I'm still here!

Hello everyone. I'm not sure if anyone is even still checking this due to my long absence, but I thought I'd check in and let you know that I am still alive and well here in the Dominican Republic. I don't have internet access in my site, hence the lack of entries, so I will probably not be posting. However, there is the possibility that we may get internet sometime "soon" (hah) which would make communication much easier.

Right now I am in the capital checking my mail, using the computer, and taking a little break from my site. Things are going well in my community. I have started teaching english classes and am preparing to start computer classes in 2 weeks. I am also working on my community diagnostic, but haven't really gotten a lot done due to rain (when it rains, no one does everything), the strikes in my town (including burning tires, broken bottles, police, tear gas), and large amounts of time devoted by the town to preparing for mother's day celebrations. I spend most mornings at the high school, afternoons sitting around with the family and sometimes taking walks with my friend (the secretary of the high school), and evenings doing some more sitting or teaching english. Things will really pick up in 2 weeks when I start eaching computer classes every day in addition to english. I also want to try and do some sort of summer camp for younger children because there is nothing for them to do during the summer (we'll see if I have time).

I just spoke to Noah on the phone and think I will be seeing them tonight! I'm very excited. My friend Megan, a volunteer who lives near my site, came and visited the other day for the mother's day celebrations and it felt great to have someone see my community...

Anyways, I think it's gotten to the point where there's just too much to say and it becomes hard to choose what to write about. I love hearing from you all, miss you, and love you.

P.S. Just a reminder, you can still send mail to the capital and I will periodically pick it up there. (I am doing research to see if I can find a way to get it sent closer to me, but we shall see.)

Alissa Mayer, PCV
Cuerpo de Paz
Av Bolivar 451, Gazcue
Apartado Postal 1412
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Swearing in and heading out...

Hello everybody, I am sitting using the wonderful free internet at the Peace Corps office in the capital. Wednesday was swearing in and the past two days we have had some time to get ourselves together before we head out tomorrow to our sites. The swearing in ceremony was very nice with lots of kind words from our directors and members of our host families there to celebrate with us. We took our oath (yes yes) in both english and spanish and crossed that boundary between trainee and volunteer! There was delicious cake and juice (although my stomach problems prevented my from partaking to the fullest) and they even showed some slides of us from training. Tomorrow I will head out to my site to begin my service and my life as a PCV. My emotions are kind of running wild. I have gotten used to the schedule of training and having busy days with other volunteers around for support. Life will be very different out in my site, but I am hoping that it will have its own perks and highlights. Well, here I go...

Can't wait to talk to you all and hear how life is going back in the good old US of A. (P.S. Last night we went to the Hard Rick cafe and I have never loved nor appreciated the amazingness that is America so much in my life. It was fabulous and they served real food besides rice and beans! Wow.) I send my love.

Arrival in La Cueva

Hello everbody! I am back in the capital after spending 5 days at my new home in my site! The past few days have been pretty intense but also amazing. Tuesday we met our project partners and spent the morning making awkward conversation and doing different activities. I was one of the last people to meet my partners and was getting really nervous and anxious, but when I met them they were the nicest and warmest people and I felt so much better. There were two people there for me- my official project partner (Ramona) who is the directer of the high school and also the district director of information technology (Francelis). His family lives in my site (he lives the nearest city, about 25 minutes away) and so has a special interest in the town. They were both so welcoming it was unbelievable. She, the high school director, is super outgoing, works all the time, is go go go, always takes longer than expected, so talkative, and already gave me her jewelry. I think the closest comparison I can make is Sue. So yeah, don´t worry-I´ll be taken care of. Anyways, Tuesday afternoon we arrived and even though I was tired, they took me to see the high school. On the way over, Francelis asked me if I cry easily when I am emotional. I didn´t really know how to answer or why he was aksing me that, but when we pulled up to the high school and I saw the 150-200 people waiting for me there, I got it. As I stepped out of the car, I was introduced to so many people including teachers, priests, policemen, and other community members. Then, a group of young kids dressed up in matching (marching band-esque outfits) did a whole baton routine. After that we all moved inside where a table was set up in front for me and other "important" people to sit at and everyone else took seats in the audience. There were so many people that people were standing outside peering in the windows. They proceeded to call people up to the podium to give speeches, present me with flowers, sing songs, and there were 4 or 5 choreographed dance routines performed by high school students as well. Of course, I also said a few (very few) words. It was increadible and I almost did cry. They kept talking about how momentous it was to have me there and how I was now part of their community and all the great things I was going to do. I felt so welcomed and loved and also realized how much hope and faith they have put in me. I almost felt sad that they feel so unable to change their own circumstances that they are putting such blind faith in an unkown person, a foreigner, to help them. It is a lot of pressure and I hope I can live up to it. It was a moment of realization about what I am doing here, what I represent to them, etc. and a day I will never forget.

Over the next few days I talked more with the teachers, was introduced to each classroom of students, visited the elementary school, saw the University in Cotui, went to the baseball field (the one and only form of diversion in my town) and shared with my new family. The family is very very nice...the father is an evangelical pastor and they have two daughters, one about 8 or 9 and a 17 year old who is already married and lives in her husband´s house. The house is nice too- definately nicer than a lot of other ones in town, but has no running water and electricity only a few hours a day. The father told me he didn´t think he would be able to have me live there because of the conditions, because Americans aren´t used to living like that. I feel bad that they are...not embarrased, but not proud of the conditions in which they live. They always apologize for the lack of electricity and I try my best to explain that it´s ok and that I´m used to it now. People also talk a lot about how the DR is not developed and that´s why things are the way they are and that the US is a developed country and that´s why things are better there. The town as a whole is pretty poor and basically every family has someone who lives in the US and sends back remittances. There are not a lot of opportunities for work there and I think a lot of people live off the remittances. Everybody wants to learn english and keeps asking me when I will start giving classes (and is dissapointed to hear that it will be a little while). There also aren´t many diversion activities (just the baseball field, as I mentioned) so I think one of the goals of having me teach computers is to offer a productive activity for the students to participate in outside of class (and also give them an employable skill). I have to say though, I am a little nervous about the state of the computer lab. The computers are super old and only have 3GB of memory on the hard drives. I won´t go into how much that is...but it´s nothing (iPods have 15-20GB). The power situation is also a little tricky but is hopefully being fixed now. They currently do not have a lab teacher for duing the day, just one at night, but he seems really motivated and bright and we will hopefully work well together. SO...we will see!

I feel so much better after settling in a little in my new town, meeting people, and knowing what it is like there. The people are so warm and friendly I know I can rely on them for anything and that makes me feel great. I am also excited to be back here and to hear about all the other volunteer´s sites and experiences! Wednesday is swearing in (yay!) and then Saturday I think I head back out to my site for good...

I miss everyone and send my love...keep writing! (I will pick up mail periodically in the capital, can check internet at my project partner´s house...I think possibly the only internet in town, and will hopefully be getting a new cell phone so that I can have coverage there...the one I have now doesn´t work there. Communication possibilities are looking up.)

Project Assignments!

Hello everyone! Today was a big day in my journey as a Peace Corps Vounteer. After much anticipation, we all got our project assignments. It says that the town has about 5,000 people and is about half an hour from the bigger town of Cotuí (where a special education volunteer is stationed) and in the province of Sánchez Ramirez. It also looks about 2 hours or so from the capital, but I can´t really tell. I will be working at the computer lab at the high school which has about 500 students divided into 2 tandas (sections: one morning and one afternoon) and my official project partner is the lab supervisor/encargado. The lab does not have internet but I will be helping teach the students, the teachers, and it sounds like I will be working a lot with the committee in charge of the lab to help develop their skills and have the center function as a financially sustainable resource to the community. Well, I basically still have no idea what it is like or what I will be doing, but I will find out soon! Tomorrow we all meet our project partners and head off to visit our sites where we will stay until Sunday. Then it´s back to the capital where we swear in on Wednesday and head out for good! It all feels like a whirlwind right now and I am a little nervous about going off to my site and actually making this all happen, alone, but this is why I came here so here goes...

And yes, today we all got our cell phones! I think we may be the only country to issue cell phones to volunteers, and the official reasoning is in case of hurricanes (of which the season is rapidly approaching). But, while they have an important offical purpose, we are free to use them to talk as we wish and I would love to chat with you all! If you would like my phone number, email me and I can send it to you... (or you can ask my parents for it)

I will write more after I see my site and actually know a little more! Miss you all and send my love.

Semana Santa

Semana Santa was a nice time off from training activities. On Thursday we went to the same river we had gone to last week. On Friday afternoon I went to a pool with my family in Hato Mayor, a town about 15 minutes from El Seibo. There were tons of people at the pool and it was fun to play in the water with the kids. They also played music and I saw some 10 year olds getting down and dirty to some reggaeton. Also, Dominicans seem to bath in anything…from skimpy bikinis to shorts and shirts to tighty whities. The funniest was a man in tiny underwear dancing meringue. Saturday was a full day. I went to the campo/rio with Angela and John’s family. We squeezed about 20-25 people in the back of a truck along with food, giant pots, a cooler, and lots of other items. I was pretty amazed that we even got there. It was the same river we had been to before, but a little farther upstream. John’s doña has land there and we got to drink coconut water and eat some fresh cocos straight from the tree. They made a fire and cooked lunch in a giant iron pot. The chicken had been washed in the river and I have no idea what water the rice was cooked with (prayed that it wasn’t river water) but we ate it anyways and it was great. There’s definitely a different approach to sanitation…I’m not sure if we go way overboard in the US or if some of the norms here are really unsanitary-probably somewhere in the middle. Also, they leave there trash everywhere and seemed to think it strange when we went around picking up trash. But trash and dirtiness aside, they all still bathe in the river and enjoy it to the fullest. The only bad side affects from the trip are the massive amount of bug bites that I now have…I actually woke up with my legs hurting from so many bites and my ankles are completely swollen. The benedryl I took didn’t seem to cut it so if anyone out there has any remedies, send them my way… Saturday night we went out dancing and had a great time. It was packed because lots of people come home for Semana Santa which means that the capital empties out and the campos get hoppin´. Sunday, Janet, Betsy, and I made banana bread in an “olla de horno” (oven pot) because most people don’t have functioning ovens. It turned out great though and we gobbled it down.

We leave El Seibo on Wednesday and return to the capital for a few more days of technical training. On Monday, all 4 groups reconvene and we get to find out our site placements (and cell phones!) and are then sent off Tuesday to check them out. We are all really excited to find out where we are going and are getting a little antsy. I like having other volunteers around and think it will be hard to be alone, but there are also things I look forward to. For instance, the other day I passed about 3 people I knew while walking 2 blocks and it felt great to have the people shouting at me actually know me and to feel like I was a part of the community, or at least that I was recognized as an individual and not just a strange gringa. Anyway, training is almost over and I will find out soon enough what it is like to be an actual volunteer! Ack!

I miss you and send my love…

Pictures

Hello everyone! I managed to add a link to my flickr account so go check out some of my pictures...just click on the link on the side.

More happenings in El Seibo

This week has passed by pretty quickly. We had our usual training activities, I taught a class on how to use clip art (but it was raining that day so only 2 people came and it didn’t exactly go excellently, but it was still good practice), we had Spanish evaluations (I supposedly improved a level but I think it was grade inflation), we talked to our APCD (Associate Peace Corps Director who is in charge of IT) about how we are feeling and what we want in a site (we find out our placements April 16th!), and I got served cow liver which I refused to eat.

On Thursday night we appeared on the local community radio station. The radio is run from the LINCOS center where I did my internship and the guy who teaches the computer classes there works at the radio at night. He invited us on for a sort of “interview with Peace Corps volunteers” and asked us about the Peace Corps, what we like about the DR, what we miss from home, etc. We were on for about an hour and everyone talked, especially John who was the star. I even gave saludos to my family but I only know of one person who listened…oh well.

Saturday was a pretty eventful day. In the morning we went in search of a good place to swim in a river. We had been told there was a place nearby but everyone we asked gave different directions or didn’t know. By asking people every kilometer or so we eventually made it to a random man with army fatigues and giant sunglasses who opened up his private gated road (think, The Land) and we made it down to the river. It was nice but even though the water was moving it wasn’t exactly clear because of all the waste and trash people throw everywhere (trash is a major issue here- people throw it everywhere and often don’t pay for garbage service so it builds up everywhere). Anyways, I was a little wary but it was nice to be next to water nonetheless. At night, we cooked pizzas from scratch which was fun and a nice change from Dominican food. We all hung out, I learned Pinochle (which is awesome), and then later on we went to WOW, the discoteca. When we first arrived it was pretty empty except for a few women who seemed to be “working” on the dance floor with a middle aged man. It was a little uncomfortable but later on more people arrived and the scene improved. The dancing norms/customs are pretty interesting here. If you are seated with a guy, even if there is one guy at a table of 8 women, any man who wants to ask one of the women to dance has to first ask the guy with her for permission. If he doesn’t, it is often considered a sign of disrespect. Also, if a woman invites a man to sit at her table, it means he will sit there all night and that is the only man she will dance with that night. Guys lead you on and off the dance floor by holding your arm and often physically guiding you back to your table. Lots of cultural norms to learn and be aware of. Anyways, it was fun and I’m trying to take advantage of being able to go out at night here because I know once I get back to Santo Domingo I won’t be able to go out after dark.

Today Isaac, the son at my house, turns 9 years old. I bought him some watercolor paints and paper as a present and his mom got him one of those mini pools you put in your yard. They don’t seem to due much to celebrate birthdays- the day is just like a normal one and the kids were playing and watching TV. It makes me a little sad that they don’t do more to celebrate birthdays, but I guess that’s just the way it’s done here.

Anyways, hope you are all doing well and are healthy and happy. I send my love!

you guys rock

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been writing comments for me on the blog! I love reading them and they always bring a smile to my face! (special shout out to you, michael bloom, who is aparently my most devoted friend)

Longest blog posting ever

Well, it has been quite a week. We continued with Spanish classes, our internships, watched some movies in Spanish, went to the local market (where I bought a useless 60s wallet that I just couldn’t pass up- not quite sure why), heard from some more volunteers, and I even played scrabble in Spanish. I will try and focus on some of the more interesting aspects of the week though. (Not that my 45 pt. word in scrabble didn’t make my day, but you probably aren’t very interested…)

On Wednesday we visited some bateys nearby. “Batey” is the name given to a community where the people who cut sugar cane live. There can be many separate bateys just a few kilometers from each other and some are much poorer than others. (I think the ones we visited are not considered to be that poor.) A lot of the cane is owned by a company called Central Romana and entire bateys either work for El Romana or for smaller, private owners. Some of the El Romana bateys have houses built by the company for the workers. Entire families live in one room “houses” with no kitchens and communal bathrooms outside. Women cook over fires which hurts their lungs and children sit outside chewing on cane. Although I’ve never seen the US south, it seems reminiscent of the south and slave quarters in many ways. The bateys where the caña is owned by smaller, private owners (and also some of El Romana) have houses that would not even been deemed acceptable sheds in the US. Many of the people who cut cane and live in the bateys are Haitian. Haitians cross the border to come to the DR because things are better here. It used to be that most worked cutting cane but now the production of cane is decreasing and more and more are working in construction. Many of the Haitians still speak Creole and it is interesting to hear the way they speak Spanish. Like any country with immigration issues, many people here view Haitians in a negative light, fear them, and define themselves in contrast to Haitians. For instance, Dominicans don’t say that they are black, but rather that they are “indio oscuro,” because they associate Haitians with blackness. And looking around the bateys, I must admit that one of my first thoughts was how much blacker the people were than in most towns; people whose skin was so black it almost looked purple. At the batey La Higuera we saw the way they cut cane, how the oxen pull big trains/carts of it to the weighing station, and how they weigh it. They pay workers 80-100 pesos per ton of cane (about $2.50-$3). It is very hard work and many of the workers don’t use gloves so the cane cuts up their hands. We also visited a school and talked to the students and teachers there. The school only goes to 8th grade and in order to go to high school they would have to come into El Seibo but it is a long trip and you have to have papers (which some don’t) to attend. I think it was really good for us to see the bateys and see such a different, yet integral, part of Dominican society. At the end, I caught myself thinking that I was glad I would most likely not have to live in such poverty. Then I felt guilty for even thinking such thoughts.

On another note, I had an interesting night last night. When I got back to my room and changed, I saw a large spider that surprised me but that I knew I could deal with. Then I turned around and saw a rat/mouse run across the floor. That was not as okay with me. I got in bed, tucked in my mosquito net, and tried to forget about it. I was not successful. I could see the rat running around and could hear it jolt across the floor and rustle through what I imaged to be my clothes. I pictured it eating my undies (I had heard stories about this and also about a rat who scratched up a volunteer's face in a duel) and envisioned waking up to an underwear disaster. I knew it was irrational to be so afraid of it, but I couldn’t help it. Then, I felt something beneath me. The rat had somehow managed to get on the underside of the mattress and I could feel it walk around. That kind of freaked me out. Then, I saw a dark spot on my mosquito net and realized the rat had climbed up the net and was now sitting at the top of it, weighing it down. If it weren’t for the net, the rat would have been crawling on me. I paused, momentarily terrified, then did what anybody would do and kicked it off with one good whack. The rat flew across the room, landed on the floor, and proceeded to go about it’s business. I noticed that it had tried to leave but couldn’t make it out under the door. I braved the world outside my net and opened the door. After about another hour of hide and seek where I laid curled up in a ball afraid the rat might make it inside my net somehow, I think I saw the rat leave. I gave the rat one point for making me miserable and only getting 3 hours of sleep, but myself one point for getting rid of it. Then I wondered how I will ever make it two years. I might have to get a cat.

And lastly, a side rant about life here. It is so interesting to be in place where you stand out so obviously and get treated differently because of it. People pay attention to me- both in positive and negative ways. For instance, people usually feel comfortable striking up a conversation with me but I also get hissed at and stared at all the time. (Side story- I went to this exercise class once that turned out to be no good, but ever since people ask me why I haven’t been back. So, the other day someone was hissing at me but I decided to ignore it because I was sick of it. It continued and eventually the person threw a rock at me to get my attention! Seriously, did a guy just throw a rock at me to get my attention? Yes, indeed he did. It turned out to be the exercise teacher who then proceeded to question me on why I hadn’t been back to his class and let me know that it was free for me to visit. Sweet.) Anyways, I never know if things happen by coincidence or if they happen because of who I am. For instance, would the band of motorcycles have pulled up in that exact spot even if I wasn’t there or did they pull up alongside me solely because of my presence? It’s hard to know whether you’re being conceited/paranoid or if you’re being naïve by thinking these things happen all the time and it doesn’t matter. Knowing that you will spend two years like this, trying to make this country your home but always being the foreigner, the outsider who will never fit in and will never truly understand what it feels like to be a Dominican…it’s hard to know this and be comfortable with the concept. But, there is nothing I can do to change that. I will always be different. I was also taking to my technical trainer about how obvious the difference is when it comes to money. I will always have a safety net that I can fall into if something were to happen, will always be able to buy food-even if my money runs out before the end of the month, and will be able to receive medical care. It is quite different to chose to be poor for a short period of time than to be poor for your whole life, living day to day with no vision of future possibilities. Just something I will have to keep in mind as I go through my service.

Anyways, I will end my posting before I cease to make any sense at all and before I lose too many of my readers. I hope you are all doing well, enjoying life, and eating some sushi in honor of me. I miss you, think of you, and can’t wait to hear from you. I send my love.

A few random notes

Just a couple random notes to share with everyone (while I have a few minutes of free internet!):

-EL Seibo (where I am) is the only part of the DR to have light/electricity 24 hours a day. However, the first day I was here there was a blackout. Still, I am living it up with the luz 24 horas.
-In case you haven`t noticed, the spanglish has begun.
-All Dominicans think they can sing well and go around singing all the time, sin verguenza.
-Dominicans talk about everything, all the time. It`s fascinating because they will talk about anything and yet never seem to get anywhere in their conversations. The son at my house talks all the time and I felt bad that I couldn`t understand what he was saying until I realized it was all nonsense (like how someone killed the bread and what they wrote on it`s tombstone). Also, when you think about piropos (catcalls) in this context, it makes sense. Dominicans would comment if a leaf dropped in front of them or they saw a puddle, of course they will comment on a foreigner walking by!

Right now I am at the internet center where I am doing my internship. The teacher had to leave for a meeting or something and left me and the other volunteer to run the class. We taught one class on how to write upper case letters with accents and right now the second class is working on writing the story of their lives.

P.S. The rice, plantains, yucca, bread, etc. is taking a toll on my physique. I tried to go "running" the other day, but now my body hurts. Hard to get excersize here.

Love you all and am starting to miss having good friends around... MUAH

My new palace (and the clumsiness that is I)

On Thursday I arrived in El Seibo for my Community Based Training. We will be spending about 5.5 weeks here doing technical training, spanish classes, and internships in computer centers. I was very excited when I arrived at my new house because it is beautiful and I have a nice room and even a private bathroom! I call it my palace. The food the doña cooks is amazing as well. Then, the first night I took a shower and as I was reaching for my towel I slipped, fell, and cracked the bathtub. It´s one of those plaster ones where it feels like it might break if you jumped really hard...Anyway, I smushed in the plaster in the corner. (I thought immediately of my mom and the broken toilet in Cuba.) I felt so bad and didn´t tell them until the next day because I didn´t want to just arrive and announce that I´d already broken something. But since then, things have been going well. On Friday night I went to the adventist church with my doña and son where they sang Jesus songs (some to the tune of Country Roads), watched videos where white Jesus healed people, and did a little skit about Jesus flowers (yeah, i must have missed something there). On Saturday we went to a beach called Playa Esmeralda which was about 1.50-2 hours away. It was absolutely beautiful and there was hardly anybody there. Another volunteer, Angela, and I took a walk down the beach and met this nice man who cut us each a coconut and I got to drink the water fresh from it and then eat it. Yummm. Later that night we went to the one and only discotec in town called WOW. Yup, it´s name is WOW. My dancing skills are pretty much in the dumps but I still danced some merengue and bachata. Sunday I hung around at home and watched movies like The Italian Job and Back to the Future in spanish. It rained so I didn´t really venture out. And the rain brought the cockroaches (there was one in my bathtub this morning which I had to kill...yes, I killed it myself. And then another one on the floor. But I was too traumatized from the first one to deal with the second one and had to call my doña to take care of it.) As for training, we are doing a mini community diagnostic (which we will spend the first 3 months at our own sites doing- basically just learning about the community) and will be presenting that next week. We are also observing and talking to teachers at the high school to learn more about the education system. I´m a little disappointed that my spanish hasn´t gotten too much better, which also makes me nervous about teaching in spanish, but I guess that will all come with time. Love you all and think about you all the time! (I actually spent time last night looking at the pictures of everyone I brought!) MUAH

Las Matas de Farfan

From Thursday to Sunday I went and stayed with a volunteer named Jenny in Las Matas de Farfan. It was about a 4 hour bus ride but luckily the bus wasn{t cramped and I actually had a whole seat to myself. After I arrived (and asked around for la americana) we hung out, ate lunch with her project partner who is the director of the school, and toured the town. I had the totally awesome experience of getting stared at by own guy for so long and so intensely that I felt super uncomfortable. Jenny finally asked him what he was looking at and he said I had pretty eyes and lips. It was then that I wanted and understood the reason for the burkah. The next day we went to Elias Piñas which is right on the border with Haiti and has a huge market. There sell tons of used clothes with come from the US as donations, I think through Haiti. People need the money more than the clothes, so they cross the border and sell them here. So that{s where you{re clothes go when you donate them. It was also hard to see all the poverty there. There are so many stereotypes about Haitians here because they are usually poorer than Dominicans. We saw one lady who was picking up the outside leaves of lettuces which had been left on the ground and were dirty and somewhat trampled. She was obviously collecting them to eat. We had lunch with a volunteer there and then caught a bola (free ride) back to Las Matas on the back of a pickup truck with tons of food and about 9 people squeezed into the back 3 feet of the truck cab. I saw the school where the computer lab is and was utterly amazed. I don{t think I have ever seen a school in such bad condition. The walls were literally crumbling to the ground. Imagine the ruins you visit in foreign countries- the school was like that. I also saw the famous ¨Matas de farfan¨which used to be a bunch of trees that some guy named farfan would tie his cattle to but of which only one remains. it looks like a regular tree. wowsers. anyways, that night we went out to a colmado near another volunteer´s site and met up with other volunteers and trainees there. It was great to sit around, drink a little beer, and dance some bachata. I also rode my first moto there (i was terrified and they laughed at me when i whipped out my helmet which says ¨tough¨on the front, but i made it in one piece). on friday we went to a bigger city about 1 hour away and met up with even more volunteers and went to a pool there! It was kind of murky water but we didn{t care. We also saw a carnival parade with tons of costumes including the living dead and men dressed up as women. There are also boys who run around and hit people´s buts with inflated pig bladder thigns. OW. It was interesting to hear all the stories of the other volunteers. I returned Sunday to the comforts of my Doña´s house. On Thursday we go to community based training in El Seybo with the other IT people. I{m a little sad about splitting off from the rest of the group because we´re all just starting to feel comfortable with each other and I want to continue getting to know everyone. Oh well, we shall see.

P.S. I ate chaca which is like habichuelas con dulce but made with corn. it was amaazing. i also tried claren which is the haitian bootleg rum which takes like booty.

Adjusting

Since today is independence day and a national holiday, we did not have training and were even offered a free tour of the colonial district. The tour guide was fabulous and it was great to learn about the history of the city. I didn't realize that the Dominican Republic was basically the central hub of the Indies and the Americas. Afterwards we went to watch the military parade but we waited until it was already an hour past the official starting time and we got sick of waiting so we left. I got sunburned but felt really bad for the soldiers dressed up in full gear with hats, face paint, camping backpackts, etc. I'm sure their clothes must have been soaked within minutes.

This weekend also went really well. I was worried about being stuck at home and getting bored, but it turned out great. Saturday night I went out with most of the group to celebrate another volunteer's birthday. We went to a car wash which is where all the action happens at night. Car washes have music, dancing, and beer. I don't think I've actually seen a bar, but car washes are everywhere...my theory is because the ground there is already clean. Anyways, it was fun to hang out at night and try to dance merengue (although I made a fool out of myself). Sunday I went with another volunteer to an internet center where they give classes and we interviewed the owners to find out about IT stuff. It was really helpful for our projects. Then I went to see the dominican movie "Sanky Panky" which is about a dominican man who tries to get an american girlfriend to take him back to the US. It was hilarious in that awful way. And the actor who played an american was definately from a spanish speaking country and had a thick accent- pretty excellent. Everyone danced out of the aisles when it ended to the theme song: "hey there, sanky panky." WOW.

Thursday I head out to visit another volunteer for the weekend to see what life is like for her. I am really excited. We also meet other volunteers who come to training once or twice a week and it is always good to talk to them and ask questions. I'm amazed that they say the two years just fly by...

Each day I am getting used to it more and more here, but it's still amazing how things just function differently (like waiting an hour to get money changed when there were only 5 people in front of me in line). Time to go home now...Love you all.

Spaghetti sandwiches and guaguas

Well, training is going well so far. I was placed in the highest level spanish class and 2 of the people in the class were raised speaking spanish. There are 5 of us total and I am definately at the lowest level, but I figure it´s better to be with better speakers and learn from them. I just have to force myself to speak. We have been talking a lot about public transportation and yesterday we went on buses with a teacher into the center of the city and then back again. Driving here is a ¨desfio a la muerte¨ -a challenge to death or a death wish. They say you have to drive with 4 eyes. Public transportation can be a guagua (bus), a carro publico in which 6 people plus the driver sit, or a motoconcho (motorcycle). We are not allowed to ride motoconchos in Santo Domingo because they are too dangerous and will receive a class on how to ride one later on. Basically, public transportation is hilarious with about 100 different hand signals meaning different things depending on where you are and you can easily fing yourself with a stranger and a rooster on your lap in a car or squished in someone´s armpit on a bus. We have to take both a guagua and a carro publico to get to training but topday we walked which takes hardly more time and is much more enjoyable (especially when we sit all day). Tomorrow we will go with our spanish classes to visit the peace corps office, the clinic where we are to go in case of emergency, and some other important places.
Today I also got my assignment for my volunteer visit. In about a week and a half we are each spending the weekend with a volunteer to see how their project is, what they live like, etc. I will be going to the south west somewhat towards the border. I am excited to see a real IT volunteer in action. Today we also had our first IT meeting and I feel much better about my nonexistant skill level. The people who are training us are really great and qwell any anxieties.
Life at the house is going well. I got served a spaghetti sandwich for dinner one night (yes, spaghetti put inside of bread) but usually I get great food like rice, beans, plantains, meat, etc. I better be off ebcause I´m worried about staying out too late and them getting worried. I definately ahve to get used to the whole sitting around thing. Love you and hope you are all doing well.

First days in country

I am in the Dominican Republic! I wanted to let everyone know I have arrived safe and sound. We arrived on the 15th, spent the first night in a "retreat" center where we had general introductions and lined up for our first shot of many. It was kind of funny seeing 30 people in a row getting a mosquito net, malaria pills, and then a rabies shot. Welcome to the DR. The next day we headed out to our training center which is kind of on the outskirts of Santo Domingo. The center itself is quite beautiful and tranquil. They said that the DR is one of the 3 noisiest countries in the world (bring your earplugs) and I believe it. But yeah, the training center is very nice and the people there are all great too. I was feeling really confident about my spanish abilities after hearing the people there speak and talking with some. Then, at the end of the day, we were picked up by our host families. It was like they were speaking another language. Dominicans pronounce about half of each word and when they speak slower to try and help, they don't actually pronounce any more of it. Anyways, my family is very nice- a Dona, her daughter, and three grandsons. We have running water 3-4 days a week and the electricity comes and goes. There are also about 6 or so chickens and a rooster which crows alllll night long. Aparently, most of the families we are staying with are considered lower middle class. pretty interesting. So, last night we talked a little and I showed her the pictures of my family. This morning she helped me and my neighbors (3 other volunteers are living in the houses next door) get to training and then we came home at 1ish. They don't seem to have a lot of planned activities (although one volunteer aparently went to a wedding his first night) but rather just sit around and chat. Definately a different pace of life. So yeah, I better head back before my absence becomes an oddity. I will try and report more and communicate on a more personal basis as time goes on. Much love to everyone.

Arrival in DC

Well, I have arrived in DC and am sitting in the hotel using my roomate's computer. I have already been quite the busy bee...Last night I had dinner with some fabulous friends, today I already went out to breakfast with Sue, and lunch with Lexi is right around the corner! We officially start at about 2 or 3 today. I have two other girls in my room- Robin from Montana and Cindy from Denver. Both seem really nice so far and I am excited to meet the rest of the crew! Not much to report yet, but I am taking advantage of internet access while I have it...

Despedida

Tonight we had a dinner with the whole gang. There was my dad's famous caesar salad, an amazing lemon meringue pie, and other yummy food. It was great to see everyone one last time and having everyone in the same room made me think about all the wonderful people in my life, how much support I have, and how lucky I am. I had all my second parents, Noah and Alex, my cousin, and one of my oldest friends. I will miss everyone so much. And, of course, no celebration is complete without a song, a poem, and apparently a "pueblo prayer." I even saw a tear... Anyways, it is all feeling pretty real right now. I am getting so excited for my new adventure (but also thinking about what it means to be leaving home). Thank you to everyone who came tonight and to those of you who aren't nearby, I wish I could give you all hugs! T - 4 days and counting!

Flights

I now have my plane tickets! (Well, not physically in my hand, but reserved electronically.) I will be leaving from San Francisco at 9am on February 12th and will be arriving in DC that evening. Our staging events don't start until 2pm on the 13th, so I will have some time to relax/explore/maybe even see some friends (here's to hoping). We all leave as a group on February 15th for the DR. Our plane leaves at 7am and it says on our schedule that we will check out of the hotel at 3am. HAHA. Way to start things out. I guess I'll be waking up at 2:55...

How do I send mail to Alissa?

Good question! I'm sure you have all already started making amazing care packages and buying little treats to send me, but you are wondering where to send them to! So here is my contact info:

For REGULAR mail while I am a trainee (until the end of April I think):
Alissa Mayer, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
Av Bolivar 451, Gazcue
Apartado Postal 1412
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

For EXPEDITED mail (FedEx, DHL) you have to provide them with the street address and phone number:
Alissa Mayer, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
451 Avenida Bolivar
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Telephone:809-685-4102

There are apparently lots of taxes on packages and a good chance that they might get "lost" if they look too appealing, so the Peace Corps recommends sending items that fit into padded envelopes. Addresses might change, especially post-training, but I will let you know!

Preparations begin...

I have officially been invited to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic! I will be leaving February 12th or 13th (final departure info is yet to come) and will be working as an education information technology extensionist. It's a fancy title, but the plan is to teach basic computer skills to students and teachers and help them incorporate information technology into their education. I am super excited and am starting the mountain that is preparations. (Today I conquered my closet which was a huge accomplishment.) I am going to try and keep up this blog (instead of sending mass emails) so you can all check in when convenient and see what life is like in the DR. So here goes...