The Library Inauguration

"Susan, I am impressed. You are so calm right now." 

The room was already packed 30 minutes before we started

That is what a friend and fellow volunteer said to me as I walked, not ran, around completing last minute details for the community library inauguration which was to happen in under an hour. I attribute my part of my calm demeanor to my integration into Dominican culture. Nothing ever starts on time here, so me taking a few extra minutes to set things up wasn't going to ruin the event. Really though, nothing could ruin the event for me or the other member of the library committee. We had worked so hard and long (over 3 years) to make the library a reality that nothing was going to spoil the day for us.

My youth group presenting their acrostic

Only an hour after the scheduled start time, basically on time by Dominican standards, the inauguration of the Ernestina Hidalgo Community Library began. During the ceremony there were speeches given by the Governor of Samaná, the Director of the Education District of Samaná, the Peace Corps Librarian, the mayor of my community, a daughter of the library's namesake, the president of the library committee, and several other local political leaders. The most exciting speech for me to hear was that of the Director of the education district. She promised to send a teacher to work full-time at the library! Otherwise the speeches were all pretty similar: praising the community and extolling us as an example for the rest of Samaná. Not too bad of a thing to hear over and over again. Still to keep the audience entertained the speeches were  broken up by a few special performances. My girl's youth group presented an acrostic of the word biblioteca (library) and students from one of the local schools performed two dances, including a traditional merengue ripiao, a dance special to the north-east coast of the D.R. 

I spoke briefly during the ceremony, mostly using my time to make announcements about upcoming events at the library. But I also said something I would like to make clear with all of you readers. My community would have made the library a reality if I had not been present. But I could have never made the library without my community. I served as a treasurer, grant writer and book cataloger, meanwhile my project partners harassed politicians for donations, got permission from the privately owned road company to perform construction, corralled community members to help with construction, and fed all the workers at least twice a day. The library is 100% the result of my community's effort to achieve their dream of a better future for their children.

The inauguration lasted 2.5 hours, at which point refreshments were served to the 200 or so people in attendance - most craning their eyes through the windows to get a glimpse of the event. Refreshments or brindis as it is know in the D.R. is a big deal. No event is complete without it, and it can serve as a marker for how much detail and preparation went into the event. For our brindis everyone received a plate with an empanada, a quipe, a mayonnaise sandwich with cheese, and a marshmallow which is considered a Christmas sweet in the D.R. Everyone also got a cup of fruit punch filled with apples, melon, pineapples, and passion fruit.

Dancing at the after-party

Once the masses were filled with food and had dispersed back to their houses, the real party began for myself and the library committee members. The library was turned into a dance floor and rum and wine flowed. I kept my promise to the construction workers and danced with all of them who asked my hand. One of them laughed as we danced and when I asked him what was funny he responded, "You can dance!" (Since arriving in the D.R. my love of dancing has grown and I now take every opportunity I can to dance bachata and merengue.) 

Dancing ended at 9pm - most of the committee members were exhausted from the inauguration preparation. However, myself and the other five volunteers visiting me continued the party at my house. We played music, made smores, and when the power went out at 1am we proceeded to play with candles. At 4am we all headed to bed, but with only two beds and six people  it took another hour before we got the bedtime giggles out of our system and went to sleep. I felt like I was back in middle school having a sleepover with my best friends. We then all got up at 8am, ate bacon (a rare find in the D.R.), and went to the beach for the day. When I returned from the beach a few of the neighborhood kids commented on how loud we had been the night before. I took the comments with a smile on my face - I had finally managed to out noise my neighbors.

Kids learning to play Scrabble

Back to the library.  So far everything has been up and running fairly smoothly this week. Kids are learning how to use the simplified dewey decimal system (numbers 0-9), and keep the 700+ books organized. Another new experience for many visitors are the computers. For many people the first time they use a computer is when they type their name in our attendance tracker. Similarly using the printer has become a big event with wide-eyed kids crowded around the machine. Technology isn't the only enticement at the library - the kids can't get enough of Monopoly. (I have a rule that they have to read a book before they can play games.) 

This was the first time these girls saw a printer

However, we still have a door issue. The mayor of Samaná promised to donate two doors for the building. They finally arrived the day before the inauguration but the one for the library side of the building was not the right size. We finally got a door for the library side, but of course it is still too small, so before we move everything over we have to fill the gap with wood or something else. For now we are using the meeting room for the library. Since the room is smaller things have been a little cramped. I have had to place some tables in the empty library so that visitors have enough space. We have been averaging about 25 people a day at the library. My goal is to get 100 individuals to visit the library by Saturday, so far we have 55 so I think we can get there.

The temporary library location

Kids outside the now - almost - complete library

The true test for the library will be how my community manages it while I am gone on vacation in the U.S. Thankfully I don't think there will be any major problems while I am away. My community has fought too long and hard to let the library fall by the wayside after only a week. Plus considering how the kids have started lurking around my house waiting for me to open the library, I can't imagine them letting the adults in the community off the hook. 

You can see more pictures of the library here.

Celebrations

In the past two weeks I have celebrated five big events: Thanksgiving, a school concert, the graduation of my Me Toca a Mi class, Día de Santa Barbara, and the inauguration of my community's library. Miraculously all the events were big successes and I only fell asleep during one ceremony. Here is the run down:

Practicing yoga with my neighbors

Every year volunteers organize a big dinner in the capital so we can celebrate Thanksgiving together. The holidays are a tough time to be away from home, but a pool party followed by a delicious American dinner certainly helps numb the pain. I woke up early on Thanksgiving day to participate in a  5k run with other volunteers. I finished the race in 25:36 - blowing by my goal of 30 minutes. I think I could have gotten below 25 minutes but I wanted to save my energy for the rest of the day's festivities. Side note: I started to prepare for the 5k in September, I had never consistently exercised in my community before then, and the experience has been a positive one. Word has spread that I do yoga, and many women have requested that I start a class, and their wishes will come true in January. I occasionally even have kids come by the house and exercise with me.


The rest of Thanksgiving was a blast, there are only a few opportunities a year for us volunteers to get together in big groups. Most of the time it is too difficult for everyone to get together due to our work and the distances between our communities. One of my friends, Conner, who I talk to on the phone weekly, I had not seen in eight months. Unsurprisingly I stayed up late talking with friends until 5am. But by 12pm I was back on a bus to my community so that I could make it on time to the next celebration.

My host sister (left) and another student singing

When I arrived back home I had just enough time to eat before I headed off with my host family to a school concert. The purpose of the concert was twofold: to promote student creativity and to fundraise money for the 8th grade's graduation. The event was held in a church and the place was packed, with many people staring in through the windows. The concert consisted of a variety of singing and dancing performances. I was bursting with pride throughout the concert as my students took the stage but I couldn't compete with my host mom who was screaming and yelling every time my host sister performed. Afterwards my host mom said, "The doctor says that I am not supposed to jump around and get excited because of my high blood pressure but oh my God - Emely!" And then she proceeded to jump around some more in the middle of the street.

The following day 19 students between the ages of 5 and 17 graduated from the Peace Corps Me Toca a Mi course. As I have previously mentioned, the course uses a novela (soap opera) with Dominican actors to talk about a variety of issues that affect the youth in the D.R. including: HIV/AIDs, drinking, education, family relationships, homosexuality, discrimination etc.  After each episode of the novela we played games and held discussions that addressed the episodes themes. Sometimes conversations were heated, but some minds were changed and perspectives widened.

The 19 Me Toca a Mi Graduates

Prior to the graduation the class hand wrote invitations and gave them to their parents. Unfortunately, only two parents attended the event. This wasn't surprising because sadly, parents do not tend to participate in school and extracurricular events when invited (the school concert was out of the norm). It was shame the parents didn't show because the class held a fantastic talent show which mixed dancing, singing, jokes, and skits. Kids here, just like all over the world, love showing off what they can do, I know they were disappointed their parents were not there to see them shine. Next time I am going to harass the parents house by house. Although parents didn't show, their were at least 30 siblings and friends present to cheer on the graduates.

Patronales celebrations, a week long event celebrating the patron saint of a community, began the same day as the Me Toca a Mi graduation. In the D.R. most patronales have turned into a week of night concerts. I was too tired to go into town for the headliner event, El Alpha, previously highlighted in my music post. But I did make it to the church service honoring Samaná's patron saint, Saint Barbara. My host mom and I arrived at church at 7:30am in order to ensure we got good seats. We thought the service would start at 8am but in typical Dominican fashion it started at 9:30am. While we waited in the pews I fell asleep. I have no regrets. I needed that nap to get through the rest of the service which included: first communion, confirmation, a speech from the bishop about abortion (a topic heating up in the D.R.), a speech from the priest about how the patronales partying has gotten out of hand (it kinda has), communion, and a processional around town with a statue of Saint Barbara.

Finally, on Saturday, the day my entire community has been waiting 3 years to arrive, we inaugurated the Ernestina Hidalgo Community Library. The event was so big that it has its own post.

All the celebrations over the past few weeks have left me in high spirits. I feel so lucky and blessed to be living the life I have now, which is a big change from this time last year. Last december I was counting down the days until my family's arrival and couldn't wait to get out of my community. Now I feel like I don't have enough time before I leave for a vacation in the States. So to all my volunteer friends sick with the holiday blues and/or the one-year slump, remember you will get through it! And to everyone back home, I am super looking forward to seeing you all, but I know this time there will be people in the D.R. I will miss while I am gone.

Motorcycle Crashes

Motorcycles are ubiquitous in the Dominican Republic. In my rural community, and much of the developing world, the motorcycle is the family vehicle (There are only two families out of 150 in my community that have cars). It is not uncommon to see a family of four packed together on one motorcycle. And when walking, Dominicans are constantly on the lookout for a friend on a motorcycle to take them the rest of the way (nobody wants to walk under the hot Caribbean sun). Despite all the motorcycles, few laws are enforced regarding their usage. It is not uncommon for me to see twelve year-old kids driving motorcycles, and drivers sometimes will have an open beer or rum bottle in one hand. Thankfully, I have yet to see a twelve year-old drinking alcohol and driving a motorcycle at the same time. The only time I have seen the law requiring drivers to wear helmets was during the week of Easter, which traditionally is a week of partying and therefore lots of drunk driving. And even then the police accepted the following types of headgear: baseball helmets, bicycle helmets, and construction hard-hats.

The lax enforcement of these laws have allowed for thousands of Dominicans to needless die each year. Motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of death for young men in the country (for girls it is AIDs - but that is a whole different can of worms). For the most part I have been able to ignore the dangerous role motorcycles play in Dominican society. I mitigate my own risk by wearing my helmet and riding motorcycles as little as possible. However, since a careless motorcyclist broke my host sister’s leg, my acceptance of Dominican vehicle culture has been rapidly deteriorating. It is getting to the point that I might start lecturing everyone I know about the importance of wearing a helmet and the dangers of drunk driving.

Luis Angel showing off his school work

Two weeks ago, two boys from my community riding a motorized scooter crashed into a guardrail. The driver, a 14 year-old boy named Nezo, was sliced open by the guardrail and died on impact. In some ways that was a blessing because as neighbors took the boy to the hospital a truck struck their motorcycle. Thankfully the two other passengers on the motorcycle only received scrapes from the hit-and-run. The second boy on the scooter, Luis Angel, a student of mine, hit his head on the pavement hard. He was sent to the capital for treatment and is now recuperating with family in another part of the country. The rumor is that he has permanent brain damage. Luis Angel is 10 years old.

Only a few days after the accident in my community, a Dominican baseball star, Oscar Taveras of the St. Louis Cardinals, killed himself and his girlfriend in a drunk driving accident while vacationing in the D.R. In both cases, the crashes were talked about for a few days and masses of people attended the funerals. But there was no rally cry to change the status-quo. Instead people chalked up the deaths as terrible accidents and went back to their daily lives.

On Monday I witnessed another motorcycle crash in town. I was in the back of a pick-up truck headed to my community when two motorcycles crashed into one another. One of the motorcycles went skidding by the truck on its side. The semi-conscious driver was then picked-up by another motorist who rushed off to the hospital. The second motorcycle also skidded on its side but was stopped by the back tire of the pick-up truck, where I was seated. The driver was able to get up on his own and, with only a slight gash on his forehead, wedged his motorcycle out from underneath the pick-up and then continued on his way out of town. The whole event occurred in less than 3 minutes, afterwards you would have no idea there had been an accident. And for me that's a problem.

No one stops to think after an accident occurs - how can another crash like this be prevented. Time and time again deadly accidents occur, yet little is changing (There is currently an ad campaign with Dominican baseball players saying they don't ride without helmets.). Part of the problem is that the police are not enforcing laws that would improve rider safety and security, but society is also to blame. Dominicans like to say that teenage boys fooling around, not obeying their elders causes all the accidents. But they forget that even when teenagers are to blame their are often innocent victims in crashes, like my host sister, Luis Angel, and countless others. As roads improve and Dominicans become wealthier, more vehicles will be on the road being driven at faster speeds. It is critical that Dominican society start to take road safety seriously. Parents need to be more cautious about allowing their kids to drive motorcycles and ride with other teens. The government needs to better enforce the laws on the books and also make helmets more available and affordable.  If change does not happen, then the D.R. will continue to loose the future leaders of the country to tragic and preventable accidents.

Health Care in the D.R.

Presentation at a rural clinic on dental care

An essential part of serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer is living with and like the locals. This means cooking with local foods (Examples: yucca, plantains,and auyama), taking part in community events (Examples: church celebrations, dominoes, and chair sitting), and getting used to not having certain amenities (Examples: running water, 24/7 electricity, and Krispy Creme). However, there are other aspects of life which Peace Corps Volunteers will never be able to truly integrate, such as how we take care of our health.

The disparity in the quality of health care I receive versus my neighbors has made me uncomfortable a times. As a volunteer I have access to three doctors, one of whom is always on-call, as well as free medicine and treatment. I never have to worry about the cost of a procedure, if I need it Peace Corps will pay. I probably have the best health care plan of my life right now. My neighbors are at the other end of the spectrum.

Preventive health care is essentially non-existant in my rural community. I do not know of anyone who goes to the doctor and dentist for yearly check-ups. There are no school nurses or yearly eye exams for students. It all costs too much. Aside from brushing ones teeth and eating a balanced diet not much else is done until someone gets sick (And many people do not brush their teeth and eat healthy).

When someone gets sick the first thing people do is wait to see if it gets worse. Have a toothache? Wait until you can't eat. It costs three times as much to get a filling as it does to get a tooth pulled (A cleaning can cost even more). Vision problems? Stand close to the chalkboard. I don't know of any kids of the 300+ I have worked with who wear glasses. When the Chikungunya virus was spreading around the country like crazy, no one went to see the doctor until the pain from their joints made it difficult for them to walk, and even then most of my neighbors didn't see a doctor. Again, seeing a doctor is expensive. Just going to and from town can be expensive for many Dominicans.

Probably in part because of the inaccessibility of doctors, most medicine can be bought without a doctor's prescription (including Prosaic and Viagra - the latter I have seen handed out to men at a bar in the capital). However, rural Dominicans often prefer local plant remedies. Tea made from the leaves of a cotton tree are said to be great for anemics. Alcohol is often also used as a substitute for pain medicine. It is not uncommon for teenage girls with menstrual cramps to take a couple swigs of Mama Juana, a rum-wine-plant root beverage.

When an illness or injury does become very serious Dominicans will go to the hospital, but the results are not always the best. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, sometimes the doctor needed will not be at the hospital and patients end up waiting hours to receive treatment. Once a patient has been admitted to the hospital they typically have to share a room with six to eight other individuals. There are no special wards for different types of injuries just one for men and another for women and children. There are better hospitals located in the capital - you know someone is really sick when they are sent to the capital.

Side note about babies: Due to the unavailability of doctors when it is time to give birth Dominicans with some money prefer to schedule caesarians instead of giving birth naturally, to ensure the doctor will be present for the entire birth. Also, many women go home with their babies the same day they are born, via motorcycles. There are not enough beds for women to stay more than one day, and there are no laws here saying you need a car-seat before you can leave the hospital. Would it even be possible to make one for a motorcycle?)

A lot of improvements are needed in the Dominican health care system. Thankfully, things are slowly headed in the right direction. All medical centers offer free HIV/AIDs testing, and many offer free birth control. This year many hospitals, including the two major hospitals on the Samaná peninsula, are being expanded and remodeled to provide more services and treat more patients. Also this year a national 9-1-1 system was launched. As its next step I would like to see the government begin to provide more health care services at schools. Ensuring kids know how to take care of their personal health from a young age will go a long way to ensuring healthy generations to come.

***

Library Update: The library now has a cement floor! We plan to install the floor tiles and paint over the next two weeks. Tentative inauguration date for the end of November. - It is time to start planning the celebration party!

Now it's time to make it look pretty!

Library Update

Since I arrived in my community, nearly a year and a half ago, I have been continuously working with my neighbors to build a library. This Saturday we turned the lights on, and the finish line is in sight. By the end of the month we plan to install flooring on one half, paint, and hassle the mayor for the doors he promised us. Next month we plan to have a big celebration party - you all are welcome to stop by. Many readers have helped us get to this point through donations and moral support. Thank you all so much!

This past week the library committee received a donation of 80 books from the Mid-West Medical Mission. The medical team spent the week in the Samaná hospital and stopped by my community to get a better understanding of how their patients live. The majority of books are textbooks, which have already been put to use by students researching breast cancer - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the D.R. too. Thanks again to the whole team for dedicating a week of their time to helping the people of Samaná. It was a pleasure to act as a translator for you all.

Below are some before and after pictures of the library progress so far - keep us in your thoughts as we move on to the final stretch. Remember to check out more updates on the library website: http://bibliotecadelcoyote.blogspot.com/

The Library and Community Center - Before

The Library and Community Center - Now

Library - Before

Library - Now

Computer Lab - Before

Computer Lab - Now

Dominican Music

You will never be asked to turn down your music in the Dominican Republic. Why? Because blasting your music is part of being Dominican. How did blasting music at all hours of the day become socially acceptable? I have no idea, but I am thankful that I never have to worry about offending anyone when I throw dance parties with the neighborhood kids. The downside is that I am sometimes woken up by a neighbor's stereo system at 6 a.m. (when the power comes on).

For an entire month I was woken up by this song:

It was a rough month.

Thankfully, the above song is not representative of Dominican music. Indeed, the above song is from a Venezuelan singer popular in the late 80's. Much more often you will hear bachata, merengue, salsa, or dembow music. All of which I am come to enjoy. Here is a break down on what they all sound like:

Bachata
Bachata was created in the D.R. in the early part of the 20th century. It was once considered to be the music of country-folk - the lyrics and dancing were considered too vulgar for the wealthy, but today it is the most common music you will hear on the radio. The are a multitude of great Dominican artists in this genre. To get a good mix I recommend the "I love Bachata" album series which is available on iTunes. (I have 2013 and 2014.) The most well known singers of this music are Prince Royce and Romeo Santos, both of whom are Americans. I prefer Romeo Santos - his album Fórmula Vol. 2 is amazing and features mainstream American artists: Drake and Niki Minaj, although their Spanish singing skills are wanting.

Decide who you prefer by listening to two of their most popular songs.

First Prince Royce with "Darte un Beso" (Give you a Kiss):

And now Romeo Santos with "Eres Mía" (You are Mine):

Merengue:
Merengue, like bachata, is native to the D.R. Created in the 19th century the music was made popular by the country's dictator, Rafel Trujillo. Merengue is now one of the most popular genres of music in all of Latin America. Merengue music tends to have a faster beat than bachata and the dance is also more rapid and features more spins and turns than bachata. I think meregue is more fun to dance, but only if your dance partner know what they are doing - otherwise you are just dancing in a circle.

There are not many female singers heard on Dominican radio, but Miriam Cruz is one exception. Check her out below with the old but classic "La Loba" (The She-Wolf):

Salsa:
Salsa originates from Cuba, and is not nearly as common as bachata or merengue. Bachata and merengue can be difficult to distinguish at first, but since salsa was developed off the island its sound is unique. But if you can't hear the difference, you can always tell when a salsa is playing because only two couples will be dancing. Most Dominicans do not know how to dance salsa - they seem to like to stick to their native dances: bachata and merengue. However, there are still well known Dominican salsa singers and most Dominicans can sing along to salsa songs played on the radio. Here is Yiyo Sarante with "Pirata de Amor" (Pirate of Love):

Dembow
Dembow is a new and evolving genre, original to the D.R. It is a form of rap stemming from Puerto Rico's reguetón music (think "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee), however now it is its own beast. I use the word beast because dembow lyrics tend to focus on sex, drinking, and generally acting wild. Dancing to dembow is similar to dancing to American rap music - just find a stranger and start grinding up on them. Get your booty shakin' to this next song by El Alfa, "Subete en el Caballo" (Get on the Horse). And yes, the title is a sexual innuendo.

Just for fun, below, is a more innocent dembow song. This song is about the Chikungunya virus, which I finally got (and recovered from) last month. I didn't get the severe joint pain as portrayed in the video but I did get swollen joints, fever, rash, and random waves of exhaustion (I fell asleep at my kitchen table surrounded by unopened grocery bags one afternoon.). Still, I consider myself lucky. Many of my neighbors and fellow volunteers continue to suffer from joint pain months after their initial diagnosis. K2 and his song "La Chikungunya" should give you an idea of what they are still going through:

American Pop
Like nearly every where in the world, you can hear American pop occasionally in D.R. The U.S. is close enough that some volunteers tune into Radio Disney to get their pop music fix. Most Dominicans to not know what the lyrics to American songs mean - but that doesn't stop them from singing along.

Slowly Dominican music is making its way back to the States. Prince Royce and Romeo Santos can already be heard on the radio in America - especially their songs that mix English and Spanish and/or feature popular English singers. An explosion in popularity for Dominican music in the U.S. is coming. Are you ready?!

Things that Probably Didn't Happen to You this Week

My life here in the D.R. is never ordinary by American standards. This week, however, has been particularly eventful in its non-ordinariness. Here is a run down of what's been going on in my community over the past seven days:

Emely at home resting her leg

My host sister, Emely, was hit by a motorcycle as she was leaving school. Don't worry she is okay, except for the broken leg. Here is the full story: A 17 year-old was popping wheelies on the dirt road in front of the primary school, and surprise he lost control and hit Emely as she started her walk home. First they took Emely home, but soon they decided she needed to go to the hospital. By the time they arrived at 7p.m. the doctor who knows how to set bones and make casts was gone for the day. Luckily, they were able  to take her to a private doctor. The boy who hit Emely has agreed to pay for the cast, which cost $700 pesos or $16 dollars,  an amount my host mom had to borrow from her church because she didn't have the funds available at the time of the accident. Emely's family will still have to cover the costs to transport her to school since she will be in the cast for a month - she will be traveling via a motorcycle. Emely doesn't seem to phased by the ordeal. She is enjoying the lack of chores, getting a ride to school, and the piggy back rides from friends as she changes classes.

Putting the finishing touches on the ceiling

My project partners took all 150 gallons from my water tank to use for library construction. The water was mixed with cement to seal the ceiling of the library. Part of me is happy that one more step is done and the other half is annoyed that my water tank is empty. Remember, I don't have running water. All the water I get comes from the sky, so taking all the water from my tank is not a small problem. My project partners' excuse is that they thought it would rain, which to their credit it did look like it was going to rain. I just wish they would have asked first. I have had water taken from my tank without my permission before, so I keep an additional 70 gallons of water inside my house. I am hoping we get a good rainstorm before I run out of water. If that happens I will have to sit out by the side of the road with an empty trashcan and hope the water truck passes by. I am lucky that I can buy water; not everyone can, but I still don't like having to waste my day waiting for water.

Nana inside the water tank

The one benefit to my project partners emptying out my water tank is that it gave me the opportunity to clean my tank. Or more correctly, it gave my 9 year old neighbor, Nana, the opportunity to clean my tank. Over the past year my water tank had collected its share of mud and leaves at the bottom. The bottom is out of reach of my hands so Nana offered to go inside the tank and clean it out for me. My biggest contribution to the cleaning was to blast bachata music by Romeo Santos over my portable speakers. I heard neighbors across the street talking about the music and declaring that I am bien dominicana (very Dominican).

Neighbors at the beach - Nana is the one covered in sand

Wednesday was a school holiday, Día de Las Mercedes, so I went on a trip to the beach organized by my girls' youth group. We took a safari bus and the entire ride music was blasting (bachata, merengue, dembow, and salsa). When I returned home my ears were ringing.

Thursday I presented at a teacher's workshop in the northern area of the Samaná peninsula. In order to get to the rural school where I was presenting I got a motorcycle ride with a teacher trainer. The ride was over an hour and we primarily stayed along the coast line allowing me to enjoy some beautiful views. But I will say that riding a motorcycle isn't as glamorous as it seems. We nearly had to cancel the trip due to a rainstorm, and my hips were aching by the time we arrived at the school.

Lastly, a highlight of my week is that we installed windows and doors at the library! Whoo! It is starting to look like a real building! You can check out more pictures of the progress here.

Library Committee members showing off the new windows

Death in the D.R.

Cross cultural exchanges between myself and Dominicans almost always occur in unexpected moments. Like the time I had to explain that just because Americans send many used clothes to the Dominican Republic it doesn't mean we throw away our clothes after one use. A few weeks ago I my grandmother passed away, and I found myself explaining an aspect of American culture: death.

I was able to take an emergency vacation to the States to attend my grandmother's funeral, but before I left, I had to let all of my project partners and students know that I would be away for the week. After giving me their condolences my friends would inevitably ask if I was going to be able to attend the actual funeral. In the D.R. the tradition is to bury the dead 24 hours after their death. My neighbors were relived when I told them that in the U.S. the dead are typically embalmed to allow family members living far away to participate in the funeral services. Dominicans know of embalming but most families do not use the procedure either because they do not have the money and/or prefer to follow culture tradition of a rapid burial. 

Since the funeral is held 24 hours after death, the mourning process is sped up and intensified in most Dominican communities. Immediately following the death of a loved one the family springs into action informing everyone in the community of the death and inviting them over to the home of the deceased to mourn. I was once awoken at 6 a.m. by mourners informing neighbors of the death a community member who had died at 4 a.m. 

The home of the deceased becomes an impromptu wake. The body is typically laid on the ground in a bedroom where mourners can visit at and express all their emotions. Everyone in the community is expected to visit. Those closest to the family are expected to stay at the home until the funeral. The home often becomes a full 24 hour vigil of screaming, crying, and comforting. Unlike in the U.S. where everyone tries to keep their emotions in check, in the D.R. emotions are displayed at an almost theatrical level (I have seen people pass out in front of the body of the deceased.). There is little time for the family to be alone; which is the point. Dominicans do not like to leave friends alone during times of sadness. (One of my project partners said she would've traveled with me to the States if she could have, just so I wouldn't be alone.) 

It's easy to tell when a wake is being held at a home. There will be an overflow of people outside the house in white or black, sitting in plastic chairs and talking in groups. It is not uncommon for drinking to occur, and when an important figure in the community dies the wake can become a huge party. More of a celebration of the person's life than a mourning their death. The food and spirits are normally provided by the family of the deceased; unlike in the U.S. where friends and co-workers bring enough food to last the family for weeks.

Funeral Processional (umbrellas are for the sun)

When it is time to head to the cemetery Dominicans, like Americans, have a processional to the cemetery. However, aside from the processional itself, not much is the same. Almost everyone who attended the wake will also attend the funeral, which means a lot of vehicles are needed. Since most Dominicans do not own cars, all sorts of vehicles are used: motorcycles, busses, flatbed trucks, tourist safari trucks, livestock carriers, etc. The processional is also a slow one, allowing those who live along the route to the cemetery the opportunity to join in the processional and/or pay their respects. I was once part of a processional that took 45 minutes to travel 5km (typically a 10 minute drive).

Cemetery in Argentina 

Once at the cemetery the funeral itself is quick; often those at the end of the processional miss out on the majority of the service. As in much of Latin America, the dead are not buried below ground but instead are placed in tombs or family crypts. Following the funeral everyone gets back into the vehicles from the processional and return home - at a much faster speed. Depending on the family's religion other events will occur to memorialize the deceased such as a church service nine days after the death and/or a yearly mass in remembrance of the deceased. Most of these events are held by Catholic families. The majority of my community is evangelical (a growing sect in the D.R.), who typically refrain from such events. However, evangelicals will honor the deceased during the church service following the death of the deceased, as they did for my grandmother.

Explaining to my neighbors that I had to return to the U.S. for a funeral was a surprisingly cathartic experience. It allowed me to realize how integrated I have become  - I had so many people to inform of my departure - and I was able to see how deeply my community cares for me, which was part of the silver lining of loosing such a dear family member.

I want to thank everyone who gave me their condolences. And my apologies for those who didn't know I was back in the U.S. Let's meet up when I am home again in December.

Creepy Crawlies

First night in the D.R.

Once, after I had just moved to my community, I thought there was a rat under my bed and I had difficulty falling asleep. In the morning I investigated and couldn't find anything. I told my host-family and they all laughed. They said it was probably just a big spider rustling up the plastic bags stored below my bed. No big deal. Since rats are the only critters that freak me out, I was fine with the idea of sharing my room with a big spider. Plus, I had my mosquito net to keep anything from sneaking onto me in the middle of the night.

I know many people who would not be comfortable with only a net separating them from a variety of creepy crawlies, and none of them are Peace Corps Volunteers.* I even know someone who said they could never be a Peace Corps Volunteer because they wouldn't be able to handle living somewhere where there are big poisonous spiders. In the Dominican Republic we don't have any animals with enough poison to seriously injure a person, but we do have plenty of animals that make sure us volunteers properly tuck-in our mosquito nets when we go to bed. Here is a run down of creepy crawlies that call the Dominican Republic home:

One of the many reasons to use a mosquito net.

Mosquitoes - They can be found everywhere. Many communities, like mine, do not have running water, so there is always stagnate water around for mosquitoes to breed in. They can infect humans with the Dengue, Chikunguya, and malaria viruses. In order to protect us against Malaria, volunteers are expected to take regular doses of a nasty tasting medicine. There is no drug to prevent against Dengue or Chikungunya, but they aren't as deadly as malaria, so no worries.

Tarantulas aren't so scary when they are dead.

Spiders - There are lots of spiders around too, to catch all the mosquitoes. Since spiders kill other bugs, I don't kill them. Spiders can come in all sizes but they are harmless to humans.

Tarantulas - Tarantulas can jump pretty high and bite, so they are not a volunteer favorite. Some volunteers see tarantulas every time they use their latrine, others will go their whole service without seeing one. It all depends on where you live. I have see two. One at an all inclusive, and the the other was in my bathroom. My cat killed the one I found in my bathroom, his hunting skills are why I adopted him.

Cockroaches - Again, the number of cockroaches a volunteer sees will depend on where you live, but they are much more common then tarantulas. Every once and a while I will see a dead one that my cat has caught, which creepily brings a smile to my face.

Black flies - They are my least favorite creepy crawlies (after rats and mice). When they bite they leave a small red pin prick of blood, to let you know they were there. When you first begin to get bit, the bites itch like crazy. I would wake up in the middle of the night because I would be subconsciously scratching at my bites. Eventually almost all of the itchiness will go away, as your body builds up its immunity, but every once and a while you will still get a bite that will drive you crazy. Black flies love to hang-out at one of the schools where I work. I made the mistake of wearing a dress one day, and was treated to over thirty bites which went all the way up my legs. I only wear pants to school now. 

Scorpions - These guys are not to be messed with, they can sting and the sting will hurt. Luckily, they are not too common.

Centipedes - Not to be mistaken with their harmless cousin the millipede, centipedes like to bite. Like the scorpion's stinger, a centipedes bite will hurt. Centipedes have been known to burry into the hair of people who chose not to use their mosquito nets.

Ants - You can never get rid of ants from your home. They will always find a way in. Dishes cannot be left out with crumbs on them unless you want hundreds of ants on your counter in under two hours. They can find their way into almost everything. Many a volunteer has sadly discovered a box of cereal filled with ants. Many a volunteer has then shrugged their shoulders and poured themselves a bowl of protein enriched cereal.

The boy in front is carrying a snake home to torture.

Mice and Rats - Ew, ew, ew, if I have one fear, it is a fear of rats and mice. It's strange phobia for a girl who as a child had pet guinea pigs, but man do those tails freak me out. Plus, I am not about to mess with a creature that helped spread the Bubonic Plague. I have always said that the one thing I didn't know if I would be able to handle a volunteer would be living in a house invested with mice or rats. Luckily, I have not had to deal with said problem, but not all of my friends have been so fortunate.

Snakes - As I mentioned in a previous post, Dominicans hate snakes. Many think, falsely, that snakes here are venomous, and will therefore kill them without hesitation. It's a shame because more snakes would be useful at keeping the rodent population under control.

Mongooses - An invasive species, mongooses were brought to the D.R. to kill the snakes. Instead they have become the main carrier for rabies in the country. Rabid mongooses have been known to kill humans, particularly infants. They are therefore ruthlessly hunted down like the snakes they were meant to kill. One morning I got to witness my host family on the hunt for a mongoose. It was a successful hunt.

Pato, my cat, is a great hunter.

Lizards - I will miss the lizards when I return to the States. There are so many different types that can be found around the island. They are cute little things scampering about and eating the annoying mosquitoes and black flies. Look out below for a bunch of adorable lizard photos.

There are many other creepy crawlies to be found in the D.R. like the giant frogs and snails which sometimes wander into my home. I could go on and on, but I don't want to dissuade any of you from visiting me. 

Special shout-out to the amazingly fabulous Karla Kornsey for giving me the idea for this post. 

*I know plenty of volunteers are not happy with the cockroaches, mice, rats, centipedes, etc. that inhabit their homes but for us the creepy crawlies come with the job. You have to be a little crazy to be a Peace Corps Volunteer.

¡LIZARDS!

Ups and Downs

Wednesday was a good day and a bad day. Wednesday was a typical day.

On Wednesday I woke up not wanting to get out of bed. I was supposed to go to school that morning to help teachers prepare for the upcoming school year, but based on the lack of work that was achieved the day before, I wasn't too motivated to walk 20 minutes under the hot morning sun. It took two hours of arguing with myself to get me out of bed (good thing I set my alarm early). When I arrived at school it looked like it would be another wasted day, but then to my surprise parents started showing up for a meeting. 

Turns out the school principal had invited the members of the parent's association over to discuss the planned events for the first week of school. The day before I had asked the principal when the next parent's meeting would be and she said she wasn't sure. Turns out she thought I was referring to an all school parents meeting, which is different than a parent's association meeting. During the meeting the principal talked about many of the issues I have been harping-on including parent participation and student attendance. I didn't know until then that she had been listening to what I have been preaching over the last year. After the meeting my principal surprised me again by informing me that a teacher-trainer I work with ran into an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer. The trainer said that the the former volunteer wants to help with our library project, fingers crossed I will hear from him soon.

My two phones - one even has a QWERTY keyboard!

After school I went into town. After purchasing a drink at the internet café I was informed that the power had been out in town since the morning. They never tell me when the power or internet is out until after I have bought my food. Ugh. I really should ask before I buy anything but it seems tacky. Anyway, I should have known better, power is frequently out in town on Wednesday so the power company can make repairs (or so they say). I made the most of the situation and paid to get 24 hours of internet on my phone. Internet on my phone is pretty bad, for example I can read emails but not send them, but it is better than nothing. Side note, I have two phones they are supported by different companies so they each get signal in different places. Neither of them work in my house. One of them lets me call other volunteers for free, and the other allows me limited internet and I can call people on my front steps (sometimes).

As I went through my notifications on Facebook my annoyance at the lack of power dissipated. On Sunday a news article was published in a local South Jersey newspaper about the library project. Many of my family and friends had sent me messages of congratulations and support. It means so much to me when I receive those kinds of notes. Kind words make a big difference when you are on the monstrous two year-long roller-coaster called Peace Corps. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank everyone for the well-wishes. I also received a emails from people interested in supporting the library, and possibly some more publicity for the project. We shall see what develops.

When I returned to my community, I stopped by to visit my host-sister who was celebrating her birthday. Last year she didn't do anything special because her birthday fell on Tuesday the 13th, which is the equivalent to Friday the 13th in the U.S., and she was afraid of getting cursed if she tried to do anything. This year her grandmother made her a pizza and they saved me a slice. Score!

Superstitions came up again later in the evening. I recently started a new course called Me Toca a Mí which revolves around a novela (spanish soap opera) made by Peace Corps Volunteers in the D.R. All the actors are Dominican youths and each episode focuses on a different issue. So far we have discussed: self-esteem, bullying, having sex at a young age, family relationships, being a good role model, and the importance of education. On Wednesday night the main topic for discussion was discrimination. Everything was going fine, until we began to talk about Dominican-Haitian relations. Many Dominicans do not like Haitians. Dominicans have accused Haitians of practicing witchcraft, causing the Cholera outbreak on the island in 2010, and in general being evil. The negative perception of Haitians goes all the way back to colonial times. Haiti was the first country in the western hemisphere to end slavery, via a slave revolt. Lead by freed slaves, Haiti invaded the Dominican Republic and took over for 22 years. Dominicans have never forgotten the invasion, and it has lead to many more negative, and often bloody, interactions between the two countries.

Back to my class. Samaná does not have many Haitians. It is far from the border, and there are no sugar cane fields to entice migrant workers. I had never heard any youths speak negatively about Haitians before, so it shocked me when many of them stated that Haitians were evil curse-casting witches. Some even said they would never speak with a Haitian if they could avoid it, even though most have never met a Haitian before. When I tried to explain their shared history and the culture roots of voodoo, my students just shook their heads. One declared that Haitians want to invade the D.R. again. I asked how they could do so, as the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Other students then interjected that Haiti was poor because it is filled with bad people. By the end of class I was still unable to convince my students to change their minds about Haitians. I told them we would discuss the issue again next week, so if anyone has ideas on how to combat this issue please let me know ASAP.

I keep all the cards I receive on display

Wednesday ended as it began, on a negative note, but the positive news I received through-out the day kept me buoyant. My service would be a tougher, bumpier one if I didn't have the support of both my American and Dominican friends. Thanks again to all of you for making my life a lot easier.

How to Live without Running Water

This week Tropical Storm Bertha passed over the D.R. When I received notification from Peace Corps about the storm's approach my first thought was, "YES! I get to do my laundry this week!" One's concern about tropical storms changes a lot when you live without running water.

Overall, living without running water isn't too bad. I definitely prefer no running water to no electricity (dinner by candlelight is depressing when you are alone). Still, it can be a tough to adjust to life without running water. When my sister visited this summer I had to teach her all the things I had learned when when I first moved to my community. Here is what she learned:

Collecting Water: My community primarily relies on rain for our water. Every house has at least one gutter that deposits rain water into a trash can, old oil drum, or a tínaco, which is a big water container. Mine holds 150 gallons. During dry spells children are sent to local springs or the river to collect water for the family. Water can also be bought via trucks that pass by daily, but the water is too expensive for most of my neighbors to afford. Since I moved into my own home last September I have been able to rely on just the rain water I collect. That is because I live alone, Samaná gets above average rainfall, and I am a water hoarder.

Storing Water:My 150 gallon tank cannot store enough water to make it between long dry spells. It is also located outside my house, which means that on occasion my neighbors borrow some (or all) of the water stored inside. So in addition to the tank I keep two more trashcans filled with water inside my house (another 60 gallons). Also, whenever I empty a gallon sized container of anything (bleach, soap, vegetable oil) I fill it with water and store it under my sink (another 10 gallons). I fear that my water-hoarding tendencies are going to turn me into a emergency preparedness crazy-person when I return to the States.

Drinking Water: Thanks to the previous volunteer in my community, almost every house has a bio-sand water filter. The filter allows us to safely drink all the water we collect. The filters last up to 20 years and maintenance is minimal. Bio-sand water filters are awesome. Previously, families had to buy purified water, many could not afford to do so and instead drank the non-purified water they collected. Many people suffered from amoebas and other diseases because of the non-purified water. Many Dominicans continue to suffer from water borne diseases because there is no purified tap water in the country. Everyone has to either buy purified water, filter the water themselves, or risk getting sick.

Washing Dishes: Dish washing is a multi-stage process involving many buckets. You have your bucket next to the sink with clean water, your bucket in the sink with soapy water, and your buckets on the floor with dirty water. You use the clean water to rinse off the soapy dishes and after all the dishes are done you pour the soapy water into a dirty water bucket. You will need the dirty water to bucket flush.

Bucket Flushing: No running water means you cannot push a level and make the toilet flush. Instead, you have to take a bucket of water, preferably dirty, and forcefully toss the water into the toilet. The pressure caused by the water will flush everything down into a septic tank. Note: it is important that you put the seat up when you flush, nobody water dirty water on the seat. Also, flushing is trickier than it looks. Many volunteers have stories of accidentally overflowing the toilet or embarrassingly having to ask a member of their host-family to flush the toilet for them. The latter happened to my sister. The month she stayed with me was not enough time for her to master the bucket flush.

Bucket Bathing: Since shower heads are impossible to use and baths use up too much water, bucket baths are the best way to get clean. To bucket bathe you need two buckets. One filled with water and a smaller bucket or cup is needed to pour the water over your head. Unless you heat up the water on your stove, the water will be very cold. I recommend exercising before taking a bucket bath, but some days all you have to do is sit in the sun for a minute to work up enough sweat to make a bucket bath refreshing.

Doing Laundry: I go to my host-family's home to do my laundry because they have a washing machine, and I get to use their water and not my own. Laundry uses a lot of water, as I detailed in my post all about the process. Read it here.

Sharing: If your neighbors have a ton of kids running around and not a lot of water, share. Don't get mad when people use water you collected, it is inevitable. Can you blame them for taking water to quench their thirst and cook their food? Be a kind and generous person, and people will reciprocate. Just this week I received avocados, plantains, chicken, help organizing books, and one of my students told me I was beautiful in English!

Library Construction

This week a new sound has been added to the cacophony of motorcycles, bachata music, donkeys, and screaming neighbors that make up the background noise in my community. The noise is construction work (See the video to hear the noise I love to hear). Finally, construction of the library has begun in earnest. All this week from dawn to dusk the men of my community have been preparing the library for today, the day we pour the cement roof.

Things have gone pretty smoothly this week. Except last night when a truck delivering supplies hit a power line and left my community without electricity. Whoops. Luckily we only had to wait three hours for the power line to be repaired.

Construction is the D.R. is different in many ways from construction in the States. First, almost all of the men helping to build the library are volunteers whose construction experience has been gained by building their own homes. Also, different materials are used. Scaffolds and supports are made of wood, not steel. And instead of wood and shingles for roofs, Dominicans prefer cement.

Laying out rebar on top of the roof.

The cement roof, while rare in the U.S., is becoming the standard roof in the D.R. A zinc roof is cheaper and is still the most common type of roof in the D.R. However, it is prone to leaks and can be torn off a house during a hurricane. Therefore, as Dominican families become wealthier they are choosing to build their new homes out of cement from top to bottom. Until this week I had never seen a cement roof being built. I now understand why they are not common in the States.

Cement is heavy, so any building that is going to have a cement roof is going to need support columns. You also need to set up an elaborate system of wood and rebar to allow the cement to set and dry properly. Setting everything up to pour cement took  10 men four 12-hour days to complete. The word cement roof is also a little misleading. Mixed in with the cement is also sand, gravel, and lots of water. You then have to get the mixture to the roof. Today we have twenty men working on mixing and pouring the cement. We also are using a big cement mixer and lifter that a neighbor is letting us borrow.

Temporary Roof Supports

Despite the free equipment, labor, and other donated materials we have spent, just this week, $123,300 pesos or $3,082.50 dollars on the roof. But every penny is worth it to ensure the safe-keeping of the library's books and the longevity of the community center. Now that construction is underway my neighbors have already begun to talk about how they would like to build a second level where they can hold big meetings with the entire community. My neighbors never stop dreaming, and I love them for it.

The library now has a website: http://bibliotecadelcoyote.blogspot.com/
You can find more information about the library and see more pictures there

Other non-library things that happened this week:

I have a new club. We meet once a week to watch a novela (Spanish soap-opera) made by the Peace Corps with a cast of entirely Dominican youths. Each week the characters are faced with an important issue like teen pregnancy, AIDS, violence in the family etc. My students couldn't get enough of it!

When I returned from camp, I discovered that my cat had disappeared. I thought that he had either run off with another cat or he had been eaten by a Dominican. It is not unheard of for Dominicans to eat cats. Some people think their meat can cure diseases and others think it will make them stronger. Luckily, my cat did return but he was injured. He tore up his leg so bad that the veterinarian cursed, in English, when he saw it. In his first year of life my cat has already lost three of his nine lives (he has also been attacked by a chicken and he once ate poisoned food).

While cataloging books I realized that I took a picture with a statue of a character from a comic book we have in the library when I was in Argentina in 2010. I had no idea at the time who/what the statue was made in honor, hence my desire for a photo.

Me and Malfada in 2010

Sunday was Father's Day here in the D.R. and to celebrate we held a movie night. The film for the night was Sanky Panky, which is about Dominican men on the hunt for rich white gringas to seduce. It was a hilarious movie and I now want to watch the sequel.

On Thursday morning I was woken up by the screams of a pig being slaughtered...not the first time this has happened. At least there was also the sound of men building the library.