims to want followed by rediculous amounts of failure. man do i have endurance, but yes finally in the month of april- 10 months in this site- things are looking up.

overdue update after a vacation home

2008-02-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

so ive been neglectful of this and its about time for an update.
I had an over indulgent white christmas at home in KANSAS! The full leiker-side of the family actually was able to get together for the first time in forever (this time with a new addition, little leila). the incredible vacation made readjustment to the dr difficult. Noone should be allowed a 2 1/2 week vacation to the developed north. it's just not right. i honestly don't think i stopped eating once while i was home. oh well
A week back and i had a meeting with my boss and project partner to discuss our plans for the upcoming year (talk about a quick jump back to work!). ugg. my boss is one of those people who is very good at allowing for silence and i am not- at least not with her. In her silence i found myself commiting to plans i had barely considered before! I was just trying to fill the silence. So now I'm committed to English classes and stove building. Beyond that I'm still reading "el arbol generoso" to kids 3 times daily, back to taking kids to the river, back to an increasingly flojo healthy decisions group, and back to running daily with whatever muchacho, youth, parent, mule, or bull that will have me. Oh and how running was difficult after that vacation! I ran like a gordita for 2 weeks! But now I'm back. I'm back to kicking and screaming for things to work. Hoping that now that Patronales (the festival that honors my town) is over people will become more reliable, that people will attend my groups, and that my work will start back up.
As for patronales, imagine booths selling rum and beer in the street. Imagine food venders and loud music from the bars 24 hrs a day for a week straight. Imagine people drunk in the street at all hours, dancing all hours, and one big party. I got very little sleep as I live infront of a bar and after it all I needed a vacation from their party. Thank god its over!
Really though it's nice to be back. My blood has gotten too thin to live near snow. I found myself missing this weather and the beach- I know me! the one who always LOVED the cold dreary days in kansas!?! rediculous!
Now, i am working on grant writing so i can get money to build stoves. These stoves will improve the ventilation of the smoke so as to decrease the unhealthy side-effects many women experience from cooking on bad stoves with poor ventilation. yeah i have no-idea what i am doing. wish me luck!

Queen of plastic bag christmas decor

2007-12-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

So La Guazara is preparing for Christmas. Last year, as you may remember I was in the batey during christmas time. I was so overwhelmed after swearing in and just arriving to my community that I'm not sure I remember the Christmas decorations there. Well this year I am much more 'chilled out' and in a perfect state to observe.
So I arrive back to La Guazara after volunteer Thanksgiving celebrations in the capital to find a new shack constructed behind my house and chains of plastic colmado bags strung in all directions. Juice boxes are hanging from trees. Oh and one of the biggest surprises of all I head out to my old host mom's house that night (where I always hang out at night) and there's this new 11 year old girl there. She asks me "your name is Rebecca right?"
"yes."
"where do you live"
i point to my house. "where do you live?"
"here."
WHAT? yes that's right my host-family now has a hija de crianca- a girl that is not their own but they will raise like their own. Apparently this girls' father was sexually abusive and put in jail. The mother is poor with 7 children that she cannot afford so the girl was originally sent to live with her aunt. Her aunt was abusive so Elfida- my host mom- said she would take her in (because they are one of the wealthier families in La Guazara and can afford it). This is a pretty normal thing to happen in the d.r. I actually think that many people look at me and think I'm a hija de crianca. That my parents sent me here for some reason (they always wonder what I did to make them send me away) and Elfida is now taking care of me because she has the recoursos (money).
So anyways this new sister I have is 11 and completely AWESOME! She serves me juice without me even asking. she hangs out at my house with me. She goes on walks with me. She stands up for me against the tigueres and threatens to punch them. She's pretty much the coolest thing to happen to my host family since me.
So the other night she wanted to go looking at christmas decorations and i went with her. we went walking and walked past 4 different christmas set-ups not unlike the shack outside the back of my house, completely decorated in colmado bags. At night though they light bonfires sit around the decoration and talk. So we hit the one of my aunt and join in. She has created a teepee like one, once again out of colmado bags and wire, with a heart on top. I'm sitting there by the bonfire hanging out with one of the girls decides to take a circle of wire and colmado bags and crown me queen of this christmas colmado bag teepee! Everyone cracked up especially my little cousin with spinabifida. Although I will be coming back to the states next week to celebrate christmas I do believe that I will be able to fulfil my duties as queen in La Guazara. In case that something comes up and I am unable to fulfil my duties from 'across the small pond' I have informed my new host sister that I would like her to fill in for me as Queen.
It's gonna be a beautiful christmas. See ya'll in a week.

follow up to last blog about recovery work

2007-11-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm doing recovery
work and things are really sad. so many people lost their means of
food and income. so many people lost thier beds and clothes. so many
people lost thier refridgerators, and the few that had computers lost
them too. the food trucks have been being turned away in several
communtities because of disorder- thats hard to see, but im getting to
work in the bateys and see my friends back there. thats really nice.
returning to la guazara today for the afternoon- first time since
leaving friday, i need more clean clothes to wear (thought i was only
going to stay here one night). will see how people are holding up
with out food and without easy access to barahona. i see communities
everyday that are still underwater (think katrina) and my friends who
live there look worn out and horrible, you can tell that they have
been through a disaster. people crowd the sides of the roads looking
to loot aid trucks and/or hoping that aid is coming to them. many
still refuse to leave thier communities dispite the water. more dead
are floating up daily. And volunteers (NOT peace corps volunteers)
working in the aid/ living in
the city have been stealing aid. BUT on the bright side- many are
back in their homes cleaning up. the roads are drying up and the
shoddy electricity is returning. more aid is coming daily. much of it
from the U.S. volunteers in the capital are loading helicopters and
airplanes to be sent out.

Things WILL get better! We are organizing and calming. I will see
you all in December.

waiting to action

2007-11-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

so spent yesterday moving supplies and in meeting discussing how and where the supplies should be handed out. as volunteers we have been attending the meetings of various ngos to try to organized and collaborate so as not to see so much overlaping in certian communities and neglect in others.
so what happened in my sites-
La Guazara- the road in and out is unpassable by cars and trucks. Motos must be carried through our new river. Long term shortages of food might spring up as there is much damage to crops and trucks cannot get through to replenish the colmados (small mom and pop stores). Already seen problems with hospital care. One baby had a very high fever and had to be carried accross the river and taken down by a ngo and one woman gave birth in la guazara as she could not get down.

Batey 3 (my old site)- Was drowned in water. I have heard that furniture and clothes are ruined. the plantain trees and local crops lost and there is no potable water. i heard that transportation to the bateys just opened up. there is current hunger.

What i am doing- working with ngos to organize supplies and plans of action. I am headed to the ngo that mainly works in the bateys today. I hope to be an advocate for batey 3 given my 6 months of living in the community and my relationship with the people there. I have checked in with plan international (the ngo that works with la guazara) about thier plans in la guazara and they seem to have things organized. My main worry right now are my friends back in the batey.

In the meantime- the kids here are enjoying thier new rivers and lakes. They are loving playing in the water. The donas are worring about food and transportation. The tigueres are drinking rum (What else is new?).

A week later and its quite surreal what just happened. After the meetings yesterday its started to hit me the gravety of it all. Before it was- lets go have fun in the river/ play in the rain/ My god when will all this water stop! Now its about mobilizing. Relief work is completely different that what I had been doing and I've read a lot about the scandels and problems with relief/aid work in developing countries. I am now beginning to experience the difficulties.

tropical storm and a velorio for a dog

2007-11-02T11:58:00.000-06:00

dont have time to update now. New pics of the tropical storm damage posted and heres the last letter i wrote to mrs. pattons class. I guess that should update ya'll a bit.

Hello once again Mrs. Patton's class!
The end of october has brought some pretty crazy events here. It really began the Sunday before Halloween so I guess that's where I will start.
On the Sunday before Halloween, Babu died. She was only 10 months old and I had only had her since the beginning of June. I had been in Barahona (the closest city) that morning celebrating the birthday of another volunteer, christina, when it started to rain. When it rains i need to make a decision, go home or be trapped out because the roads to my site become dangerous. So i hop on a moto only to be greeted by the police at my door. he informed me that the electrical box for the whole town fell in a puddle and electricuted babu and a pig. I had him repeat it four times before i believed him. I then screamed so loud the whole town knew i found out. My host mom came running and spent 2 hours deep cleaning my entire house while the traditional dominican velorio (i think it would be called a 'wake' in english) began. a velorio is when after a person dies everyone comes over to spend time with the greeving family and as far as i know there has never been a velorio for a dog in the history of the dominican republic.
Well the rains continue and strengthen. I really dont care I'm a mess in my bed crying. being consoled. we all keep saying "well gracias a dios no era un nino" "thank god it wasn't a child". Which is true thank god it wasn't a child. The police from barahona acutally heard that the DAUGHTER of the American died and came to the velorio to check it out. In fact i think Babu is still listed as one of the people who died in the tropical storm that passed.
ok now to the tropical storm... It ended up doing more damage than hurricane dean did in august. its really tragic- one town lost 25 or more houses! the batey where i lived had to be evacuated! Thank god i live in the mountians. Unfortuantely 3 rivers have sprung up where the only road out of my site is. I have pictures posted of this on my website. its rediculous! I am actually writing this on my way to a location with refugees from the storm. Christina (the volunteer mentioned whos birthday it was) and i are going to see how we can help. boats of supplies are coming in. Why have both of the storms hit the south the hardest?!? Why do all of my dogs keep dying?!? And why did 2 am halloween morning i wake up to a mouse in my bed? Life... I think I'm gonna get a cat. Ok well thats a long letter and I'd better get going. I will write again and I will see you all in December, si dios quiere.
Cuidense.
Becky

yup

2007-10-01T08:57:00.000-06:00

new photos of site, recent clelebrations in site and one year celebration. check them out

MIX CD CONTEST

2007-09-13T07:56:00.000-06:00

Tragedy has struck and last week my Ipod broke; however, luckily I still have a way to play cds. Unluckily I only have about 4 cds which is NOT enough to blare out the bachata for the rest of the month. Entonces, I am holding my 1ST ANNUNAL MIX CD CONTEST! dun dunnna dun!
contest is as follows
-cds are to be mailed to my address at the right
-cds will be judged on october 31
-cds should contain at least 12 songs each
-cds must come with thier play list (titles and artists)
feel free to submit as many entries as you'd like (as the colmado wont stop playing the same 5 songs anytime soon and i still have over a year left here).
Top placed cds will recieve AUTHENTIC dominican art, done by my childrens' art group- so send your name and address.
KEEP ME SANE. SAVE ME FROM BACHATA REPETITIVENESS. PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONTEST. SEND ME MIXED CDS.

1 year tribute

2007-09-13T07:53:00.000-06:00

Last year's journey, my 1 year in country tribute

I've learned a lot in this country so to celebrate my 1-year in country anniversary I've decided to share a few of these things with a tribute list.

-If you can button your pants they are too big. Go get a smaller size.
-Bathing in the latrine may sound disgusting but really it's incredibly convenient. In fact, don't forget your toothbrush, for added convenience you can also brush your teeth.
-You thought AIDS was an epidemic, you just wait until you hear about the hot/cold disease. Do NOT mix hot and cold things, my friend! The hot/cold disease has been known to cause everything from headaches and colds, to limping and even death! Let’s get scientist studying that one.
-Fried cheese +boiled plantains = balanced breakfast, beans + rice + a lot of vegetable oil + a pinch of sardines (at times)= balanced diet.
-Americans dont speak english they speak Spanish, Dominicans speak Dominican, and Haitians speak Haitian.
-You do not have to be talented to be in a talent show.
-Car washes are meant for drinking and dancing.
-Sunday is the best night to party.
-Rum (sometimes with fish or lemon) cures the flu and the cold.
-There’s no such thing as too loud.
-To be a guitar star in your town all you need is knowledge of 3 chords and an out of tune guitar.
-There is the country of America (everything west of the Mississippi) and there is the country of New York (everything east of the Mississippi). I’m from Kansas City Royals of America… or is that in New York?
-You can’t go to school, work, or activities when it’s raining. Also when you have a scheduled day off of school its best to take the day before off and the rest of the week off as well.
-It’s best to bring god into your daily life and conversations even if you are not religious. Only go to meetings if god wants. It’s best to express thanks to god that people and things are well in conversation. Then when things go sour curse to the devil, saint Mary, and the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes the journey’s tough. Sometimes I don’t have the required patience. Luckily there’s humor to life and people who care about me.

One year down! old journal entry named "si dios quiere"

2007-09-03T08:46:00.001-06:00

Ok hurricane Dean update! things were ok. week without power, roads HORRIBLE!, couple trees down. talk to my community- lot of wind strong, lot of rain, LOT of wind. everythings going good. soon i will be off to celebrate one year of peace corps with friends in an all inclusive (yeah we are indulging)! wrote a little something special. will post it later on this week.
currently trying to start up a sexual health promoters group, and a sala de tarea (tutoring). Just moved out but my dona jokes that i still live with her, just sleep somewhere else. will post pictures of it soon also. its beautiful with too much space. working toilet(think im one of the handful of people in my community with one of these), spout overhead for shower.
still take 2 weekly trips to the river with the kids where i practice my kreyol. the batey kids and women want to talk more and more. i should really study up.
heres an old journal entry (to make this update worth it)-

I think I'm begining to understand the depth of 'si dios quiere,' the proper response to just about any question meaning 'if god wills it.'

In the U.S. we strive for power. We strive to control. We live according to science, researching how we can better control the uncontrollable. How we can fix our inconvienences and predict the ever uncontrolable elements of mothernature.

In poverty everything becomes uncontrollable elements that you must adapt to. The water and electricity come and go as they please. Your house will fall over one day and moto will break. You may have food today, you may die today. You may have money today and if you do you enjoy it, it may not be back for a while.

When everything is an uncontrollable element, you must expect anything. You learn not to get to attached to things. You live in the present. God will give and take as she wishes. You learn to accept the bad with a sigh of loss and a shrug of the shoulders, "it was what god wanted." Plans for the future are never set in stone. Meetings will only take place if god allows for the meeting to take place. That is if god allows for those holding the meeting and those who are to attend to actually arrive at the meeting. We are pawns moving according to the whims of god.

Growing up I remember hearing the biblical story of Job. A person who lost it all but continued praising god with each loss. Priests and teachers presented Job as a stoic saint, a martyr. I know the truth. Job was no saint. Job was just a man who adapted quickly to poverty and was smart enough to know that the devil never pays off on promises.

As the things that have been keeping me sane are breaking I am beginging to adapt to poverty on a deeper level. I am beginging to understand the powerlessness involved in all aspects of life and the fatality of circumstance that comes with this. I think the other volunteers in my group are beginging to understand this also. In the climax of frustration my experience with another volunteer Adrienne summed it up best. Walking home from a colmado one night in the capital, after a haitian man poured us a few too many cups of his family's rum, Adrienne turns to me "Becky do you realize we are living in poverty?" This question struck me. Although to outsiders it may seem obvious, we go about our daily lives unaware of the poverty we are living. At this moment, thanks to the bachata music, the company of friends, and of course the haitian rum, we stop dead a street in the colonial zone. Arm in arm Adrienne and I scream into the sleeping city, "WE LIVE IN POVERTY!" The idea seemed so foriegn to our comfortable upper-middle class United States upbringings that all we could do is laugh, shrug our shoulders and walk on.

Hurricane Dean

2007-08-17T09:04:00.000-06:00

Well Hurricane season has officially started with its first threat to the island. It seems as if Hurricane Dean is headed to visit my lovely home in the southwest peninsula. Don't worry, I've just recieved word that us pcvs here in the sw are being 'consoludated' in a hotel in a city inland. pc takes care of us. Now I just hope that my community and dog are alright. Many houses in my community are, well, less than stable. made of flimsy wood and zinc roofs that could be torn off. I just read about what Dean did to the islands in eastern carribean. hopefully Dean just skims us and my Peace Corps service doesn't turn into disaster recovery.

New #

2007-08-13T08:49:00.000-06:00

Have a new phone that has signal in my site, meaning you can call me ANYTIME.
809-651-7584

A highly requested blog entry after my first trip home

2007-08-12T10:30:00.000-06:00

I had my first trip home and it was lovely. Kansas is still intact, gracias a dios.
BEFORE my trip however I made a quick trip back to the batey to visit my old peps.
I was quite nervous to go back. worried that people would be wondering why I was back. possibly bitter that i did not leave them anything (and possibly left something for their neighbors). bitter that i had a site change. bitter that my 2 year promise to them was broken after 6 months.
The Neyba guagua, like always, dropped me off along the carretera infront of the colmado. I greeted the colmado lady who was concerned that i hadn't been in in 2 months. we had a nice little chat, I bought a bottle of pepsi took a deep breath crossed the carretera and entered the batey.
Pass by saludar-ing (greeting) the people who live at the entrance. glance over at the world map mural, my one visible accomplishment during my stay. Kids on main street start noticing my presence, high-fiving me like old times. I enter my host family's colmado. Josefina, my old host sis, is working. she imediately drops what shes working on and jumps up and down. She is so happy to see me and this is releaving as I did not get to say goodbye to her. we spend some time catching up before i head out to Yeismir's house. Yeismir is my 6-year-old host-cousin, but was more like my daughter during my stay. her real mother lives and works in Antigua and they only see eachother about every 2 years. The second I left my host fam's house Im greeted by about a dozen kids chanting my name waiting for me by their gate. As we walk more kids gather. They are wanting to hold my hand. They are wanting to talk about memories from my time there. I see Yeismir and the world is right. she sits in my lap and we lead the 2o/30 some other kids in song and games that I taught them.
Incredible! And I was convinced that I didn't do much there. It probably my most inspiring moment in country so far (few volunteers get a taste of the impact they made while still in country.) A very close second for most inspiring moment in country- visiting other volunteers in site, as its easier to see the impact they are making than your own. One instance in particular- I was visiting volunteer Kaveh in a nearby batey, helping him give an english class. Kaveh was in my 1st spanish class in training and I was having flash-backs to our class where we were students learning clothing names in spanish, Now i was helping him teach that in English. I believe Oprah would call that a full circle moment. Oh us volunteers and the work we do...

Bonjou cheri!

2007-06-30T07:09:00.000-06:00

Buenas, Bonjou, Good Morning!
No new 'stories' per se, I've just been getting settled into beautiful beautiful La Guazara. This past week, though, I've acutally been in the capital with my old host family and some other volunteers for Kreyol language training.
Kreyol, Kreyol, Kreyol...... thoughts on Kreyol.
It's not as applicable anymore for me, considering in the Batey it was their main spoken language in 'informal' settings (with family, in colmados, with friends) I was out of the loop for 6 months. Now I'm in the loop and outta the Batey. I really wish they wouldve let me take this back in December. My spanish wasnt getting much better in the Batey- since they mainly spoke Kreyol.
It will still be applicable, however. I live in the hills/mountians, surrounded by fertile land. meaning haitians in bateys who work the land surround my community. the batey that is outside- Palo Bonito, is a lot smaller than Batey 3 but they definately speak Kreyol.
My main projects so far in La Guazara have been what will classify on my trimester report to Peace Corps as "youth excursions with the promotion of cross cultural exchanges". MEANING- I take a group of kids from La Guazara on hikes through the woods in the hills to bathe and play in the river outside of Palo Bonito. You have to pass through Palo Bonito to get to the river and I've gotten my Dominican Kids to start playing with the Batey kids just fine. AND oh does that nice cool river ever feel good with the hot carribean sun.
Still no phone signal- I'm working on that.
END NOTE: got my green card so i can make my first trip home to KS is coming up- July 12- 26- best part is its literally a card that's green! see you all then.

Enrique Franco- the one-eyebrowed cali-can's addition-

hi mom we miss you, please com eback to visit and bring more brownies!

La Guazara, I have arrived!

2007-06-11T10:29:00.000-06:00

Quick update since i dont have much time left-
I love my new site- La Guazara! It's in the hills so it's a nice fresher, cooler change from the muggy carribean coast and the hot dry batey. Its very green (look at my updated photos at flickr) and there are so many mangos right now- i cant leave the house with out eating one. There are butterflys and horses and flowers (every 6 year old girls dream I know).
I'm getting to know people so quickly and theres a lot to do here. NGOs are already working there so lots of oppertunity for collaboration.
Theres a festival there on the 24th- the running of the horses. we all ride horses in the streets. thats as much as i know about it now, im assuming there is also rum and bachata music involved. i cant wait.
I love my new dog- pure bred 6 month old black lab named Babu (babosa means "big mouth"). Shes so spunky and never leaves my side.
Unfortuantely no cell reception. Sorry.

things have happened

2007-05-27T07:50:00.000-06:00

hey long time no post. still here in the d.r. doing the volunteer thing. some pretty big updates.

things have happened and because of this i am moving sites. this is not a normal volunteer thing, a volunteer always expects to come in country and live in the same site for thier 2 years of service; however, this is not a completely abnormal thing. if there is every a situation where the saftey or security of a volunteer is in question p.c. will take care of you. you are first priority. thats what happened with me.

this is slightly ironic that this is happening to me. when i first moved to my site one of my site neighbors (volunteer in a nearby community) had just had a site change. she would call me at times to talk about the adjusting process and such and i remember telling her (and everyone else) that i couldnt do this all over again. settling in to my community is hands down the hardest thing ive ever done in my life, i always thought if i were forced to change sites i'd probably just early terminate, and many volunteers who have to change sites (as the one i was just talking about did) do. i've seen those volunteers in the midst of site changes in the office. they always seem slightly broken. understandably so. your so far along in your service. you knew your community. you had your project. you had your home. now you have none of that. you can no longer relate to your volunteer friends that do. you have to start all over again.

despite all that im feeling optimistic about this site change. scared, of course, but optimistic also.
Thank god for the sector i'm in. Thank god for my boss and pcvl who have walked me through this process in baby steps. keeping me informed through the whole process, calling randomly to make sure im alright, allowing me to visit my new site possiblities and even choose where i end up in the end. Thank god for the volunteers who've changed sites before me. a month ago, when i knew that changing sites was probably going to happen to me but before it was official, i started talking to a volunteer in between stages of site changing. Now shes a month in to her site. shes offering me her support and being honest with me about settling in for a second time. i apprieciate that.

so my new site and why im excited:
La Guazera, in the loma near Barahona.
what is a loma you ask- well loma literally translates to crazy beautiful little mountian town where people grow coffee, avacados, bananas, and other delicious items along with beautiful flowers. where people enjoy the crisp mountian air, amazing views, and find peace within themselves.
unfortuantley loma also translates to: town with little to no cell phone reception. so im changing cell phones again. will have a new number and be very hard to reach, as im moving up in the world and this "higher" position means im important and hard to get a hold of.
My new site is actually the old site of one of my good training friends who early terminated not long ago. luckily she did tons of prep work for me and started some pretty amazing projects in her short time there- along with getting people legally declared! Im still in contact with her and she sent me a lot of her paper work. It will be interesting having her support and help through my time there also (as i've told her she has to remain involved in this site- they are OUR projects now, not only mine).
official move date: june 5, day after i turn 23

ch-ch-ch-changes

2007-03-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

so im moved and there have been some major ups and downs.
i love living alone. i can eat what i want when i want. i can cook for myself. i can clean for myself. i can bathe whenever i want and i dont feel like im in anyone's way. major freedom.
problems- setting the ground rules with the neighborhood kids and gaining thier respect. so far i have had visitors every ten mins. literally the longest i went one day was 15 mins without a visitor. the kids are also trying to push my limits right now which is creating some strain. "tu eres mala, rebek. eres mala conmigo." i get that all the time for kicking the kids out- but hey, no fighting or yelling in my house. they will learn. im no pushover. and i have a lot of work to prepare right now as im presenting my diagnostic in a week.
so ive discovered im a horrible cook. my dog wont even eat my cooking. its bad. but hey wheres a better place to learn or a better time right? the other day after i was screaming at some kids who were angry at me for kicking them out of my house, and throwing rocks at my house, i was cooking lunch. frying up some green bananas, true dominican style. when Yesmir (my 5-yr-old niece) comes in with 3 of the kids and an alive pigeon in her hand. "rebek, look what we have for you to eat. just kill it clean it and fry it." how can you stay mad at kids who catch you a pigeon? i laughed, and no i did not eat it! im not that desperate yet.
besides the rocks being thrown at my house my other main problem is people coming to ask me for stuff. "dame algo." "rebek, tengo hambre. dame un galleta." (give me something. becky im hungry give me crackers") at first i was just highly irritated. its been happening a dozen times a day from everyone kids, adults, teens. do they not know why im here yet? i cant give things. i dont have things to give. then i sat with one girl and we had a talk. she really doesnt have enough to eat and sometimes when they dont have money will go days without eating. shes a sponsered child but the institution only gives clothing and books for school (atleast at school she can get bread and milk). im gonna have to talk to someone and figure something out about this one. why are there no jobs in this country? tough questions... what can ya do?
its cute that the donas are worried about me living alone. they fear that i cannot do things- cook, clean. they send thier teenager daughters to my house to do it for me. so i tell them to stop and then give them cosmo in spanish to read instead.

my parents are coming in a week! Happy 6 month in country anniversary!

domesticating me

2007-02-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Updates-
after much work and negotiation (long story) i finally have a house. i will move in next week. i also have a dog. she's nothing i wanted- not the right looks, sex, coloring- but hey the first dog was killed by a pig and so i wasn't too picky. plus shes amazing (a little turd but amazing).

problems- solutions section

house has no electricity or water- but they are coming(?)

the house is suffocatingly dusty- when i get water it will be cleaned everyday

my room is freaking hot- solution (?)

more brightside to life-

i have my very own latrine!

i get to cook and clean for myself (yes this is a good thing)

Pictures have been updated- of house, dog, batey, and map mural that ive been working on with my youth

"me" time

2007-01-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

the sunlight hits my pillow and despite the fact that i live in the hotest part of the country, i'm a little chilly. look at the clock (7:15). stomach rumbles- its gonna be another one of those days. peel back my mosquito net and pull on my k-state hoodie as i roll out of bed. A trip to the latrine and i put on some coffee. noone else is awake.
i love this time. i know for the next hour i will be alone. i will sit on my porch (off of the main street) with my coffee and my ipod and watch the batey wake up.
the sunlight is soft and i watch the pigs and goats search for food. next comes a sugarcane worker on horseback with his machete. later the donas wake up and brave the cold to do the mornining chores: empty the chamberpots and sweep the dirt around their houses. the kids then start waking up and heading to the sugarcane for the same reason i made my early latrine trip. they stop by for a little chat and to tell me that i drink too much coffee- as a full mug is way too much here. soon the bar next door will be blaring the latest bachata for everyone in the batey to here, the sun will be strong and bleach everything in its path except my skin which it will turn bright red, the batey will be so hot, my colmodo in my house will have customers, the street will be crowded, and i will (after a cold bucket bath) have visitors but for now i am alone with my music in english and coffee.

Photos

2007-01-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

So ive changed my photo link to the right and have actually uploaded photos of my training and site- how crazy i know! so you can now click on it and see way more of my life than the little ive been giving you on my blog.
thanks dad for the flickr acount.

My encounter with a milipede

2007-01-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

so ive gotten a little to friendly with a lot of gross animals here *tranatulas, cockroaches big enough to put a leash on and take for a walk, dominican bread rabid street dog* but this encounter takes the cake.
Setting- the final day of new years vacation in cabarate, a beautiful resort town on the northern coast. total tourist town (think of breakenridge carribean style with awesome surf). my friends and i stay in the most beautiful set of bungalows surrounding an awsome pool and bar.
The encounter- im finally trying to catch up on my sleep after several days of celebration- dancing into the wee hours and waking up rediculously early. Sleeping in a bed with a friend emily when all of a sudden 5:30 am. drowsy me is disturbed from slumber. feel a little something round my face do the slight brush. feel a little poke on my neck, more awake alert me sees a hair clip in the bed and thinks that thats what poked me and throws it to the night stand when all of a sudden- NEEDLE JABING into my neck. I jump out of bed and watch a black thing slither down the side of the bed and stop. i think im half imagining things. at this point ive woken up my friend jill in the fellow bed and scream for her to give me her cellphone with a light on it. i shine the light and watch a large milipede slide under the covers. I scream, wake everyone up. emily hops out of bed- jill flicks on the light and emily shakes out the covers where we discover not one but 2 milipedes that had been keeping us warm durning the evening.

Ahora-
kinda creeped out but whatever i survived. my neck is sore but that might be from a number of things- swimmin, dancing a ton, not getting much sleep, beach volleyball, trying my first cuban cigar, drinking amazing mixed drinks, eating amazing irish pub food, laughing to much, lying on a beautiful beach- (not to make you jealous or anything. ok whatever i was). felt american, 22 years old, and on vacation in the caribean with friends for the first time in a long time.
they say the 1st month at site is the toughest and its all uphill from there. my first month had some definate challenges and this vacation was needed.

The year santa left spagetti or my dominican christmas

2006-12-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Thursday the 21st- my 'american christmas'
I took a trip to barahona (also dubbed by me as 'the city') where a friend was waiting with the package that made it to me for christmas. adn It couldnt have been a better package.
the scene- me and 2 other volunteer friends (christina and enrique) are in the chinese restaurant/ fried chicken restaurant eating fried chicken, tostones, and presidente when i open the package from my aunt mary, uncle dave, and cousins. inside is a stocking stuffed with a dozen small wrapped packages. so together we opened round of present after round of presents. your semi traditional american christmas- good food, presents, good drink, and members of my peace corps family. thanks leiker fam!
Dec 24- Noche buena
This is when dominicans celebrate. this day was hyped up for me so much. After looking forward to it all week i wake up that magical 24th morning and wait for the big meal that had been promised. i play with lucy, my 2 yr old niece. noon rolls around- i am served cheetoes and orange juice- its going to be a little longer says my mom. no problem, yet the only evidence i have of this big meal at this time are the two live chickens tied together on my kitchen floor. we have luz i watch soap operas and play with lucymore. 5 oclock. 6 0clock. 7 oclock. 8 oclock. dinner is served. i guess i hadnt realized that the feast was acutally dinner.
spagetti, fried yuca, bread, chicken, ensalada rusa, and of course rice. delicious. simpsons playing in the background as we all sat at the table and ate like a family (this never happens!). it did feel like christmas for a while. then we attended a 4 hour long evangelical church service while everyone else in the town went out dancing and drinking. aye mi madre!

Dec 25- my christmas
I wake up at 7 am and put out little packages i had made. inside paper decorated with crayons in christmas like designs (made by me!) were oreos, chocolates, and other little candies. along with a letter from santa claus. go back to sleep. wake up later.
Josefina (my sister)- "Rebéc! Santa puso! santa puso!" (santa left, santa left)
me- really?
J- yes- did santa leave for you?
me- no hes bored with me after 21 years.
one hour later
J (with a plate of leftover spagetti bread and pop)- Rebéc santa puso para ti tambien! (santa left for you also)

i couldnt help but laugh. it was really sweet and funny. Santa found me in the d.r.
so besides that i spent my christmas dancing with lucy to michael jackson (they love him here) in my room. we took a walk through the sugar cane to the river. and then watched more telenovelas (soap operas).
apparently what is super special about christmas here is that there is luz almost 24hrs a day for the two days straight.

well off to the beach for new years to celebrate the good old american way (no more evangelical church for me for a while).

aren´t you lucky

2006-12-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

one week later and another update- arent you all lucky!
So here it goes in Batey 3. slow slow slow... i´ve finished two novels in the past week! But in the mean time im learning creole (bonjour, bonsua, bom glo, merci, bom nuet, mue nom Rebeka- at least i think these are correct...), and how to sell items in my family owned colmado- insert photo of my sister selling items in my colmado attached to my house here-
Shes 22, only a little older than me! and my mom here is only 2 months younger than my real mom.

heres a triumphant story of me at my site.
so during my site visit a week before we moved in my overly excited project partner (the one who solicited to have a volunteer in the community and therefore takes on the responciblity of me) was taking me around the batey so i could ¨see the poverty of thier lives¨. well it became a little too real for me. these people are poor. really poor. women would see me and light up with happiness. They would welcome me into their one room wooden houses where 10plus people live and sleep on the dirt floor. theyd tell me how they needed clothes and food to eat. Then they´d hold out their hands for money... heres the thing- this is not exactly along the peace corps philosophy of development, nor do they give us the funding for hand outs. id then say that i do not have money. thats when some would become upset. i understand that in the past to many of them seeing a foreigner in a batey means ´hand oút´since that is how development had been done in the past. so point of story i was kicked out of some houses and one woman spat at my feet as i was leaving.
this made me really upset and i had problems dealing with this when i went back to the capital for swearing in (which was a fabulous week of fun and activities by the way).
Well they other day, im back at my site and im looking for big paper for an activitiy i had planned for my youth group. my 15 yr old friend rosa (who looks more like 12) was taking me around to the different colmados only to find ount noone sells big paper. well then she starts leading me into the part of the batey i had been avoiding. the part where i was not well recieved. i was followed by stares of course but was not my usual happy self greeting them. when we got to the colmado the man behind the counter Roberto, was very friendly heres how our convo went.
R- the whole world is pleased you are here
Me- you know who i am?
R- the whole world knows you
Me, doubtful he knows me- I am Rebecca. I am a peace corps volunteer, I am here to work with the youth. I live here for 2 years.
R- Yes I know. I am grateful. I am at your order. If you need anything ask. Everyone is at your order.

I was so shocked. This was the side that i had been afraid of! Ive been getting that ´at your order´think alot. oh and my youth group meeting went really well. so more photos of my site.

CELL PHONE UPDATE

2006-11-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Its a miracle! I will no longer be MIA my friends. Now you can reach me with a short (well long distance actually) phone call! I have just recieved a phone with reliable service at my site. Alleluia!
Becky's new number 809-723-9867
call me whenever and I will recieve it- amazing!

connection to the outside world

2006-11-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

sorry no photos this time and i have been mia for too long but i do have a cell phone now
829-770-2463
thats my number call me. i dont get reception at my site unless i go out to the pley with the goats or into the sugar cane fields.
thats right i have my site- its Batey 3 in the south. Batey means that it is where the haitians and dominicans who work in the sugar cane fields live. and that also means poor poor poor. i had a hard time dealing with it on my site visit but the people are amazing.
sorry im going to keep this short. people are waiting but i swear never again will i let a whole month pass without checking my email... i hope.

the melted snickers phenomenon

2006-10-28T09:59:00.000-06:00

so ive been living in matancitas a small community outside of Nagua on the north coast. to use the internet i have to take a motoconcho (motorcylce taxi) into Nagua so needless to say i dont use internet often- although i really like riding on the back of the motorcycle esp along the beach(who knows when i get back i might just get a motorcycle instead of a car). Ive been working with a youth group of highschool aged kids here (i gave a talk last night to the kids) and Ive been working in a sala de tarea (homework room). photos from youthgrop at the beach and the sala. The sala is set up for kids who need tutoring- there is a great need.

I love the pic on the far left- i truely look peace corps in it.

only a week and a half left of matancitas though then the capital then i get a cell and then i get my site- las hoyas- really small. not on the map and most dominicans havent even heard of it- just what i wanted. I swear in as a actual volunteer the day before thanksgiving! then we go out to celebrate!

ok now to the title of the blog- the melted snickers phenomenon. During a class discussion of frustrations the other day a friend- laura, metioned what she entitled the melted snickers phenomenon as her frustration. i couldnt have agreed more- this is what it is.
You go to the mini mart you see a snickers and oh it is tempting with its pretty brown american like packaging and your hungry and missing home so you think "why wait". you grab the snickers put three days worth of your allowance down and leave. only when you open the wrapper you discover it is completely melted and runny. sure it still tastes good but not nearly the same deliciousness that your used to.
much of this country is like this. the houses may have electrical plugins and light bulbs, they might have faucets and even at times shiny shower heads- but when it comes down to it you prolly only get electricity a few hours a day and water every couple days. and even when you get water the pressure is just a small drip- making the shower head completely useless. you take bucket baths.
There is this mess of americanization and the developing latin world.
Everyone wears second hand shirts from the states in english but forthe most part noone knows what they mean. the side effect is quite funny at times you get old donas wearing explicit and vulgar shirts. My sister in the capital has a shirt that says "proud big brother" and my nephew wears a cici's pizza work shirt.

2006-10-14T10:55:00.000-06:00

2006-10-14T10:20:00.000-06:00

im having a hard time getting these to load.... sorry.

2006-10-14T09:56:00.000-06:00

2006-09-30T10:32:00.000-06:00

I've gone to visit my real life volunteer in Perdernales and visited the beach. She is running 2 youth groups and a women's computer class and since she is on the haitian boarder she speaks creole fluently. My first time traveling on my own in the D.R. The only thing that went wrong was a very sketchy guagua (overly crowded public bus) ride in the end. I'm pretty sure it was not a legal guagua- the windshield was held together with clear tape- you couldnt even see out of it and once the driver found out i speak english he had me sit in the front of the bus for the rest of the time. But I made it home alright. Yup- pretty amazing. Beyond that I have had more training classes and yes more vaccinations.
Some sad news- My neighbor and good friend here has decided to early terminate and return to the states. That makes 4 of the group of 56 (?) that have left. So Jeff if you found this- a group of us had a presidente in your honor the other night and we all hope the required stool samples went well.
Some good news- Tommorrow I am moving to a small town close to Nagua on the Northern Coast. There will be four of us volunteers living there right on the beach and working with the town's youth group. We will be there until mid november and if you want the number to call me you can get it from my parents *just call my old cell or home #*. one thing when you call ask for Rebecca not Becky. The sad part of this is that our training group is spliting up. We've gone to the carwash to drink dance and celebrate. It feels like the ending but really we have not even begun our service. I am stuck with these people for the next two 1/4 years- thats a good thing.
I am also going to miss my family here- they have been so nice to me. I am their first volunteer and they treat me amazing.
I am trying to get photos posted- i will post as soon as possible (think 2 or 3 weeks maybe).
Thank you for all of your emails. You'd better believe that I talk about all of you. I just recieved the first letters from mom and grandma on tuesday- so it takes around 3 weeks for mail to arrive.
Laura congrats! Welcome baby Gus!

2006-09-16T16:34:00.000-06:00

Tommorrow is Daniel's second birthday. Daniel is mi sobrino (my nephew) and we are celebrating with a massive party that my family has spent all day preparing for. there will be plenty of dulces and beer (at least so i've been informed) for the adults. i cant wait! im having sugar cravings like no other! in fact i wouldnt have had any sweets since i left wichita if it were not for the surprise party for another volunteer tuesday night. his host family is apparently related to mine and when we (the two other volunteers who live with my family) got home from training we were informed we were attending. The cake! oh the cake and pop! i can not tell you how sweet it was. yes sugar cravings...
so next week i have my volunteer visit. i get to visit a current peace corps youth volunteer. she is stationed in Perdenales a six hour bus ride to the southern coast on the haitian boarder. i'm stoked to get to go so close to haiti and get to spend a day at the beach (im getting quite tan- jealous?). plus there is a saturday market with haitian vendors that i will get to go to.
the reggaeton is blaring right now (if you don't know reggaeton think sean paul or daddy yankee) as it always is and i am sweating as i always am. my arms are sore from vaccinations and i noticed there are more schedualed for monday. the water has been gone for the past three days but im stoaked for the party tommorrow.
went to the outdoor market today with my host sister. the poverty and crowdedness reminded me of tanger. i suppose this is the picture of developing countries.
i spend my days in training. its a lot like being back in school 4 hours of spanish then 1 hour lunch then 3 hours of country training where they scare us with medical talk or discuss what development means. im finding that im really interested in development *duh* i guess id have to be to be here. well se fue la luz (electricity just went out ) luckily the computers here are on a generator. the electricity is almost like a game. when it goes out everyone announces it- as if everyone else was blind. then when it comes back everyone announces it again- ahh, la luz! its really quite fun. sometimes the luz will flash once or twice like its going to come back and everyone gets really excited and says "uhhh.... uhhh.." but then it doesn't. maybe the second national sport should be luz watching. oh good times.

2006-09-12T17:50:00.000-06:00

First off- Ive arrived and I am very much so alive! This experience has been so incredible so far. Peace Corps really works us through baby steps and our trainers are AMAZING! The d.r. clearly has one of the more organized and better peace corps programs.
I arrived last thursday and the 50 of us were rushed onto buses and taken to a Catholic retreat center for our incountry orientaion. There we were given our first tablets of aralene (malaria meds) and informed we must never drink the water, we must sleep under our mosquito nets, never drink the water, we must wear deet bug spray, never drink the water, not eat certian foods (namely lettuce) and never never ever drink the water. The next day we were shown to our training center which is this amazing botanical safe haven for volunteers! The land is beautiful and well kept with tropical plants and gazeebos where we have class. We recieve our many immunizations here as well. They prepped us on the culutre and then set us free with our first set of host families. Mine is AMAZING! I'm not quite sure how many people I live with but heres the general make up of the place- It is on a family lot with five different houses, around 15 family members, 3 volunteers (including me), many roosters, chickens, 2 dogs, 6 or 7 cows, several pigs, ducks, and a car break repair shop- this is all right of the main highway in the city!!! Great combo of the perks of living in a major city (constant highway noise music and activity) along with the perks of having chickens walk through my kitchen in the morning!
I am being treated like american royalty- this is right i live with the same family that the kennedy kid did. well actually he lived with mi tia (my aunt) in one of the other houses on the lot but i have definatly sat on the same throne (in the bathroom sense). Dominicans have so far been extremely overwhelmingly loving and caring. My family here is extremely protective and proud of me. I am shown off alot and expected to talk a lot. I feel a little embarrassed by all the accomodations they have to maek for me (special water, special food, mosquito net, my own room) but they understand and care. They won't even let me in el sol during the day. They tell me my skin will turn red IMMEDIATELY!
My spanish is improving 10 fold every day and I cleared the language requirement for swearing in the first day easily. I have not stopped sweating from the moment i arrived but i love this country- the people, the latin culture mixed with african roots, the family, the collective nature. I have electricty and water in my house SOMETIMES, but when i don't i get by. when i have water i take a drip shower from a faucet, when i dont a bucket bath. when i have electricty i read from a light, when i dont an oil lamp. I am learning the ways of the national sport- 'chisme' or gossip, how to dress in humidity, use public transportation, and stayw ith in social norms.
This last is by trial and error as i attended a cock fight on sunday with another volunteer (who lives with mi tia) and our brother in law. When i arrived i noticed i was the only woman there. Apparently it is looked down upon for women to attend such things and they could even be looked on as whores for doing it. Luckily they know i am just a silly american and it was an experience of much learning.
Well my mosquito net is calling and my time at the internet cafe is running up!

rainy miami

2006-09-05T17:40:00.000-06:00

so i made it. miami's rainy and entertaining. yesterday when i arrived my roommate- stephanie age 28 from california arrived soon after. we soon met up with about 12 of us early arrivers and went to dinner then to south beach- miami's night scene. well... south beach is expensive and fun. it's quite a ways away from my hotel so we ended up riding in the cab of a semi. see one of the volunteers has a cousin who drives a truck and was making a delivery in miami last night (crazy latino disco and scantily clad women dancing very provocatively). i'm not sure if you've ever ridden in the cab of a semi but they are quite nice. leather walls and seats. a t.v. a microwave and spacious seating for the 8 of us that went out. the other volunteers are interesting of course we all have similar interests and concerns. noone else from kansas is in our group of 50 but tons from california. we have $140 to spend while we are here it will go very quickly though (breakfast this morning cost me $20) well people are waiting on the computer better go.

My flights

2006-08-12T09:15:00.000-06:00

Sept 4th
Wichita to Atlanta 10:50- 1:54
Atlanta to Miami 4:17-6:03

Sept 7th
Miami to Santo Domingo, DR 10:35- 12:45

Beth also pointed out that my countdown is a day slow. I don't care enough to change it so just subtract a day from whatever it says. If that's too difficult just call me and I'd be more than happy to tell you how many days I have left (but whos counting?).

Countdown and a geography lesson

2006-07-06T12:55:00.000-06:00

Where in the world is the Dominican Republic? Let me show you...

a few answers to some frequently asked questions

2006-07-06T12:24:00.000-06:00

Why did I decide to join the Peace Corps?
Well… This is a tough one because it wasn’t a difficult decision for me. It was something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I’ve known about it. I remember thinking it was a neat idea as far back as the 4th grade but it wasn’t until my high school librarian (who was an original “Kennedy’s kid”) gave a talk with an informative (a.k.a. recruitment) video on it that I became seriously interested. Then thanks to the confidence gained in an international setting during my study abroad I really thought it was a possibility. SHORT ANSWER- The Peace Corps combines my loves of culture, language, and living in a foreign environment along with one of my favorite past-times of worrying my mother.

What are you going to be doing in the Peace Corps?
I plan on lying in my own hammock for 2 years under the Caribbean sun, getting a nice tan and eating freshly picked mangos. Just kidding! In reality I don’t even like mangos (a taste I will hopefully acquire since it is considered by many to be the most delicious food found in the D.R.). To address thisquestion I’m starting with the three goals of the Peace Corps as stated by the Peace Corps:
1. To help people of interested countries meet their need for trainedmen and women2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part ofpeople served.3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the partof Americans.

More specifically my job description is Youth Development Promoter. What this means (I know it’s kind of vague but it is what I know so bear with me) is I will work at a community level in either a urban or rural area with groups of young people- typically, loosely organized and in need of motivation and direction- and in coordination with community based organizations, non-governmental and governmental organizations. I will be assigned to a specific “project” and I am likely to be placed in a “cluster” i.e. reasonably close to other volunteers working with Youth or the complimentary sectors of Health, Education, Environment, or Small Business. (I have found that this “cluster” means they live in nearby towns)
Specific activities that this includes are: organizing youth-driven recreation and arts events, building developmental skills, forming peer educators, organizing youth groups, organizing parent support groups, presenting workshops on issues important to the community, organizing literacy programs, and supporting youth in planning and implementing community-led projects. Now what I will actually do is kind of up to me (the Peace Corps gives you this freedom). I will spend the first 3 months as a Volunteer (which will actually be my 4th-6th months of living in country) performing a “community diagnostic” which means getting to know the community and figuring out what it’s needs are. From there I will form my master plan!

Do I think I will make some major, sustainable, country altering change?
Let’s say I don’t hold some outlandish idealistic notion of what changes I will make, but that it has happened for some Volunteers. Also I wanted to relay the idea of “seed planting.” Where I more than likely will only see minor changes (if any) during service, but in the long run perhaps something major could grow because of it. There are plenty of stories where this occurs and you never know the effect you may have on others.

Am I scared?
VERY! but I don't believe that you should not do something only because you are afraid. I expect times where I will be sick from dengue (or some other crazy tropical illness) be crying for my mom wanting more than anything to go home, but I know that there will also be times where I will be completely blown away- in the best sense- by the experience.

Dominican Republic here I come

2006-06-08T20:18:00.000-06:00

So it's official from Sept 7, 2006- Nov 28, 2008 I will be living in the Dominican Republic.

I already have my address
for letters send to-
Becky Spachek PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 1412
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Care packages go to-
Becky Spachek PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
451 Avenida Bolivar
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Telephone 809-685-4102
(yes you do need the phone number)