Saududos!
Sooooooo...what a whirlwind. Life here never really slows down for me even though I keep fully expecting to settle into the tranquil Dominican pace of life. As a friend recently wrote in an email- "I hope your finding a balance between the DR way of life and the "Bronwen at Tufts" pace." Well I guess I've been more on the Bronwen at Tufts pace, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Get back to me in two years and maybe I'll have settled into your average porch sitting, sun avoiding, rain fearing, exercise hating doña but it’s doubtful!
Sooooooo...what a whirlwind. Life here never really slows down for me even though I keep fully expecting to settle into the tranquil Dominican pace of life. As a friend recently wrote in an email- "I hope your finding a balance between the DR way of life and the "Bronwen at Tufts" pace." Well I guess I've been more on the Bronwen at Tufts pace, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Get back to me in two years and maybe I'll have settled into your average porch sitting, sun avoiding, rain fearing, exercise hating doña but it’s doubtful!
So what have I been up to? Well, since we last spoke, I've been trying creative ways to engage more youth in my Escojo Mi Vida club. My club has around fifteen youth signed up (good start!) but only about six or seven regularly attend the (super fun) meetings. I'm not very jazzed about their absences so I'm working on creating accountability to attend. And I was feeling especially down when two of the young girls in the original crew ya se casaron (had sex for the first time) with their boyfriends and are now living with their “husbands” as they call them here. So frustrating! If only I could have gotten them a few weeks earlier. But I’ve been much too hard on myself and I must simply remind myself, I can’t help everyone and such is life. What I want to do now is make sure they stay in the group and at least have safe sex (read: condoms condoms condoms condoms).
A few ideas for motivating my community members-
1) I'm going to shamelessly start using Facebook to tag photos/add events and make my group look like the funnest thing ever so please excuse me if I begin to blow up y'all's news feed.
A few ideas for motivating my community members-
1) I'm going to shamelessly start using Facebook to tag photos/add events and make my group look like the funnest thing ever so please excuse me if I begin to blow up y'all's news feed.
2) Also thinking a beach day with espaggetis, but I'm hesitant to reward kids for not even coming to my group yet. In a "what’s in it for me" type culture, reward for simple attendance is almost required (hence Taina sending a package of trinkets, candy, lip gloss, etc for me to use as raffle prizes)
3) Rely on my project partner to help recruit and animate the kids (I’ve always been bad at delegating but this is good practice(?!))
4) Be more fun and cool (as if it's possible!)
3) Rely on my project partner to help recruit and animate the kids (I’ve always been bad at delegating but this is good practice(?!))
4) Be more fun and cool (as if it's possible!)
If you have any other creative ideas- send me some options! I'm all ears.
Well all these creative ideas took a spot on the back burner because....I got food poisoning! It happened the same day a good friend, Julie, from another town was visiting as we were to run an 18k training run for her upcoming half marathon. Needless to say, I didn't put my running shoes on that morning or the next three. I stayed in bed as my host mom brought me soup and Gatorade and I sent Julie on a mission to find me meds and cancel my English classes. And when I felt better and made the rounds of town a few days later, literally ever person I passed asked if I was feeling better. Such a small town and I'm so glad they're so thoughtful.
But before all the vomming, Julie and I also held a super successful workshop for fifteen women (and one cute little chubby kid) on how to conduct home visits are freshly minted health promoters in their community of Palo Verde. My best doña friend from my town, Yessenia, was also in attendance so that she can see the work will want to accomplish by June (fingers crossed!). Her and I work together in a town called Copey just a motorcycle ride away from Manzanillo. To date she has been the first person I've worked with to "get it." She is so motivated, highly competent, enthusiastic, energetic and inspirational to me and the other women in her community. I am so glad to have found a woman to work with who is off the charts in terms of helping me out. She makes my job so easy.
Well all these creative ideas took a spot on the back burner because....I got food poisoning! It happened the same day a good friend, Julie, from another town was visiting as we were to run an 18k training run for her upcoming half marathon. Needless to say, I didn't put my running shoes on that morning or the next three. I stayed in bed as my host mom brought me soup and Gatorade and I sent Julie on a mission to find me meds and cancel my English classes. And when I felt better and made the rounds of town a few days later, literally ever person I passed asked if I was feeling better. Such a small town and I'm so glad they're so thoughtful.
But before all the vomming, Julie and I also held a super successful workshop for fifteen women (and one cute little chubby kid) on how to conduct home visits are freshly minted health promoters in their community of Palo Verde. My best doña friend from my town, Yessenia, was also in attendance so that she can see the work will want to accomplish by June (fingers crossed!). Her and I work together in a town called Copey just a motorcycle ride away from Manzanillo. To date she has been the first person I've worked with to "get it." She is so motivated, highly competent, enthusiastic, energetic and inspirational to me and the other women in her community. I am so glad to have found a woman to work with who is off the charts in terms of helping me out. She makes my job so easy.
But, what happened the same day I realized she will be my best friend and biggest helper? She told me she is probably moving to the city of Santiago (3 hours away) in June. When she told me, my mouth dropped and I wanted to scream NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO at the top of my lungs until she agreed not to move. Eughhhhhh!!!! But good for her, I’m proud of her ability to gain more opportunities in the city and I'm now working extra hard with her so that she can take the program we started together to women in Santiago. And maybe, just maybe, (so Dios quiere) she won't move after all (cross your fingers for me)!
And on Wednesday I picked up a bffl who went to school with me at Tufts who hope, skip and jumped on over for Spring Break. After her wild few days in Puerto Rico, I got to show her my tranquil lifestyle in the pueblito. It was so interesting (and wonderful, exciting and comforting) to have a friend from America visit because in those five days I realized how truly comfortable and Dominican I feel. She was shocked that I drink coffee out of plastic cups (talk about BPA), sometimes (rarely) litter on the street, can navigate myself through the big city, speak like a campesina (country bumpkin), live off a diet that is 90% carbs and fried food (I can't help it), not be obese (yet!), actually work here (sometimes I feel so lucky), have Dominican friends (amirite??), can joke about finding chicken feet in soup without wanting to barf, and eat a mango like a savage. It was wonderful to take her through the streets and show her my life that couldn't be more different than the one I led at Tufts. Thanks for the wonderful visit Linz!
And I'm currently writing this on the bus after a three-day intensive cookstoves training. As I mentioned a few mensajes back, part of our project plan as health volunteers is to create at least 15 clay cookstoves that are culturally appropriate models for reducing the amount of firewood used to light and cook with, and removing smoke from cooking areas and subsequently the lungs of women and children. I loved the training and am very excited to start a project in my town but first, I have to write a grant and wait for funding, train a mason (my original mason ditched me 12 hours before we were supposed to leave), buy cement, sand and other complicated building materials, find the right houses to build in, train women on proper cooking and maintenance techniques, and motivate my community to support me in the process. It’s a HUGE project but one, that if I am successfully able to implement, will be extremely proud of myself for!
And on Wednesday I picked up a bffl who went to school with me at Tufts who hope, skip and jumped on over for Spring Break. After her wild few days in Puerto Rico, I got to show her my tranquil lifestyle in the pueblito. It was so interesting (and wonderful, exciting and comforting) to have a friend from America visit because in those five days I realized how truly comfortable and Dominican I feel. She was shocked that I drink coffee out of plastic cups (talk about BPA), sometimes (rarely) litter on the street, can navigate myself through the big city, speak like a campesina (country bumpkin), live off a diet that is 90% carbs and fried food (I can't help it), not be obese (yet!), actually work here (sometimes I feel so lucky), have Dominican friends (amirite??), can joke about finding chicken feet in soup without wanting to barf, and eat a mango like a savage. It was wonderful to take her through the streets and show her my life that couldn't be more different than the one I led at Tufts. Thanks for the wonderful visit Linz!
And I'm currently writing this on the bus after a three-day intensive cookstoves training. As I mentioned a few mensajes back, part of our project plan as health volunteers is to create at least 15 clay cookstoves that are culturally appropriate models for reducing the amount of firewood used to light and cook with, and removing smoke from cooking areas and subsequently the lungs of women and children. I loved the training and am very excited to start a project in my town but first, I have to write a grant and wait for funding, train a mason (my original mason ditched me 12 hours before we were supposed to leave), buy cement, sand and other complicated building materials, find the right houses to build in, train women on proper cooking and maintenance techniques, and motivate my community to support me in the process. It’s a HUGE project but one, that if I am successfully able to implement, will be extremely proud of myself for!
Now I’m back at home after a busy morning of errand-running, trying to track down the mayor who wants me to represent the town of Manzanillo in a regional meeting with the director of the Ministry of Youth later this week, and doing laundry (it’s been quite some time since I washed my sheets, ewww gross!). And I'm off again this weekend to a town called San Francisco de Macoris for a youth conference on the environment where I will be MCing the event, leading 6am workout classes and planning a little healthy competition between youth groups.
And then soon enough, the oldest group of volunteers end their service and another group is sworn in and I'm no longer a newbie. Time flies! Ah the circle of Peace Corps life.
Until next time,
BeYa
And then soon enough, the oldest group of volunteers end their service and another group is sworn in and I'm no longer a newbie. Time flies! Ah the circle of Peace Corps life.
Until next time,
BeYa
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