HIV/AIDS Conference in Santiago
Trip Start
Sep 07, 2003
1
22
48
Trip End
Nov 26, 2005
Santiago (Centro de ILAC),
Dominican Republic
Saturday, June 5, 2004
How is everyone? I am currently at a HIV/AIDS conference in the second biggest city in the country, Santiago. Occassionally, we have some breaks and I have to chance to jump on a computer and do some quick e-mailing or just finding out what is happening in the work or in the Dominican Republic. I figure that you will know if a hurricane is going to hit the island before I will find out.
One of the things I would like to do in my travel logs is give you a since of the life and culture here so that you can understand as well. I so far am not doing a good job, but hopefully this will change in the future. I want to give you accounts though you would not normally tell others people about these stories we volunteers talks about them on a daily basis. I want you to understand how you grew up and appreciate what it is you have in this life. Further, if in the future you have the opportunity to help others to not even think about if you can at all possibly help them. I want you to understand that I cannot help everyone that I will encounter in my journey, but that I am doing what I can and can hope that the education will continue in the minds of those receiving it.
So the house that I live in has a guy that maintains and watches the house. He has a room in the house in which he sleeps. In other words because he and I sleep in the same house we are considered married. However, nobody will tell me this to my face. I find it out through gossip in the community. I just laugh about the whole thing and tell people the truth, but people are always going to talk and try to come up with something to pass the day by. However, I do think that the guy is in love with me and refuses to say this to my face. Oh well, what can I do about it. There are just some things that you should just brush off and not worry about.
It was funny I was in the capital this past weekend and we were playing the card game "Phase 10" (awesome game by the way). Anyway only volunteers minds would think this way, but because we have such stomach problems we would laugh each time we talked about have a run or runs ( I am sure you know what we were thinking). We just wind up talking about the weirdest things because each of us is going through the same illness or will eventually go through the same illness.
Have you guys ever eaten boiled banana? Well, I eat it on a daily basis and it is not good alone, but fills you up otherwise. I think one of the funniest things will be when I return and shopping and the supermarket. First, I will be looking for the green bananas and then maybe want to argue why they are not there is there none available. The colmados (house stores) are funny in that you can ask for what you only need. So if you just want a spoonful of tomato paste, it is done or just an egg. I know that we usually are busy and buy in advance, but here the next day is never guaranteed so they live in today.
I feel that my travelogs should be truthful no matter whether it is usually talked about or not because here this just happens on a daily basis. I remember coming back from a trip on carribe tours(like greyhound) and the food was not setting in my stomach so the earlier signs of diarrhea were starting. We decided to go to the mall and call our trainer to let her know that we would be at a certain place in about a hour. I on the other was sinking fast. So I go to the bathroom with a stomach that is turning horribly and open the stall to find that the toilet does not have a sit. I just looked for a second and had to laugh. So now I beg the question have you ever had diarrhea so bad that you need to sit, but can't and just want to pass out, but can't.
I thought I would have diarrhea the other day because of the food I ate, but I am fine. I am at Lucia's House when a boy bring crabs up to the fire to cook. I had heard of river shrimp or crabs, but this was a first to see. He decided to leave the claws and man were they good without anything too. The women were using a fugon (open fire in a cement block) to clean a pot. A lot of the people in my community use these because gas for the stove keep soaring and they cannot afford it.
I still have yet to learn how to find my own bananas in the wild, but I will learn. They keep saying over there. Just right over there. Of course, i will need my handy machete (Huge barbarian knife, kind of like a sword) to chop it down.
So I head back to my community today and I am never really looking forward to traveling in this country just because you never know what can happen. I was on a bus once in which the guy drew a gun, and in most causes like this is always over money. You just act quiet and hope that nothing happens.
There are these cars, trucks, or little vehicles (which I never saw is the states, trust me they are funny and I have no idea how you can ride in them) that go over driving all over the place with a loud speaker shouting guineo, platano, cebolla ect. They are just shouting food and supplies. unfortunately my road is so back that they would never dream of passing my direction.
So have a ride from the house to the entrance of my community. I had some errand to run and so forth. I had to go to the school and meet with director and put of sign-up sheets for the English and sex education classes. As I was coming back, I was looking for my cell phone and could not find. I guess I thought wrongly of the students and figured one of them took it when I was walking the halls and my backpack was in the director;s office. So later I am thinking ok well I guess I have to say I lost and get another one, but I do not want another phone because they have such a horrible service. My group's phone works in places where they normally should not. I get a message that night from my host brother that my phone was phone is the ride I took earlier. Unfortunately, he went to the capital and I have no idea when I will get it back. I guess I should be thankful that he did not go and sell the phone and was a somewhat honest guy. So I lucked out this time and still have my phone.
So the youth were youth last night and it was different patrolling the halls making sure that none of them were making-out in the shadows or doing who knows what with whoever. I could just sees and hears the stories going back to our communities and the parents. The guys would never be allows out again. Unfortunately, nothing bad happened. Just a game that they were playing that I did not agree with, but most kids did when they were younger. You tear a small piece of paper about the size of your hand and you suck air to hold it to your mouth and them pass it to the next person and they suck air to grip it. In other word, you are kind of kissing the next person, but there is a sheet of paper in between you and the other person. I could not blame them because there was nothing else to do.
Well, I have to go for now, and I know several of these thoughts were random, but a little more detailed. I hope that you all are doing well and when you get the chance to let me know I would love to hear from you.
PC DR
Courtney
