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Trip Start Aug 19, 2008 Previous
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  Barahona, Dominican Republic
Saturday, April 4, 2009

THE GRANT FROM HELL: consumed most of my life in the beginning of March.  It was a grant to start an eco-tour.  My Artisan Association was very excited when I brought it up at the meeting, so I figured I'd get some help with the solicitation form.  Not the case.  I ended up writing the entire thing and the things that were delegated did not get done in the least.  It is difficult to promote sustainability when the motivation, drive, and accountability just doesn't seem to be there sometimes.  Fortunately, I ended up getting some assistance from a Dominican contact that I made who works for the Secretary of Culture, which greatly improves our chances to receive this money, si Dios quieren...
 
I KNEW I WAS DOMINICAN WHEN:  The month of March came and went as my entire month mostly consisted of visitors.  I had my first US visitor, Shelley, come to see me and my site. We had a wonderful time and it was so exciting to finally share my new life with someone from my past one - meeting my Dominican friends and other volunteers, seeing some of my projects in action (like the jewelry workshop and my sweet English class), living like a PC volunteer, and experiencing a small piece of this beautiful culture.  It really opened both of our eyes to a few things; most of which she hadn't experienced before, but also to what I've become so quickly accustomed to.  Here is a small list of those things:
- Cold showers & frequent blackouts
- Having no sink in my house and washing my dishes in a huge bucket
- That people use their ovens (if they have them) as a storage place and not to bake
- Eating the same things almost every day
- Hall throat lozenges are considered candy here
- Sleeping under a mosquito net, always
- Saying hello to everyone, always
- If you don't have exact change on a bus they usually won't give you the right change, especially if you're a gringo
 
LEE FAMILY + DR = GREAT SUCCESS!!: It was the talk of the town that my family was coming.  I mean, everyone here has their families living in the same town for the most part, so for me having my family thousands of miles away and having them visit me was a big deal.  Everything went smoothly though I was a little overwhelmed because this is my territory now and I was in charge of the family's well-being (eep!).  My parents stayed in the small hotel in my site while I happily made my brother stay in my 'house' with me.  They loved my community, the people, my house, my projects, and my attitude. It was the longest that I had gone without seeing my family (7.5 months) so we were all content for the days we were together.
 
GOD BLESS INFRASTRUCTURE & STARBUCKS:  In correlation with my parents visit, they decided since the DR is so close to Florida where my grandmother resides to take me with them on a 3 day visit. It went by so quickly, but wow, I just couldn't believe how much of the states I forgot about, like instant gratification in every sense of the word; always having Internet, car, 24-hour everything, hot showers, constant lights, and chain businesses.  I went a little overboard with shopping at Target & numerous trips to Starbucks, but rightfully so, I had 7 months to make up!  Seeing my grandmother was nice but difficult since her age is getting the best of her.  Luckily, I was able to share with her what I have been doing here and give her a stunning piece of Larimar jewelry.
 
EL MES QUE VIENE (THE COMING MONTH): looks to be very busy.  I am going to start up my youth business courses, work on my health course, continue my English class, strengthen the Artisan Association, help promote and find funds for El Dia de Las Mujeres (Mother's Day) activity, and a few other things here and there.  Another month, another set of interesting stories and experiences to come I'm sure.

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