Summer School is Cool

The most popular place to be in my community this summer isn't the river or out in the fields picking mangoes. Instead, kids of all ages are flocking to the community center for English class and a literacy club run by me and my sister, who is spending a month of her summer vacation in the D.R. Kids have been so excited to start class that they were arriving an hour early. Dominicans are never early, as I have previously mentioned. The enthusiasm the students have for class reminds me of how my little brother and cousin would wake up early on the weekends to play video games. They went to bed dreaming of the fun they would have the next day.

Even when full the community center is very airy

It has been wonderful to see kids learning and coming back the next day impatient to learn more. However, we have only had class for one week and we are already over our maximum capacity of students. On the last day of class this week we had over forty students participating. There were enough chairs and table space for only half of those students. Station activities helped to lessen the fighting over chairs, each student got some time sitting down. But with so many students the room remained crowded leading some older students to sit outside. 

Summer classes are not the only event that suffers from a lack of space. The community center is used for a variety of events, but can only hold at most 60 people out of the 500+ residents of my community. Last week the Senator of Samana, Prim Pujals, came to speak to my community about our lack of running water, and our library project. The community center was jammed packed, with people piled up outside looking in the windows to hear the senator's speech. The Senator told us that he could do little to help us on his own but he signed a letter we wrote to President Danilo Medina, asking for his help to build a regional aquaduct and our community library. 

Senator Pujals promised to donate $30,000 peosos ($700 dollars) if President Medina does not donate funds to our library project. However, I have no idea how long we will have to wait to recieve President Medina's response to our letter. But you can support my community's library right now by donating to our project. Please help us out, as so many already have, and make our community library a reality by the start of the new school year.

Everyone packed in to hear the Senator

To submit a donation CLICK HERE!

Just a reminder: All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of donations will go to our project.  (Tax deductible means that you are allowed to deduct donations that represent up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income on your federal tax returns. So donate and you will have to pay less taxes!)

Also, you can donate offline. Although donating on-line is the fastest way for projects to get funded, you may also donate by mail or over the phone:

Send a check to:
Peace Corps Headquarters
Office of Gifts and Grants Management
1111 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20526

Please make check payable to Peace Corps Partnership Program
Please also note the project number (14-517-025) in the memo section of the check.
(Please print and mail this donation form with your check, so Peace Corps can contact you with information regarding your donation, if necessary.)

-or-

Call the office and Peace Corps can take your credit card information over the phone at 855.855.1961 x2170.

Other things of note:

Pin the Tail on the Donkey is fun in any language

• We celebrated my sister's birthday by throwing her a party. Pin the tail on the donkey was a big hit. Our Dominican guests had never heard of the game before but they quickly took great pleasure in spinning around blindfolded participants. Some people did fall down
• The transformer across from my house blew out last night, again. It was fixed this morning, a big improvement over the last time when we were without power for over 24 hours.
• This month the D.R. introduced a new 911 system in two cities. It got so many prank calls in its first two weeks that the government is now requiring everyone in the country with a pre-paid cellphone to provide their I.D. information or else their phone will be suspended. Basically, everyone in the country has to register their phones with the government.
• When opening the metal door to the community center for a evening event, I managed to whack myself in the head with the door. Luckily I do not have any visible bruising for neighbors to question me about, but it is one more reason why you should donate to the library project. Help protect me from incurring more head injuries.

The Benefits of Working on Vacation

There are few things more amazing than the generosity of strangers.

Today I took sometime out of my vacation in the States to visit Hilldale Elementary School in New Jersey and talk about my service in the Peace Corps. Since November I have been skyping every month with the 5th grade students as part of Peace Corps' World Wise Schools Program. But today was the first day I met the students and staff in-person.

One the 63 cards I received.

When I entered the classroom students immediately began to whisper to one another, "Is that Susan?!," and "Susan's here!" I felt like a celebrity. The students then gave a presentation of about why they think the Peace Corps is important, and thanking me for my service. They said the most adorable things like, "Roses are red, violets are blue, if you need help Peace Corps serves you." My heart melted when one student said that he wanted to join the Peace Corps because his parents were immigrants, and he wanted to serve the U.S. and help others abroad. 

The love fest continued with a the 5th graders presenting me with a Hilldale t-shirt and duffel bag, both personalized with my name. The students surprised me one more time by announcing that they had fundraiser an additional $500 at the elementary school and that the language honor society in the high school raised an additional $500! I was floored. This time last year I didn't know Montville existed, and yet the community has done so much for me and my neighbors in the Dominican Republic. I feel so incredibly blessed by their geneoursosity. When I return to my community next week I can't wait to see my neighbors reactions to the great news. I predict a lot of dancing.

Thanks to the help of Montville residents, family, and friends we have reached a quarter of our U.S. fundraising goal for the library. But that means we still need to raise $4,200. Please help us out, as so many already have, and make our community library a reality by the start of the new school year.
To submit a donation CLICK HERE!

Just a reminder: All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of donations will go to our project. 

Also, you can donate offline. Although donating on-line is the fastest way for projects to get funded, you may also donate by mail or over the phone:

Send a check to:
Peace Corps Headquarters
Office of Gifts and Grants Management
1111 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20526

Please make check payable to Peace Corps Partnership Program
Please also note the project number (14-517-025) in the memo section of the check.
(Please print and mail this donation form with your check, so Peace Corps can contact you with information regarding your donation, if necessary.)

-or-

Call the office and Peace Corps can take your credit card information over the phone at 855.855.1961 x2170.

Food, Glorious Food

In less than a week I will be in America. My mind is already there, and the rest of me can hardly stand the wait. I have had a countdown going since I requested my vacation in February. I plan on seeing people and doing fun things, but most of all I plan on eating. A lot.

Doughnuts are my version of a nightcap.

The Dominican Republic isn’t so bad that I have gone without fast-food and sweets. Typically when I am in the capital I hit up McDonalds and eat a few donuts. But when I am in my community I definitely suffer from cravings that I am unable to satisfy. No bowls of ice cream or chocolate chip cookies for me.  My local grocery store doesn’t even regularly stock butter, just margarine that you don’t have to refrigerate (a great selling point here). Overall, I am probably a healthier person for not having access to as much junk food, however, when given the opportunity I will binge eat.

For example: Only once have I seen bacon at the grocery store. There was one package, and I bought it even though it was turkey bacon. I ate the entire package over three days. I ate it so quickly because 1. bacon is delicious, and 2. I was afraid the bacon would spoil because my house only has power 50% of the day.

As I count the days until my arrival in the U.S. I have been making a list of all the food I want to eat while I am home. The list is now over 20 items long and includes everything from risotto to Mallomars. I expect to gain at least seven pounds during the two weeks I am home. I know a Volunteer who gained five pounds per week, so I know my estimate isn’t ridiculous.

I am telling you all this so you can prepare for my arrival. I apologize in advance if I talk about food too much, or if I already did. However, I promise not to take pictures of every food item I eat, unlike another Volunteer I know.

One last thing: While I am in the States my community will still be working hard on our library. Please help us out and donate here. Thank you!

Why We Want the Library

My entire community is working to build the library. But you have only heard my reasons why you should donate to our project. Now, I am giving the mike to some of my neighbors. Here is why they want the library:

Karen at the library construction site

Karen, library committee member and mother of three – “We need the library for the development of our kids. There are many poor people in the community who don’t have access to the Internet. They have kids in school and no money to pay for extra costs, like materials for class projects.”

Emely

 Emely, library committee member and in the 7th grade – “I want a library so I can research information for my homework. Right now, I can’t do all of my homework because sometimes I have to go to town to use the Internet. A trip into town costs too much money for me to go every week for homework. A library would make my life better.”

Jose and his sister Ari

 

Jose, 5th grade – “My mom says we need a library because I get in too much trouble when I am not in school. I want a library so I can read books.”

Darilyn

 

Darilyn, library committee member and in the 11th grade – “Every community needs a library because every community has students. The library will help us with our studies, and we will learn more.”

Mauricio

 

 Maurcio, library committee member, farmer and grandfather – “The library will help the community, especially the youth, to become more educated. The library will also provide economic benefits for the community. Parents will have more money to spend because everything their children need for school will be within walking distance.”

Clariza

 

Clariza, Library Comittee President, hair stylist and mother – “The library is needed by the whole community. For example, parents who can’t provide their children with school supplies. Also, there is no recreational center in the community. The library will be a safe place where the youth can hangout. It will keep kids off the street.”

 

Daneisi and Daniela

Daneisi and Daniela, kindergarten and 1st grade – “We want to learn to read.”

Ready to donate? Click here!

Mil gracias, a thousand thank yous to those of you who have already donated. Please continue to spread the word to family and friends.

Just a reminder: All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of donations will go to our project. 

Also, you can donate offline. Although donating on-line is the fastest way for projects to get funded, you may also donate by mail or over the phone:

Send a check to:
Peace Corps Headquarters
Office of Gifts and Grants Management
1111 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20526

Please make check payable to Peace Corps Partnership Program
Please also note the project number (14-517-025) in the memo section of the check.
(Please print and mail this donation form with your check, so Peace Corps can contact you with information regarding your donation, if necessary.)

-or-

Call the office and Peace Corps can take your credit card information over the phone at 855.855.1961 x2170.

You Can Help

“Oh my gosh, what you are doing is sooo great! How can I help?” For the past 15 months I have heard family and friends ask me how they can help, to which I have responded, “Eh, it’s kinda tricky to send things to the D.R., I’ll let you know if something changes.” Well, family and friends, the time has come to step-up to the plate. My community and I need your help!

The library will be on the right-hand side.

Since 2011, my community has been working towards building a community library. I arrived one year ago to help the library become a reality. Construction began last month, and we need your help to close our funding gap. My community has already fund raised $23,728.42 via donations of construction materials, books, labor, land, grants, and cold hard cash. We just need an additional $5,628.09, to help cover our remaining construction costs.

You can donate to our project by going to our project’s webpage on the Peace Corps website. Or you can look up my project on donate.peacecorps.gov. Search via my last name, Stine, or my project code, 14-517-025.

The leaky zinc roof will be replaced by a cement roof.

Many readers are probably thinking, “Why should I donate?” Here are some reasons why:

- The idea to build a library was developed by my community not by an outside group.

- The average family makes less than $125 dollars a month, and yet the community has fund raised 80% of the library costs, $23,728.42.

- None of the three local primary schools has a library. The closest children’s library is located in the capital, an expensive three-hour bus ride away. 

- Classrooms at all grade levels do not have enough textbooks for every student, if they have even have textbooks.

- The library will provide community members with access not only to books but also to computers. Of the 151 houses in my community, only 47% have a book in their home, and less than 10% have a computer.

After 7 months of cutting red tape, the bridge is functional.

- We spent seven months fighting, successfully, to get a permit to build an access bridge from the road to the site of the library. We will stop at nothing to make the library a reality.

- My community and I had to submit a lengthy grant application, which includes: essays, goals, monitoring and evaluation plans, a timeline, and a detailed budget. If you want any of the information we submitted please contact me at scstine@gmail.com.

-Check out our project’s webpage for even more reasons.

Now that you are convinced that my community’s library is a worthy cause, here is some information about the donation program, the Peace Corps Partnership Program:

Reading with a neighbor.

 - Every penny that you donate will directly fund my project. No part of your donation will be used to cover staff or overhead costs of running the Partnership Program, as the office is supported by congressionally appropriated funds to the Peace Corps.

 - All donations are tax deductible! Once the donation has been processed a thank you letter will be sent, which can be used as a tax receipt. The name on the tax receipt will reflect the account owner on the credit card or check.

 - You can donate offline. Although donating on-line is the fastest way for projects to get funded, you may also donate by mail or over the phone:

Community member repairing library walls.

Send a check to:
Peace Corps Headquarters
Office of Gifts and Grants Management
1111 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20526

Please make check payable to Peace Corps Partnership Program
Please also note the project number (14-517-025) in the memo section of the check.
(Please print and mail this donation form with your check, so Peace Corps can contact you with information regarding your donation, if necessary.)

-or-

Call the office and Peace Corps can take your credit card information over the phone at 855.855.1961 x2170.

Many, many thanks to all of you who donate funds. My community has a lot of dreams, especially for their children, and with your help we can begin making them a reality.

The Library Youth Committee meeting (in my house).

Go with the Flow

Ahorita in most Latin American countries means, right now, as in you want something done immediately. In the D.R., however, ahortia can refer to something that will occur or already occurred but it never ever refers to the present. So when you ask someone, “Have you bought cement?” and they respond with “Si, ahorita” it may mean that they have bought the cement, or that they are planning on buying cement in the future. For Dominicans, ahorita is a sufficient response. However, I always end up asking a bunch of follow-up questions because as an American, I need to know an exact time.

Dominicans have picked-up on Americans’ fixation with time. Tiempo americano means “American time” and it is what Dominicans say when they want you to arrive on time to a meeting. Otherwise, it is completely acceptable to arrive whenever you want. An hour or two hours late, it’s totally acceptable. I have even known Dominicans to lie about a meeting start time in an attempt to prevent lateness.

Dominicans are much more laid back about time. Nobody stresses about arriving on time or complain when a meeting begins two hours late. Being a typical time obsessed American I have struggled with accepting this “go with the flow” attitude. However, after the teachers’ training I presented at last week, I realized I have adjusted more than I thought. Not once did I complain or stress-out about the time and/or people’s tardiness. Here’s the run-down of what happened:

8:00am - I arrive on time to the bus stop where 40 teachers and I are supposed to meet so we can travel together to the training. There is one other teacher waiting. I start reading.

8:30am - We learn that no one reserved a bus, even though we hold the training every third Wednesday of the month. No one is too concerned. I keep reading.

Singing School Children

 9:00am - My co-presenters arrive. I say hello, and do not mention that they arrived an hour late. There still is no bus available so some teachers go off to run errands.

9:30am - A bus has been found and we set off for the training.

10:30am - We arrive, and everyone enjoys some snacks, slowly settling into their seats. The school hosting the conference then has several presenters talk about the history of the school and community.

11:30am - 2.5 hours after the planned start time, we begin the teacher presentations. No one mentions possibly shortening presentations or speeding things along.

12:30pm – Lunch!

A Great Presentation, Sadly Cut Short

1:30pm - I am invited to go for a walk with some teachers to a friend’s house. We visit for nearly an hour, but I am not concerned about time as I know that the head trainer is also still out visiting friends too.

2:15pm – We arrive back to find that the presentations have resumed, teachers continue to trickle in after us, including the lead presenter.

3:00pm – The conference ends. Since there was only two hours of presentation time, less than half on the intended material was covered. The other presentations have been pushed to the next month’s conference. I consider the day a win because I was able to present 50% of what I wanted to cover that day.

There were multiple times during the day when I silently laughed thinking of how people back home would have freaked-out about the delays. I’ve learned that worrying about the time won’t make anything happen faster. Instead I bring a book and, more and more often, I also arrive late.

Let's Talk About Sex

Making Condom Balloons

It has been said that you are not a true Peace Corps Volunteer until you have shown your neighbors how to properly use a condom. When I heard that I thought, “Psh, I am going to be working with small children, no way will I end up doing a condom demonstration.” Then last week I held a Fiesta de Cóndones (Condom Party) at my house with over 30 kids screaming, “I want a condom!” Kids as young as 10 made condom balloons, played games to learn about the risks posed by HIV/AIDS, reviewed how to use a condom, and, of course, practiced putting on condoms with the help of some plantains, a carrot, and a wooden phallus I was given by Peace Corps for just such an occasion.

Interviewing President Condom

Many readers back home are probably shocked at the notion of 10 year-olds practicing putting a condom on a vegetable, but I have received no complaints from parents about the event. Why? Because parents here know how important it is for their kids to receive good sex education. Sadly, the D.R. has the highest rate of pre-teen pregnancy (kids 12 years-old and under). News stories about pregnant 9 year-olds are not uncommon. HIV/AIDS is also a big problem in the country. HIV/AIDS is the number one killer of women age 15 to 24 years old.

I don’t want to see any of my young neighbors become pregnant when they themselves are still children. Nor do I want to attend any of their funerals. I will never know how my sex talk impacted all of my students. But I hope it will help them to resist peer pressure, and instead make informed decisions about their sexual lives.