The Evening in El Cedro

It’s nights like tonight when I can say that without a doubt, joining the Peace Corps was the best decision I’ve ever made. When you’re on the back of a moto staring up at the star dusted sky, mouth agape as the headlights bounce off the leaves of the coconut trees, you can’t help but think that anything that brought you to this point was god-sent. I think that’s really the first time I’ve been out at night here, in El Cedro, and it really was magical. The cool night air and the occasional flash of a firefly made me wish the trip into Los Urabos were more than a ten-minute ride. After this experience, I’ve set a goal for myself to figure out how I might be able to camp at the beach, so I might never have to leave the stars for as long as their out.

Saturday was a day of mixed emotions. I went with my host brothers and a bunch of their friends to the beach with my very own inner tube. The inner tube was a blast, especially with four boys trying to climb on it at once and the waves sneaking up on you from behind, and my waterproof camera became something of a novelty and delighted them all beyond belief. The unfortunate bit was the price the sea claimed for the fun we had. My waterproof camera no longer has a screen and my favorite sunglasses, my only truly good pair I’ve ever had, have been swept to the bottom of the Caribbean where they may forever rest in peace. And only after did I remember the split second decision I made to take them instead of leave them behind. Damn that split second. I can only blame myself. Though slowly, I’m learning that things – are just things, after all.

The rain has finally let up, which means the heat has started to sink in. I average about two visits to the river a day in-between classes and meals. I’m giving three beginners computer classes to adults and youth (and when I say beginner, I mean some of them have never used a mouse before) as well as an arts and crafts class, a literacy class for just a few kids of about ten who cannot read, and my Escojo Mi Vida class. All of them seem to be going rather well. My Escojo class, or my sex-ed class as I sometimes call it, was interesting. The first session was on self-esteem and making choices based on values and such. I was so grateful for the handbook Peace Corps had given us and for the time I had taken to make thorough slides from it. All I had to do was facilitate conversation, and hope they wouldn’t find out I could only understand about half of what they were saying. One of my brothers, though, said he thought it went very well. So I’ll have to believe him.

My committee and I have also started to plan for our biggest fundraiser of the summer – a talent show. If the excitement shown by the four women of my committee is any indication of how the town will react, I think we’ve got a winner here. I’ve seen first hand the talent that exists in this community, and so am rather excited myself. I also plan to film the event and add DVD sales to the fund raising chart.

Yesterday, I made spaghetti and sauce (with a modified recipe) for my family. Those who were brave enough to try it, said they really liked it, and Even, who came over after he had already eaten lunch, had a whole plate. I was proud. And oh was it lovely to have some familiar food. My host mom was made quite happy by the whole event as well. She becomes so distressed when I don’t eat. Not eating, to her, is not finishing an entire plate. So, meals and their preparations are a constant struggle. And I wish I had the words to tell her how much I appreciate the effort she puts into finding out what I like and trying to provide me with it. Oh, and the danger of having an ice-cream shop across the street from my house has finally become apparent. Today was the third consecutive visit.

Life is good here in the DR. And I know I’ve said this before, but I can’t wait to share it.

A Different Sort of Internet

I’ve decided that you only really learn what it means to troubleshoot when the internet is a moto ride away from the computers you’re troubleshooting, it’s slower than a landline, and everything you’re
trying to troubleshoot is in a foreign language. Oh yes, this is the world I live in. But there’s a certain sort of satisfaction that comes from each little triumph, and a certain acceptance that comes with the
things you can’t fix. Some of the issues I’ve fixed, others that I can’t fix are simply irritations (thus far, anyway). In so many cases since I’ve been here, I’ve had to abandon my quest for perfection in
the small things because here, there ain’t no such thing. By the end of today I hope to have all 10 of the schools computers up and running, frozen and perfect – with the exception of the explorer
window that appears at start up… oh well. You can’t have everything. But I swear that if I ever meet a spyware author, I seriously will meat him.

I’ve had a couple meetings with the faculty and one with some of the leaders of the community. Many didn’t show, so we have to have another just to organize a committee to get the fund raising going. We have, however, agreed that a good first goal is to get internet put into the school – I think. It’s always hard for me to tell what they really want. But so far, the rough plan is to give basic computer classes during the summer to raise money so that we might have internet by the
beginning of the next school year. I also hope to give an arts and crafts class with an emphasis on using recycled materials. We’ll see how that goes.

Something that’s been a bit of an adjustment for me, or at least a realization, is that the mentality here, even in meetings, isn’t so down-to-business as I am. I find myself wanting to sprint ahead with
these grand plans of a theater group and art classes to raise funds for internet, to spear head this enormous task of producing a teacher training video series… and everyone here is just cogiendolo suave. Just taking it easy. So, needless to say, a task I’ve had to add to my list is to learn how to start small and to have patience. Suddenly, two years doesn’t seem like such a long time at all.

I’m pretty sure it’s rained here every day since I’ve been back. So when they said May was the rainy season, they most definitely meant it. It has been oddly regular, also. Hot, cloudy, and humid in the
mornings with torrential downpours around lunch, which would cool off the air a bit for the evenings. Last Sunday, Evan, my volunteer neighbor, and I had the idea to hike out to beach that morning to beat the rains. Little did we know that the beach during and after the rain, isn’t anywhere you really want to be. The once crystal blue waters were now brown with runoff from the rivers, almost all the way out to the horizon where a strip of blue still remained untouched. The beach was spotted with litter that had also been washed down stream. It was a bit of a disappointment, but we got a lot of walking in that day, and some castigation for having done so. They look at me like I’m from another planet when they find out I’ve been walking. “A pie!?” they say, “Que lejos! Que peligroso!” But it’s really not dangerous at all, though lejos is more or less true, as it is an hour’s walk to the
nearest town of Los Guineos.

Anyhow, things are pretty tranquilo here, though I certainly have enough to do. Which is just the way I like it. Hope all is well, wherever you are, and I hope to hear from you all soon!