On the United States of America

Happy belated birthday, America!

Holidays have been one of the hardest parts of my Peace Corps service. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, Mother’s Day and anniversaries are are times when I get homesick, reminisce, crave traditions, and just miss me some good ol' USA. 

I love the Fourth of July! This Fourth of July I was reminiscing on past celebrations in Idaho watching a town parade with horses, politicians, rodeo queens, etc. I thought about the times I went to the rodeo to watch baby calves get roped or attended a friend’s barbecue with ample beer and country music. Or I’d be antique show shopping with my mom and working at a pizza restaurant in my mom’s old cowboy boots in the evening. Or I’d be hiking a mountain with a friend and watching my little brother win a bike race. And as much as I was craving country music, hot dogs and cold beers, cold alpine lakes and lazy rivers, it was the one day here when I’ve felt most proud to be an American. 

Many volunteers remarked that they never knew how patriotic they were until we left America. It’s similar in a way to the saying “You never know what you have until it’s gone.” Now that we’ve been dropped into an environment so different from our own little piece of the American pie, we have had to learn to appreciate what comes from being a citizen of the US of A.

There’s the comfort things like internet and air conditioning, craft beers and customer service. But there’s also the deeper things like our education system, our diversity, our work ethic and our justice system. There are our job opportunities, our democracy, our efficiency, our accessibility, our history and our freedom – of religion, of speech, of expression. It’s not yet perfect and there are some Americans who have less access to these deeper freedoms than others, but there is progress. We have forward momentum to become a better people and a better nation. And there are so many people fighting and working hard everyday for just that. To allow those who cannot access the education, healthcare or justice systems to get there. That in and of itself makes me so proud.

It’s this and so much more that makes a person like me, on a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean, jump up and sing “America the Beautiful” at a bar full of volunteers who have given 27 months of their lives to serve others. It is a pride that propels a group of 60 volunteers to sing “Party in the USA" on a catamaran sailing through crystal blue waters, wear American flags in our hair, pin a mint wrapper that says “Made in America” to our clothes, high five and scream “’Merica” and reminisce on the good ol’ USA.

Peace Corps has three simple goals. Goal #2 is “to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.” This means I get to tell people that American is more than Nueva Yol, explain how to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich, emphasize I don’t personally know Miley Cyrus or Justin Beiber, describe what snow looks and feels like and teach my nail lady how to paint the American flag on my toes. But more importantly, I get the chance to talk about equality, women’s rights, political leaders who are not corrupt, democracy that works, scholarships for academic achievements. I get to talk about equal opportunity, work ethic, the Supreme Court, and a president who doesn’t give empty campaign promises. And most of the time, they don’t even care if I know Kanye’s newest baby’s name or what the bathroom looks like in Obama’s house.

So yes, on the Fourth of July I missed America more than usual. But I am proud that each and every day I get the chance to represent it. I am honored that I was given the opportunity to serve the country where I was lucky enough to have been born, in the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

Peace! 

Bronwen 

On unsolicited advice

I don't make decisions lightly and reflecting back on my year of service, I am so glad I'm here serving in the DR. Thinking back to the years before I applied and when I thought, “I kinda wanna join the Peace Corps," I wish more people had given me unsolicited advice on the subject. Surprisingly, a few months into service, a friend connected me to his old college roommate and the unsolicited advice came! I read his words and they've helped me time and time again throughout my service. So here is some uber helpful advice for anyone serving in the Peace Corps or contemplating it. All from a man who did the Peace Corps over 30 years ago. Many of the sentiments he describes from “back in the day” are the same feelings I have today...years and a world apart. The words are his, with a few edits!

  

"I served by myself in a remote part of Malawi where no whites had ever lived before (or since) working in a health program setting up child care clinics. What strikes me and reassures me is how similar Peace Corps is today as it was “in the day.” I am also very impressed with how you are approaching the experience.

I don’t want to be presumptuous but let me pass along a few humble wisdoms I gleaned from my service.

1. Expect to go through periods of depression and loneliness and wondering whether you are doing anything valuable.

2. You will never be able to evaluate the “impact” you will have, so trying to measure the effectiveness of your service by “things” accomplished is somewhat of a fool’s game. The eternal debate between the job and the experience is a false dichotomy because the job is the experience: the how you do what you do is more important than the what you do, and don’t let anyone try to diminish that.

3. NGO’s, aid workers, etc. etc. are not volunteers, they are not living with the people and working alongside them. We can never divorce our ego from what we experience, nor should we, and, yes, you will get more out of this experience then you think you will give but only Peace Corps volunteers enter the communities they serve with humility and an open heart and with no other agenda. Host country nationals are not fools…and they get that…and they respect and love volunteers in return because they get that.

4. When I stopped trying to help, I finally started to serve. It took me about 6 months to work through that one and you seemed to be sensitive to it from the beginning and maybe starting to deal with that now. Helping is our issue, it is our need to feel useful, significant; it is our need to get an “A” on our assignment (I am here to HELP so I must constantly evaluate how well I am doing by looking at what I am doing and then self-evaluate how the doing is measuring up to the standards I am setting for myself….I think you get the point.) It was when I finally stopped helping and started living without the burden of trying to self-evaluate something that is impossible to measure that I started to become a member of the community, an equal participant in the lives of the people that I live with, yes with more knowledge about certain things (and clearly a lot less knowledge about many, many other things) and relieving myself of that burden of needing to help, what I was trying to do became more organic and natural and human. The villagers I lived with got that…I had the benefit of living where dancing was a part of daily (evening) life of the people. It took me a while before I would leave my hut and just go to where it was happening and just watch (I also didn’t want to engage people until my language skills had improved until I realized I would never have the fluency to avoid instances of lack of communication and I finally realized that it didn’t matter, it wasn’t just that non verbal communication can work but that my presence was communication). In any case, I then started to watch the dancing and observe the steps then after awhile I took the plunge I entered in…..much to the delight and howls from the villagers…..until they realized that I knew the steps….and then…..I was one of them. I was no longer an “other”….I was someone from another place (they had no idea that whites came from different places) but I was in their world and living life on their terms, not making them engage me on my terms. I often say when I first came there they thought it was great that I greeted them (and could communicate somewhat) in their language, they thought it was even better when I would work alongside them, digging holes and doing the work of the community, but when I danced with them I was one of them, I was interacting with them at their most intimate level, and the respect and love I gained from that defined me and my experience from that point on.

5. My experience is my experience and the amazing thing about Peace Corps is that everyone’s experience is different and yet somehow the same….I encourage you to find a way to take the leap of faith that will lead you to connect with your Dominican community in a way in which you are letting go, finally, of the person who has lived 22 years in the US and been imprinted in ways known and unknown to be and act in a certain way. When you lose yourself in the experience and the barriers/divisions between “them” and “you” begin to dissolve is when you will learn certain truths about yourself and life that is the unique opportunity of Peace Corps. It is at that point, as well, that your impact really begins…although you will never be able to measure it and you alone will be the only one who will ever understand what you did and what your experience was like.

6. Lastly, whatever each day brings is part of the experience…it is all good…there will be bad days and good days, days when you want to hide with a book, days when you bond with fellow volunteers who can relate to who you are and you can come home for a day, weekend, whatever. Peace Corps is a “time away” when we can stop needing to grade ourselves, when there is the unique freedom to be out of responsibility and most importantly it is the one time in our lives when we can lose who we are (and all the unseen cultural imprinting that goes into defining who we are) in order to discover the “truths” to life itself that will become the jewels you will take with you for the rest of your life (and no one else will truly ever understand…but that is another story).

For almost every volunteer there is no other experience like Peace Corps…..and no matter what it is …it is all good……

Thanks for letting me bend your ear…"

Gordon Radley

RPCV Malawi ’68-‘70

On my favorite kids!

If you ask just about anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I am not a kid person. I don't know what to say to youths, babies scare me, and I don't have enough energy to entertain masses of children. However, this is the first time I am admitting publicly that I think I'm starting to really like them. Here, it's impossible to separate myself from children, babies and youth. I have had to face my fear head on...and I'm doing a pretty good job I think! Here's is a collection of some of my favorite neighborhood children!

My niece, Carismel, on her 2nd birthday!

Carismel and Melvin Daniel coloring in a book from America! It's rare that they get to do fun creative activities like this so I was happy to provide the crayons and pages!

My other niece Elianny showing off for the camera. She helped me so much during my first few weeks here, taking me around town and introducing me to anyone and everyone!

Elenne and Satchel, two girls who keep me going! Always positive attitudes!

Melvin Daniel, my nephew, inventing his own game of baseball with a stick from a nearby tree and a bottle for a ball. (Nevermind that the bases are in the middle of the street, we're working on safety!)

There are some kids that make me feel like my job is worth it, these are four of them!

I love ALL of the children in Cecilia's preschool class, and I've learned that when they get a little too loud and rambunctious, I just take them outside and make them dance!

Andrea Nicole is always smiling, dressing up, and giving hugs and kisses. What's not to love?

This is the regular neighborhood crowd celebrating Luis' 5th birthday!

Haydee is a sassy 2 year old who makes me laugh more than anyone else here. She's always saying, "Bea, mi amor, tranquila, no te preocupes" or "Bea, my love, don't stress out, chill out!"Sometimes it takes the perspective of a child to remind you that the hard parts of life aren't really that big of a deal!

The child I want to adopt and bring back to America with me. Jisaury's being raised by her grandma and aunt and is the kindest little gem. She needs some serious TLC as she's often called "stupid" by her family members. 

My regular youth group members, only 10 years until they can actually participate!

My nephew from the campo, Adrian. It actually looks like I'm enjoying being with this baby...the times they are a changin'

Ceylis, the most motivated youth I have in my group, with her cousin!

Sassy Haydee dressing up for Carnival!

Jisaury, the one I'm taking back with me, eating breakfast in my home. After this cup of hot coco, she traveled on the back of my bike while we did errands around town. When people who ask who's kid she is, I would say mi'ja, my daughter!

The neighborhood troublemaker, Luis, dressing up for Independence Day celebrations back in February!

I even take selfies with kids, what!?

My youth group from the town of Copey....each and every one of them I have learned to love!

Here's to children, babies and youth!!! They are continually teaching me life's valuable lessons...patience, kindness, breathing deeply, having fun, not taking myself too seriously, humility and always having candy in my backpack!

On the noises I hear

This is a country full of noise! We are a country full of yelling neighbors, screaming children, loud bachata music, crazy dembow songs, vegetable trucks and appliance repairmen announcing their arrival with a megaphone from miles away, zinc roofs giving away when the rain arrives, etc etc. So much of life can be given away just by listening here. Just like an owl, I now have unbelievably sharp hearing. I am proud of myself because now, without having to see a thing, I can pick up on context sound clues and understand what is going on in the busy, crazy world around me.

The top ten mysteries I can solve purely by listening:

1) When my host dad arrives: I now know the sound of my dad’s motorcycle out of all the motorcycles in town. Enriquito’s red motorcycle has a low rumble that sounds almost like my neighbor Danilo’s but it’s not quite as deep, and then he has this screechy set of rusty brakes that gives it away when he comes to a full stop outside out house.

2) When someone comes into my house: We have a cute red gate in the front of our house and it makes a very distinct low “grrrrrrrrrr” sound whenever someone opens it. So if I’m in the kitchen and someone enters, I will know to be ready for them with a fresh pot of coffee or some juice to welcome them with.

3) When the electricity comes on: We have a generator in my house so when I first arrived, I had no idea when we were using the generator or electricity from the street. But as my hearing has advanced, I can walk into any house now and know whether the electricity if coming from the street or the generator. Context clues give it away...whether or not there’s a low rumble from the refrigerator, if there is the energetic buzz from a nearby streetlamp, or if there’s a fan on in the house, then you know there’s street electricity.

4) When the electricity goes off: There’s a pretty obvious first sign when the lights go off because everyone on the block screams some combination of swear words, “¡coño, mierda, cónchole, diache!” But if I am not around for the lights going off, I still know upon entering a house because the ambiance is quieter, there are no frivolous appliances being used, the televisions and stereos are off, and if lights are on, they are a softer color because the generator batteries aren’t as strong as street electricity.  

5) When church starts: The evangelical church on the corner of my block starts every night of the week with a few quieter “Te quiero Jesús” songs and it builds gradually during the sermon to become a full on Jesus-praising rock concert. I always know what stage of the service they are in from the intensity of the songs they sing. It’s always such a relief when that very last “Hallelujah” plays at an eardrum-busting decibel and I know it’s only a matter of minutes until church ends for the night. 

6) When my tank of water is full: I can only fill up my water tank when the electricity is on so that I can turn on a pump that sends water from a huge storage tank below up to my small tank above. When I do, it quietly runs through the pipes until it fills my small tank and then starts spilling over the side unless I turn it off first. So I have learned to be aware of where the water is in relation to the tank’s top. When I hear a particularly deep and powerful final gurgle of water, I know its almost at the top so I run downstairs, turn off the pump and hope that none spilled down the side of the roof and into my small bathroom window.

7) When my host mom comes and goes: Much like I know the sound of my dad’s motorcycle, I also know the distinct sound of my host mom’s moped. I know when she leaves to drop my niece off at school in the morning, heads out to inject my grandma with a shot of insulin, sends my brother to buy chicken from the local butcher, and her other comings and goings. I can be upstairs in my room across the street and if I need to talk to her, I just wait until I hear the creaky “vroom vroom” of her nice red moped and I can head downstairs without even having to look out the window and check. 

8) When someone is speaking English up to ¼ mile away: I can pick English out of a very large crowd these days. It’s a sharp piercing sound that I can, get this...understand! My best friend, Gray, is currently home in North Carolina and the first thing she said to me was, “Bea, English is so overwhelming! Also, it took me a full 24 hours to stop thinking in Spanish.” I replied, “How freaking cool is that, though? We are living and functioning in another language and that, my friend, is a beautiful thing!”

9) When someone thinks I don’t speak Spanish:

When I enter a guagua (public bus) and people are unsure whether or not I, a rubia, speaks Spanish or not, they tend to speak in lower octaves and ask in whispers what a rubia is doing here or if they can charge me extra. I turn around to the cobrador and tell him, “Sí, hablo español y no, no puede hacerme trampa” or “Yes, I speak Spanish and no, you cannot cheat me.” They usually straighten up, stick out their hand asking for my fare and return me the correct amount of change.

10) When my mom wants me to come down from my lair and hang out with her: In my host family’s house, there is a separate entrance for my own solitary lair upstairs. Thankfully, my family gives me all the privacy I could ever want and they rarely venture up the stairs to my woman-cave. When my mom wants me to come eat some new invention she’s cooked, run an errand for her, fix her cellphone, translate some medicine bottle in English, or just hang out with her, she will send me a very distinct whistle. It starts from the left side of my room, where she is in the kitchen below me. If I don’t hear it there, she’ll move to the living room window and give it another go as it resonates in my room on the right side. Even though it makes me feel like a dog, it sure gets the job done!

Along with all these mysteries I’ve solved, non-verbal noise is useful for so many other things here. Distinct calls are used to sell bleach, vegetables and fridge parts from roaming trucks, announce a political candidates arrival during election cycles, rally the people for a funeral, have a birthday party, get a neighbors’ attention, wake someone up, ask for a favor without uttering a word or getting off your motorcycle. All it takes to communicate here is a good horn that beeps, a mouth that whistles, and enough time spent listening to daily life here in the good ol’ Dominican Republic.

And in the time spent writing this blog post, the lights have come on twice and gone off once, I’ve filled my tank with water, my dad has left and returned three times, my host brother made rice for lunch, my host mom bought bleach, three pounds of carrots, a pound of onions and 24 eggs...all without me leaving my makeshift desk or looking out the window. My ears told me everything I could ever need to know to keep tabs on my neighborhood. What an invaluable skill!

Sending a “beep beep” to y'all! 

On a week in the life!

What does a week in the life look like? Here are the highlights!

May 25th was Mother's Day in the DR and our women's group went all out, with raffle prizes donated from businesses in town, a skit, poem reading and a cake! 

Women singing a hymn at our Mother's Day celebration. Very moving.

My 8th graders had a beautiful graduation ceremony and even honored me as their favorite English teacher! Cute!

We made a nice big life size representation of the male bits with my friend Essaul from my youth group Escojo Mi Vida. Just some fun activities to learn about the reproductive system.

Last night I got puked on my this little devil child, Haydee. She was giggling so innocently while she did it so I can't even be that mad. Good thing we had water in the tank so I could shower immediately after! 

Time spent just hanging out with some of my favorite neighborhood kids. 

Stopping in to deliver some reading glasses to my favorite colmado owner, Negra. She has a hard time reading the labels and my real mom sent down some glasses that I gave to a very happy Negra!

Roy came to visit! A very relaxing and wonderful few days of R&R!

And that my friends, is just another week in the life of a health volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Couldn't be more different than cubicle life!

On health myths

Happy Tuesday! 

All is well here in Manzanillo, gracias a Dios! I am ready for a busy summer. Schools out now and I am determined not to let my kids slack in attendance even though the beach is calling and the sun is shining (a little too much if you ask me, it's a solid 88 degrees here everyday and every night and it's getting harder and harder to sleep at night)! 

As my women and youth groups advance in our education course, the topics we cover become more advanced, there are often more details to cover, more misinformation to correct and more myths to debunk. This week, here’s a list of my top myths I’ve heard in my women and youth groups. Play along and see if you need to be in my education group!

Health Myth Quiz: True or False

1. President Obama sent the newest mosquito-born-illness, chikungunya (starts with an awful fever, turns into body pains and ends in a gruesome rash), here as a biological weapon to kill inferior races.

FALSE: I had to patiently explain to my host brother that, no, Obama did not create the chikungunya virus, and no, he is not trying to kill Dominicans. Another relative said the Haitians sent it over, but again I reminded them that the hospital is full of both Haitians and Dominicans, we are suffering just the same. Which led them full circle, “So like I said, Bea, it is Obama’s fault.”

2. You can’t get pregnant if you pee after having sex.

FALSE: My youth were really confused by this one. “You mean it doesn’t work like that? I can still get pregnant?” I looked at my youth and said, “Now kids, let’s review the lady and man bits once again.” After examining my beautifully drawn lady bits, they understood that the “pee hole” and the vagina are in two different places. Ahhhh...who knew?

3. If women have diarrhea, they shouldn’t breastfeed.

FALSE: “Pero, Bea, hace daño al niño!” No, my doña friends, having diarrhea does not to damage to your child. You should continue to breastfeed just the same. And as I’ve repeated more than a thousand times by now, “Dar el seno solo seno!” or “Give the breast, only the breast!” And on a positive note, my cousin just gave birth to a cute baby boy and she told me, “Bea, I promise to breast feed him!” YAY! One point for Bea! 

4. The moon is bigger than the sun.

FALSE: My host brother’s logic for this was that when you look at the moon it appears bigger than when you look at the sun. Again, after a little astronomy lesson and help from my favorite friend Google, we debunked this myth.

5. Real cows milk boiled with garlic cures brain cancer.

Well, who knows? From WebMd: “Garlic is used for many conditions related to the heart and blood system. These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, and heart attack. Garlic actually may be effective in slowing the development of atherosclerosis and seems to be able to modestly reduce blood pressure. Some people use garlic to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. It is also used to treat prostate cancer and bladder cancer.” So who am I to judge these homeopathic remedies? But it is also my job to make sure they get themselves checked out at a health clinic!  

6. HIV is transmitted through mosquito bites, hugging and handshakes. 

FALSE: HIV is transmitted through four substances and is present in one other. 1) Semen (including pre-ejaculate), 2) Breast milk, 3) Vaginal fluids, and 4) Blood and is present in saliva (but technically you would have to drink five gallons to acquire the virus). Additionally, as the acronym would suggest, it is a virus that is only transmitted from human to human: Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

7. Vicks Vapor Rub will cure anything.

TRUE: What, you didn’t know? From broken ankle to mosquito bites to stuffed up noses, Vicks will do the trick! To be used liberally much like Windex is used in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

It makes sense that many Dominican have these misconceptions. They come from speculation and a lack of education. As I’ve mentioned just a few times, Dominicans have quite a lot of time to sit around speculating and many do not receive formal education. These myths illustrate the importance of the work I am here to do. Education! 

There are some days when I get down on myself and feel like I have nothing to teach them, but then its comments such as the above that remind me why my work is so important. Let’s not continue to allow Dominican teenagers to become pregnant solely because they think they can have sex standing up and not get pregnant. And let’s help Dominican doñas go to the medical clinic when they have throbbing headaches and not just stay at home and drink garlic milk. There are interventions and education that I can and should provide within the cultural context here. Respecting a culture and improving lives and health outcomes do not have to be at odds with one another.

Oh, and I sure hope you got 100 percent on the “Health Myths Quiz” otherwise book your ticket down here and let's get you in my health groups!

Besos y abrazos, 

Bea 

On the simple joys

¡Buenas tardes!

I was reading my best friend’s best friend’s blog the other day (thegallivant.net) and it’s all about her take on living in Pensacola, Florida as a newlywed to a Navy pilot in training. I love following her blog because she’s a great writer, so elegant and way cooler than me. I find that I am taken into an alternate and beautiful universe when I read her blog and this week she had a post about the simple joys. So, taking a page from her book (or blog if you will), I shall share compilation of simple treasures. It's been a great week and I'm simply living, working and loving, feeling more fulfilled than I ever have here before! 

The Simple Joys

Caribbean sunrises.

Waking up excited.

Morning runs on the beach.

Good coffee.

Great coffee.

An afternoon spent reading.

Movies during rain storms.

Sharing a cold, cold beer with a fellow American.

Spending a day on the beach.

Drinking guava juice on my grandma’s porch.

A really good story.

My mom.

My bike decorated with flowers.

Being my own boss.

Internet that works.

Living in the Dominican Republic.

Riding on the back of a motorcycle.

  

A cockroach-free night.

People who know where Idaho is.

Yoga.

Being clean.

Taking time for myself.

Sharing time with neighbors.

Peanut butter.

Finding air conditioning.

Speaking another language.

Feeling fulfilled.

Caribbean sunsets. 

It always helps to remember the best moments, the things that keep me here when the going gets tough and finding the beauty in the chaos. I have come to seriously crave, love, cherish and admire the simple joys. Hope you can find some today, too. Oh and happy birthday Momma Taina, love you!

Until soon,

Bea 

Good morning!

My lifesaver!

Ahhhh, a rainy day!

What an expansive collection!

And a beautiful sunset!