Holidays!!!

So I realized I may have broke my every 2-week blog entry new years goal. But, who really keeps their new years resolutions? Have you kept yours?

Accepting my defeat and moving forward let me tell you about 2 of the biggest holidays/ elongated vacations in the Dominican Republic. Carnaval and Semana Santa.

Carnaval is a pagan celebration that results in huge parades and parties every Sunday in February. It culminates in the biggest, most badass party on the Dominican Republic’s Independence Day, February 27^th. Many of the large cities hold their own distinct parade, but the biggest is known to be in La Vega (just down the highway from my site!). The parades could be compared to a Mardi Gras like setting with elaborate costumes, lots of food, drink, and music. The parades consist of Diablos (Devils that look like Dragons), in many different beautiful costumes. The Diablos carry around pig bladders covered in colored latex, and they will hit innocent passerbies if they stumble into the street (sidewalks are safe), accept on Independence Day when anywhere is fair game! You can also by these big bladders from street vendors, for the price of US$1. I have one covered in pink flowers. But putting these pig bladders in the common persons hand is a dangerous game. Some people think its fun to fill theie pig bladder with rocks instead of air, which makes for a quite a painful hit! (Kids think this is extra especially funny… little brats!)

I visited Carnaval 3 times this year. Twice in La Vega (one of them being Independence Day), and I went to go see Carnaval in Santiago. I was able to make it out of the festivities pretty unharmed. This was partially due to a friend, whom after a few drinks, liked to willingly go into the street and take most of the brunt of the golpes (hits) by pig bladder. (Picture above). That night there was a great concert from and Puerto Rican band (a little ironic on the Dominican Independence Day but o well). The night got even more interesting as a man with a very large snake came through, and we decided to have a photo shoot with it.

All I can say is the Dominicans sure know how to celebrate their Independence!

This last week was another huge Dominican holiday, Semana Santa (Holy Week). Almost everyone takes the full week off and visits family, goes to the beach, and to church. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are the days with the most church activities. I would even say that Good Friday was a bigger deal than Easter Sunday. On Good Friday, none of the colmados (convenient stores) can play music. The town was very pleasantly peaceful. Almost everything is shut down. Villa Cruz, the living cross, is a very popular ritual. Usually the church youth group puts on a play of the crucifixion of Jesus that processes through the community. I was able to go last year, but when I went this year, I ended up just with just a normal mass. At the end of mass we did do a once around circle in the community, but no play. You can’t win them all.

For most of Semana Santa, I helped out my friend in the next community over build a basketball court with a group of Americans who came to help out. We laid the cement, and then once it dried, the last day we taught the kids in the community basketball and volleyball technique. It was a blast, and my friend did an amazing job coordinating it all!

Although I did not make it to a beach, I did make it to a water park. A water park? Yes, there is a water park here just about 15 minutes from my house. They had a really good lineup of concerts going on there last Saturday. A few friends and I went and danced in our bathing suits, it was a pretty good time. I went down 2 slides (there was only about 5, and 2 you needed to rent a tube, but they had run out). They had some other pools, and a decent stage, so I was pretty impressed. I had come with real low expectations aka I was expecting a glorified plastic kiddie pool.

I also had a small Easter Party to lure my kids to my sex-ed class during the week. We painted eggs with juice packets, and I made some really funny faces. I also made a cake with jelly beans (thanks mom). I tried to explain the neo-paganism significance of the hare and egg as signs of the fertility of Mother Earth and the bountifulness of spring, but I think that flew right over their heads. But they had their eggs and sugar, hopefully learned something, and had a good time, so it went pretty well.

Semana Santa was a great week, but now its back to work! Well hopefully, no one showed up to our artisan meeting Monday, the Dominicans like easing back into things. I am trying to catch on.

O before I forget… a recipe for a Dominican favorite for Semana Santa

Habichuelas con Dulce (Beans with sugar)

Puree in a blender cooked red beans, ½ pound of sugar, vanilla, sweet potato, short bread cookies, milk, and coconut milk.

Add a few whole beans for effect, and chill.

It is actually really delicious, but be careful to not eat this whole serving. You may go into diabetic shock!

Food and Fun

Happy Belated Valentines Day everyone! Also, happy Independence Day for the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Korea!

For Valentines Day, I happened to be with my parents in Puerto Rico! (Do not tell my brothers)! I was there with an incentive trip my mom had earned with her company Discovery Toys, because she is an awesome sales lady. The whole time we had gourmet Caribbean food.. all the Caribbean flavors, I had been tasting but prepared in a way I have never experienced!

But Valentines Day took the win for most amazing meal of the year! The night was a recognition dinner for the employees whom had earned the trip. You were able to bring dates according to your performance this year. My mom had earned just one extra spot, for my dad, and after sob stories to the coordinators, we couldn't buy an extra spot for me... since it was all based on recognition. (My dad's response: Kelly will give recognition, she is a great clapper).

So anyways, I had a feeling I would be spending my Valentines Day alone in the hotel room watching the olympics, while everyone would be at this swanky dinner. I even have a boyfriend, but I will be feeling sorry for myself in my pajamas eating chocolates...

But as luck would have it, or malsuerte (bad luck for another), my mom's best friend sadly came down with food poisoning from local sea food the night before. She was one of my parents good friends from the trips, and she said I could go with her husband as his date to the Valentines Dinner!

So my parents and I got all dressed up, after a day of sitting by the pool, and we took a bunch of prom photos, and made a lot of jokes of me and my sugar-daddy, and then proceeded to the dinner.

As luck would have it again, we had assigned seats, and I was seated next to the new owner of the company! But, first let me tell you about the food!

Okay, well this was Top Chef level food. We started off with a Caribbean salad, with fresh greens and very finely cut fruit, with a fruity balsamic dressing. Then for the main course we had a tender steak topped with a layer of smashed and lightly friend yuca (a sweet root vegetable), and then in cased by a croissant cage. This was served in a savory sauce with mashed potatoes and medley of incredibly fine cut veggies.

Then for the dessert, there was a tower of 3 different type of chocolate mouse, that were inside a white chocolate cage, with an opening in the top, like a double shot. There were berries inside, and 3 different caribbean fruit sauces, with a dolop of whip cream at the end and a strawberry! Wow!

I wish I had pictures but here are some some ideas! But these pictures would definitely lose very quickly in a duel with this dessert.

At the end of the night, there was an amazing band that played many oldies but goodies! The lead singer looked about 10 but was belting Tina Turner and Diana Ross. I first thought it was a CD... it was amazing. I think my date, my parents, and I sat out 1.5 songs! It was such a fun night!

O and how did conversation with the owner of my mom's employer go??? AMAZING! I wrote up a proposal for an educational toy lending system, and an educational toy club, and he is donating all these amazing toys to the community library I have been working on!

I also just applied this week for a grant, to teach a summer children's art camp.

This week, I am suppose to be hosting about 12 students in my community, to help set up our lending system in the library, and do some painting! Hopefully everything will go well, but I have a lot to coordinate, such as finding places for these kids to sleep! I am also trying to coordinate my artisans to give a tour... so vamos a ver! Other plans are a big dominican style cook out, and smores!

Next blog... I will let you know how this all went.

Also coming soon... I will write about this weekend and CARNAVAL! It was a a crazy cultural experience!

I hope everyone is doing well and staying interesting!

Miss you!

P.S. I have a new artisan site about my project. It is really simple, but check it out! http://artisansofhiguerito.yolasite.com/

Medical Missions and More

One of the Americans holding real chocolate. Thats what the fruit looks like when its picked off the tree.
Mercedes and her recycles rice bag purses.
A soap stone carver, making an elephant.
Ladies making chocolate bars mmm....
Trying to play a drum made out of a recycled gas tank. It sounds kind of like steel drums, but one side is just in one key.

So when I last left you I was about to leave for a medical mission up in the mountains. I left with a bunch of my close friends from the economic development sector to go help a fellow volunteer with translating for a medical mission in her town where she started a hospital, and her mom and fellow doctors were coming to train the doctors and nurses on the new equipment they were donating.... Sustainability! Great! But wow was this ride cozy. In Dominican Fashion they squished more people in the guagua (a run down van) then you would ever think is humanly possible. (A rather large dominican lady insisted sitting in the front seat with Justin and I and the chofer, and then continuously complained that she was uncomfortable, no duh lady!) So I was basically squished for a good hour and half up the mountain, but I made the most of it and sung the entire way up.

But the ride was worth it! My friend has done an awesome job getting this once vacant hospital up in running, which is really essential since its a hub town on top of this mountain for all the other smaller towns where it would take about 2 hours to reach a place to receive medical attention. In emergency situations, that is just not acceptable. So I helped set up logistically the hospital for the mission, and then I translated for my friends mom as they were giving general care. There was also a convoy of doctors and translators that would go to a different remote town every day to give care. The doctors had brought a Sonogram and EKG machine, and a bunch more equipment that they worked training the doctors and nurses on and also dualing helping patients by giving them these tests. I was only able to stay a day and a half because I had to get back for my library hours and artisan meeting, but it was a very neat experience especially to see one of my friends projects taking off!

Medical Missions are a big part of the volunteer life here in the Dominican Republic. There is a committee just to help organize getting volunteers to help translate. Sometimes volunteers can even bring in patients! Thats what I was able to do yesterday. On Saturday I brought down a young woman and her four your old son, whom had a hot water burn all down is body. The year before, he had gotten surgery on his foot at the same medical mission, and this year they were hoping to get surgery on his arm so he could fully move it. So on Saturday we went down and stayed at a small hotel in the capital. I tried to do what I could to make the boy feel comfortable, we went and got sandwiches and cookies. I forgot to bring any spanish movies, so we watched 3 episodes of Modern Family, a new sitcom, and he loved it! Then bright and early yesterday we made our way down to the Hospital where there were lines of people. Because the family was with me, we got to jump the line, and he was second to be seen, and he got his surgery scheduled! He should be getting surgery right now as I write this!

Last but not least. Since I have written, there were a group of Americans in my town helping out with the ceramic water filter production that my host dominican dad is involved with. They were planning on helping getting filters over to Haiti, but when it came down to it, it would of been them on the planes or more filters and rice, so they opted to stay here, since there were actually plenty of people to bring the food and filters over.

One couple both were potters, and the wife owned an art gallery but is interested in collecting Latin American Art and maybe from small artisan groups, kind of like Fair Trade. So they rented a car for 24 hours and we went exploring for small artisan projects. (After I gave them a full tour of our artisan workshops, obviously). The first man we visited makes musical instruments from recycled materials... he invited us but at first hesitantly to the opening of his friend's store, where he would be playing a concert that night. Although he was first hesitant he said we could be his special guests, so we took him up on it. We then later visited, my friends small chocolate factory. Then some stone carvers, and later a lady whom lives on the top of the mountain and makes bags from old rice sacks, with pockets and everything. To find her, we followed an old lady up on a motorcycle, and where she got off we asked for help to finds Mercedes house, and low and behold that was it. They was a group of the cutest old ladies having some singing mass. We overheard them saying they should invite us to listen the the World of the Lord, but we were able to buy our purses and make a quick escape. The next day we went exploring and found a group of basket weavers, whom had been practicing this heart for about 80 years! There bags and hats were beautiful, and were only US$5! Then we found the Amber mine and visited some mom and pop amber stores, I got some earings! We also stumbled upon the memorial of the Sisters Mirables. (For those of you whom haven't read the time of the butterflies, 3 high class woman were killed during the time of Trujillo, the evil dictator, because of their involvement with an uprising group. They were killed on the side of the mountain where I was, on the way back from visiting their husbands in jail). It was a fun and exciting time, and the woman I was with is now inspired to start an affordable artisan tour, that I will try to help her coordinate, where people can see the real Dominican Republic, and the different artisan mediums that they practice here. Neat huh?

But what about that party? Wow was it swanky. I went with my host parents, the visiting American couple, and another volunteer. We were served cosmopolitans and kabobs in martini glasses. Everything was pink, and the music, (world music genre), was amazing! The store from the outside appeared to be a victoria secret store, and it was placed as one of the first stores when you enter the new all glass mall in the center of Santiago. Then we were given giftbags and brochures, and realized it was not Victoria Secret... it was a swanky sex shop. We walked in and the hand held vibrators, and fallic images gave it away. Now, we understood our friends pause in inviting us! Either way it was a fun and free time, and we to listen to great music and free glow in the dark condom give-aways! Just another way, things appear similiar but our o-so different here.

Well with that I hope everyone is doing well! Send me an email or a card sometime, I have been getting a little lonely! And once again, only 9 more months for scheduling your trips on this beautiful Caribbean island!

Starting Back Up

I have been back for about 3 weeks now, and things seem like they are just beginning to start back up. There has been a seemingly endless amount of holidays this month (last weekend was a 5 day weekend!). It is either a Saint Day or a historical day and then lets just add on some more days just for fun. So hopefully tomorrow we will have a first artisan meeting of the year pero vamos a ver, si dios quiere (We will see if God wishes), which is always the response. Hopefully we will though because we need to talk about the urgent situation, of the artisan building, which may be taken away this month! This is because the artisans have had an impending debt for 5 years, and we have tried many quotas, but no artisans seem to care to pay. I have tried peer pressure, a payment plan, star charts, but to no avail so maybe this will be good for them to finally see the consequences of their lack of action. Anyways since the bank came this week, I am hoping it will force a meeting (fingers crossed).

On brighter news, 2 weeks ago I started my second round of a health/ sex-ed course which focuses on preventing HIV/AIDS and youth pregnancies. The kids whom graduated my last class are now teaching along with my help. The last class was a little unruly, so I had to give them a talking to (Please only come if you want to learn etc.), I told them I was sad with how they were acting because I don’t know the word for disappointed, but I think they got the picture. Some of the little hellions can be seen above, posing sadly (they love staged photos)! If any of you teachers have any good suggestions for controlling students, let me know! I do really enjoy the class, so I have hope they will calm down a little, although the next week is about body parts, so I think the snickers are unavoidable!

So my favorite new project is a women’s exercise/health class, that I started having once a week. Think jazzer-size meets yoga and overweight donas (housewives), jumping around in circles, kind of to a hip hop beat! IT IS HILARIOUS to say the least. I will maybe try to video it one week for your viewing pleasure. The women seem to be loving the class though. I have organized it into a mash-up of weightwatchers and fitness class. I bought a cheap scale, and made them small health booklets where they write down their health goals and keep track of their weight every week. I have been giving them homework every week too. This week is to try to drink 8 glasses of water a day and not to drink soda. Most of the health problems here seem to be closely linked to a lack of knowledge on diet and exercise, so I hope to help educate the woman and thus their families while jumping around to GIRL TALK and other ridiculous hip-hop jams. I knew all those exercise classes and tapes would pay off!

Last but not least… more Haiti updates from the DR. A few friends have been to the southern border working in the clinics in the town Jimani. There are two clinics functioning. One is American run and pretty well organized, and one Dominican clinic, which apparently is considerably less organized. Although originally the borders were more or less open to Haitians whom needed medical care, it seems now that Haitians are being turned away at the border, so some volunteers left early because there wasn’t enough for them to do. It is really a shame. Furthermore, I believe that there has been some negative propoganda on the news stations. Hatian attacks on relief are not often and I think portrayed out of context. Small towns are pulling together to help each other, and are really being helpful letting Aid workers know where the more needy people are. Furthermore, I believe that the roads although not great are passable. From those on the border, it seems that the roads were probably always bad and it is not so much due to the earthquake as it is portrayed.

Right now, there are a few Americans in my town that were solicited to help with getting water filters over to Haiti and to just generally help out. It has been nice to have other Americans in town, and I have felt helpful, translating for them and helping them get acquainted here. They have both passed on my name to other relief efforts. One is to help translate with aid relief. The other is to help logistically coordinate aid with a bunch of different NGOs. I haven’t heard too much yet, but I hope I will be able to get involved in one-way or another.

To come… This upcoming week I am translating for a medical mission of doctors which are coming to my friend’s site to the new hospital she facilitated opening. Sadly, the night before the med mission, I will be heading to the capital to say goodbye to one of my best friends in Peace Corps whom has decided to leave early because of his life at home. Hopefully we will send him off right, typical dancing with live music at ancient ruins might be in the plans, so stay tuned!

Side note: If you are interested in reading about Haiti, two books of interest are Mountains Beyond Mountains (a biography of Paul Farmer), and Farming for Bones which I believe talks about Haitian Dominican relations. They were suggested by me from one of the American volunteers helping with Haiti relief, whom lived in Haiti for 4 years.

Until next time… stay warm and plan your visit here!

More Haiti Relief Info.

Hey guys,

Here are a few other resources for the relief situation in Haiti.

PEACE CORPS

Peace Corps suggests checking out these two websites for making donations. www.charitynavigator.org & www.cnn.com/impact.

WATER FILTERS

As most of you know, my project is to work with ceramic artisans, and my Host Dad makes water filters which are connected to an American company called FilterPure. Right now they are taking donations to buy filters to supply Haiti, below is information.

Only $30 will provide clean water for a family of 6 and can be their lifeline at this time of tragedy. Check out our facebook cause for updates on Filter Pure International or the FilterPure website.

We have a goal to raise $50,000 to buy 2,000 filters and ship them into the country. We have a FilterPure distributor in Haiti, but all of our filters were destroyed in the earthquake so we must ship them from the Dominican Republic.

OTHER INFO.

Also if you know anyone whom has family or friends in Haiti, networks have been established to help people connect with loved ones lost in the quake:

ü Americans with family in Haiti should contact the U.S. State Department Operations Center at 1-888-407-4747.

ü Red Cross Missing Persons Database: http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/haiti

ü Post your missing loved one on the Haiti missing people board and the EARTHQUAKE HAITI Facebook groups.

In my town, the school has been collecting local donations and the Catholic Church has been donating its collections for the week.

Since, as Peace Corps volunteers we are restricted from going into Haiti, volunteers have been giving a hand with organizations in the capital such as USAID in coordinating relief. I hope to be able to help out in the upcoming in weeks.

Thank you to everyone for all your emails and concerns. It was very touching to hear how much everyone has been thinking of me.

A Dizzying Experience

One of my New Years resolutions this year is to try and write in my blog at least every 2 weeks. This may not seem too hard for those with constant Internet, but here in the country where internet is an hour and a half round trip adventure, and internet time is frantic and precious, sometimes the blog would slip my mind. Thus I must apologize for my less than frequent updates, spanning 2 or 3 months. I realize that my close family and friends are those that give me the strength here and in life, so I will try to follow through with my New Resolution and update often.

So let me wipe the dust off my blog, and I hope to deliver to you guys a better or more frequent update on my happenings in Peace Corps Dominican Republic.

A DIZZYING EXPERIENCE

I returned to the Dominican Republic the first week after New Years, and I am right now just getting back into the swing of things. Yesterday, we had our first library meeting of the New Year, to talk about further construction and programs to be planned for students in the library. A fellow friend and I went after the meeting to go talk to the director of the high school. We asked if he could create a list of 10 of the brightest senior students, and we would offer them the opportunity to do their required service hours in the library. While standing in the school, things suddenly began to move in a circular manner, almost like the school was made of Jell-O. My whole vision was wobbling like something out of Alice and Wonderland, and I thought I was dizzy and going to faint. My first thoughts were “Wow I just got really sick, and I’m going to faint.” And/OR “Wow this school is really made poorly, it’s shaking from all the students.” We all had gone silent, and took a moment to realize that everyone else had felt the same sensation. Then someone addressed the elephant in the school. We just experienced a terremoto, AN EARTHQUAKE.

Being born and raised on the East Coast, I had never experienced an earthquake. That’s why I didn’t realize at first what was happening. I also didn’t realize the impact that this wobbling had created. With no experience with earthquakes, I first assumed that this was an isolated small quake and I did not think much of it. Then the phone calls began to ring. My friend is an emergency coordinator for the Peace Corps and she had to get contact with all volunteers on our region especially those on the coast because of the threat of a typhoon. Then there were the calls from family, and emails from friends, and I began to learn that what I had thought was just a wobble had created devastation just across the border. I initially called my friends whom were near the border, and it appears that everyone is fine and there has not been any destruction that I have heard of in Peace Corps sites. What I gathered from Spanish CNN today was that the worst destruction was in Port-au-Prince and to its South West, i.e. away from the Dominican Republic.

Last I heard, there were an estimated 100,000 deaths in Haiti. Having devastation so close to home, really makes you think, why not here, why not me? I feel like I have always read about monumental earthquakes on the other side of the world, but having one on the other side of the island is frightening. Especially with earthquakes, there is basically no warning or evacuation time. And of all countries, why Haiti? By UN standards, Haiti is the least developed country in the Americas, and it really needs all the help it can get. There is a huge illegal Diaspora of Haitians into the Dominican. They take very low-income labor-intensive jobs and live with out documentation robbing them of rights such as basic education after 5th grade. They are discriminated against and thought to be of a lower class because of where they are from. As may be true for many immigrants, they are constantly broken down and taught to be ashamed of where they are from, and now this? It just doesn’t seem fair. Granted aid is already on the way, but Haiti had enough on its plate before this disastrous destruction!

Haiti came from humble beginnings. It was the only nation who gained independence from a successful slave rebellion. It is also the first post-colonial black- led nation. Haiti has known the hardships of slavery and overcame them. Despite the adversity, I hope Haiti can rise again from this tragedy, but the road seems like a long one. Pray for Haiti and its people. Pray for inspiration for Haiti’s government and all international players that they will arrive to productive solutions.

If you would like to help out, here our two website where you could donate. www.MercyCorps.org or www.google.com/haitiearthquake. You could also try organizing donations in your communities, especially with water, food, and soap.

To conclude, remember to not take things always at face value. A wobble in your life could actually be devastation in another’s. A smile to a stranger, could change a person’s day.

Winding Down

As the days wind by, and it is getting closer and closer to when I am coming home for Christmas, I have been trying to wind down my current projects, to start fresh in the new year.

I just taught my last class of ESCOJO MI VIDA (Choose my Life), which is class for youth teaching them about making healthy decisions about sex, alcohol, drugs, discrimination etc. I am giving them an exam on Tuesday, which many have told me they will score a 100%, I hope so! I will probably have a Christmas themed graduation, because I love celebrating Christmas as everyone knows, and since 99.9% of people are some form of Christian, I figure this will be fine.

We just received some more grant money for the library, so this morning we are working on doing some more construction on the outside wall, and we just bought some new books and finally book stands (we had been using rocks). Anyways, I think we will be able to finish with spending the money before I leave.

With my artisans, I have been visiting all the different workshops and conducting evaluations with them of how the year has went and what projects they would like to accomplish in my last year with them. I am planning a afternoon event, where we will do team building activities, and talk about the results of the evaluations. Then we will create a plan of action for the coming year.

Right now we are gearing up for a few artisan fairs. We are participating in a fair at the US Embassy and a 5 day Christmas Fair in the beginning of December. I have been doing sales trainings for my artisans who will be selling at the fairs and making very basic promotional brochures in English and Spanish to educate customers about our products. I planned my flight to work out so I would be leaving from the capital the day after the Christmas fair (where I will also do much of my gift shopping). Let me know if there is anything anyone wants before I come home! Again the website to our merchandise is http://picasaweb.google.com/kconnorsdrv.

In December we should know if we are accepted for an international folk art festival in Santa Fe New Mexico. If so this will be a big break for the artisan association and a great chance to make networking contacts for exporting.

I am also now preparing for our 1 year in Service Peace Corps Conference where I will be presenting my work in the last year along with challenges and successes. We will also be preparing a certain tool for the group that everyone can use in their service. I will be creating a sales training class, so if anyone has any good research on sales technique email them my way! We will also be problem solving about a challenge, and I think I will be presenting a case study to better organize meetings or to create a better system of organization of the association. Also, if anyone has material on management techniques for meetings or for small businesses, let me know!

I am getting so excited about coming home and I can’t wait to see everyone! But right now I am just focusing to tie up all projects so I can really relax during vacation!