last post...

Hello and goodbye to all my blog readers-- this post will mark the last of this little adventure! The Dominican Republic was both terrible and wonderful-- it has a lot to offer but has a long way to go as well. The school systems are ineffective and disorganized, but there is a school system... the land is trashed, but the terrain is so lush and tropical it's ripe with potential... I was heavily warned not to walk alone, not to carry more money or goods than I needed, etc, yet I ended up finding money rather than being robbed.

Some of the best DR features tie into the most trying-- the people are so hospitable and would give you their last bowl of rice. This is ingrained in the kids as well- with so little, they share everything--give one a piece of candy and they'll all nibble on it (albeit at times a health issue...). Yet once you start giving, some kids (and adults...) will take and take and take, making setting boundaries an important part of service. It's frustrating donating your time and effort (and money) and having school kids still come up to you to beg a peso or two off of the gringa... or having the principle of the school ask you to paint the rest of the walls until she realizes she would have to supply the paint...

BUT for every taker there are so many kind and generous Dominicans who want a better country for themselves and for their children. I am happy to have had the opportunity to meet and support such people and will have a large Dominican family to return to if I ever make it back.

Thanks for reading!!
~Eulaila Rae

Oh Sosua!

Mmm, my lovely solstice... where the water feels like velvet





that montain in the background of this pic is actually the "hill" behind Puerto Plata (where the teleferico goes to). Sosua's a 45 minute guagua (the local "public" transport-- mini buses packed with people) ride from PP, but even the ride is worth the 30 pesos-- it's nice to escape the city life for some countryside vistas:)

"Queremos un mundo saludable! La basura al zafacon!"

My two student groups finished our mural this week! I tried to stay out of it as much as possible, mainly guiding the process as best I could-- turned out pretty cute! It's located on the end of the main school building below a walkway to the basketball court (and thus above the court)-- which meant I had a few tennis and basketballs contending with the paint... BUT all in all, not too much spilt paint to cry over:)

Monday (working backwards in the week) was a national holiday, although I'm not exactly sure what for, but everyone had at least the day off and some students (for other schools) had the whole week off. I spent the dia de fiesta at the beach and then at "Fun City" (pronounced more like foon city...), basically getting bruised up on the four go-cart racetracks. My favorite might have been the bumper cars (the Spanish term translates to "crashing cars") where the seat belt was literally a loose loop of nylon around your waist (really safe...)

There was a sweet jazz concert this past weekend in Cabarete (a nearby beach/resort town)-- by sweet I mean, I wish I had my camera for the awesome moves of the crowd (by awesome, read: awkward white people dancing) and for the musicians (the flutist--yes, there was a flutist-- hummed into his flute as a crowd raiser--nice!), and then for the awesome moves of dancers at the discotecs afterwards (by awesome, read: people can move like that?!? Wow, to be a Dominican...!) as well as for their outfits (think too small hot pink spandex, top, earrings, shoes, bracelets)!! I even got to try out my new meringue moves a bit once the bump 'n grind changed paces...

Politics are a hot topic these days, and with good reason!! Everyone here (it seems in any case) is pulling for Obama. Edwin gave a nice inspirational pep talk to his students yesterday using Obama as a role model to work hard and aspire for great things for yourself and others (i.e study and do your homework!!).

I myself am glued to the tv-- the lovely mediocre coverage of CNN Español... although it's more or less repeating coverage of the same mini stories...oh news!

Friday was a wash. Once it began raining last night the skies stayed dark and dumped lakes. I got stranded on Friday at a friend´s near the school (as school was cancelled due to rain), we watched the normally dry cañada fill and begin to overflow. The ground opposite us dropped into the river along with all the trash flowing out into the sea. The river expanded by about two meters! I finally bit the bullet and went home in the rain as it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon.

I finally did some sight seeing this weekend, going up the teleferico (the only one in the country!) and going to the beach.

Today I went to another school which works with Vermont Institute of the Caribbean and has a Barrios Saludables, Niños Sanos program. The students were headed into the streets to talk with their neighbors about what the community likes and dislikes about their neighborhood and to hand out garbage bags. Both the school and the neighborhood seem to be both better organized and funded/wealthier than the school and neighborhood of Los Dominguez. Perhaps in sync with that, the education at the school seems far more advanced (actual hands on projects, creative thinking, guest speakers, etc.) and the over-all consciousness of the neighborhood in regard to trash and littering is also more advanced.

beach...

Close:

Closer:

Closest:

GO OBAMA GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hahahahahahaha

saw this little wonder running the streets...couldn't resist the moment...

More pics... recess, art, etc.

Can a dog with three legs scratch standing up?

Yes, but not easily...


Well, I am rapidly approaching my half way point, which basically means it's all over...

The school day here is broken up into two sections and each is filled with different students, thus school is less than 4 hours per day for the students. Most of that time is spent goofing off, but their is some lecture time...

This week has been pretty fun-- I began working with two small groups of students (4th and 5th grades) whom will serve as the HNHK leaders for the projects we do at the school. They are currently working on ideas for a mural that we will paint next week in the school pertaining to picking up trash/thinking about the environment and we have been fundraising for supplies. During the groups sessions I've essentially been showing them as many images of plants, animals, and ecosystems (healthy and not healthy) as I can pull off the internet in my alloted internet forays... Today I actually got the notion of a watershed and eutrophication across to my kids, yay!

I was not in school for most of the day today-- only going for my group meetings and not helping out with English classes as I have been doing. Sadly, a student got kicked out of school (completely, apparently forever) for knocking over a garbage can and refusing to pick it up. The teacher I've been working with feels terrible as he was the link in the disciplinary chain that lead to the student's expulsion. I was shocked to hear that such measures were taken for the offense (granted, I know I'm rather lax about discipline, but really? kicked out?) students fight (fiercely) often (and other such offenses) and yet there's not even a word of admonishment... another kid had to go home because his hair was cut too short (basically bic-ed), but again, really? Oh, my issues with administration continue...

The weather for the past few days has been so stagnant and humid throughout the day, it's like constantly wearing a heavy coat on an already warm day (or grunden's)... BUT at long last it rained this afternoon, dumping precious water and bringing cool air.

In other news, my computer got raided by ants-- I've been chasing them out of it for a day... I tried bumping some reggaetone, but that only got out a few (granted the volume on this thing is pretty sub-par). For better or worse Mac's get so hot, either they're all out or they're fried inside and thus entombed. Ugh!

And speaking of Dominican animals, the CUTEST puppy has taken to following me around. He was whining at my doorstep one day last week and can fit in my palms. He's wayyyy cuter than the little terror that runs around this place (who I still love...), but like all the stray dogs around he's just another "ugly dog." I thought he must have left because it was quiet for a long time, but he was just huddled in the corner:( Then a few days later he came around again, this time following me all around town. I though for sure one of the crazy motoconchistos were gonna run him over...

Onto happier thoughts...

wasn´t going to post so many of this little terror, but couldn´t remove immediately, so here he is, mi perrito...

week one done!

Welcome to my blog!

For the next 6 weeks (5 now!) I will be posting updates about my time here in the Dominican Republic.

I am here as a volunteer for the Vermont Institute on the Caribbean (www.instituteoncuba.org) and their Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Kids Project (HNHK). I am working at a elementary school with 4th and 5th graders helping to promote healthy and environmentally friendly living practices. Additionally, I am working with 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders teaching English.

Luckily I have the help and guidance of an very effective and hard working teacher, Edwin Gomez Francisco, a hugely talented and dedicated Peace Corps Volunteer, Sarah Parker, and the support of the VIC as well as many other Dominicans who have already been so generous.

Arriving last Saturday (Oct 11th) to Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the DR, I have just wrapped up week 1. Having now been directly exposed to the issues Dominicans face when it comes to having a healthy neighborhood, I have revised my preconceived project ideas to be more realistic and fitting for the community.

Puerto Plata is beautiful. Smoggy, littered, but beautiful. It's positioned on the North(west) Coast of the DR, lined by beaches to the north and mountain to the south.

Admittedly, my current favorite parts of the day are riding around on the motoconchos... moped/dirt bikes/motorcycles that are the main mode of transport around town (and fit a surprising number of people!)-- moments of solitude with full exposure to my surroundings.

My VIC point guy, Moreno took me on a Puerto Plata tour my first day here-- I'd share pictures except they're on my camera's internal memory to which I don't have access... BUT, from this weekend on, I'll have readily available photographic evidence (I hope).

I'm living with Nelsida, who's super welcoming and a great cook, and insists that she's my Dominican Mom while I'm here. She now has a little scraggly puppy that loves to run spastically inside if he´s allowed )see pics... so cute, and so ugly at the same time:)

School started Monday which basically consisted of me feeling about 8 steps behind, and not knowing what to do (or say) next, then being placed in front of over 8 classes of kids in 4th-8th grade, but the kids graciously accepted my introduction and a few classes sang the HKHN song (so cute!). Meanwhile I was realizing that the project I had intended on working on (cleaning the local stream that flows through the neighborhood) was ABSOLUTELY impossible due to the constant contribution of "agua negro" from all points along the rivers way, trash is one thing, but bacteria ridden black water, no thanks!! That said, I do hope that once there is more of an environmental perspective here that stream won't be the sad sight it is today.

Wednesday was a "rain day," which coming from Vermont seemed nearly ridiculous, but it was a welcomed breather from giving my first couple of health lessons to the students (did I say that they were in Spanish already? Cause that was a feat...). The roads near the school are nearly all dirt and not exactly "clean" dirt like the miles of Vermont roads surrounding my home, but impregnated with the same bacteria and garbage evident in the stream. That the belief that their "children will drown" if sent to school in the rain prevents many students from the rigors of a school day (although some grit it out...like the optional snowday I suppose). As my motoconcho ride didn't show, I too took advantage of the weather.

Yesterday (Sat.) I went with Edwin to his English class in the countryside. Teens in San Francisco signed up with Edwin and two other English teachers to learn English over the course of 2 1/2 years (on Saturdays for 3 hrs.). Surprisingly for the amount of time put in, these kids had pretty advanced English skills (I have GOT to take Spanish classes when I get back...). We drove for ~3 hrs to get there (through Santiago) and the entire countryside was so beautiful! Once we entered rice country (see pics), we pulled into a small school and I talked with 3 different groups throughout the day. Every day everyone breaks for 2 hours midday for lunch. We went to Nellie's (another Nell:-)) house and dined on the "Dominican Flag" rice, beans, and chicken (plus fried green plantains and salad). On the way home, the teachers conducted business stopping roadside to meet the photographer and videographer (separate curbs) for the pending graduation class of students. Also on the way home, the radio news alerted us to an accident not only along the way home, but minutes from the home of Edwin's family. A full bus had gone over the side of a bridge. The miraculous thing was that only one individual was killed. Sadly, it was a 9 month old baby. Edwin was certainly on the edge of his seat, concerned about his family until we got there and heard more (everyone was safe at home).

Due to lack of clean water, soap, close quarters, and knowledge, there was an epidemic of conjunctivitis last week, not just in this area but the entire DR had pink eye. The common conception that you get it by looking at someone with pink eye only propels the infections from person to person. Being prone to it myself, I can understand that wives tale, but thinking about it more, I realize that as soon as I see someone with pinkeye, that hypochondriac sense kicks in and I'm maybe a hundred times more likely to touch my eye... so far so good though (although now that I think about it, my eyes do itch a little, hmmm)...

Well, that's all for now, check back soon for updates and more pictures!!!

Yours,
Eulaila Rae