One Year In Country!

One year ago I got on a flight with 51 other aspiring Peace Corps volunteers from Washington D.C. and together we landed in Santo Domingo. I sat next to Jennifer Goode a future Health Sector volunteer and also a native from Massachuesetts. We chatted it up, both expressing our curiosity about the unknown and what was ahead of us in the D.R.; I don't think we have spoken since I sat in 14B and her in 14C. That flight was flooded with excitement, anxiety, upbeat banter, ambitious ideas, and above all, an energy for the unknown. I really couldn't have been happier. I was going to be in close proximity with 51 other college grads from the U.S. who were complete strangers. I didn't even know someone who knew someone. It was the Breakfast Club scenario I am constantly searching for. I found myself with a dumbass grin on all the time because I knew I was in my element.
September 13th marked one year in country ! What do I have to show for it? one muffler burn, 2 funguses, 3 staff infections, 2 I.V.'s, one episode of giardia, 8,341 re-hydration salt solutions, 15 rashes, 2 epinephrin injections, 39 ant bites, one dog bite, rabies shots, 9,312 mosquito bites, a site change, one boil and a blood sample waiting on a brucellosis test. Despite how much this climate (both socially and environmentally) does not agree with me, I am still here and here I will remain for one more year. Like they say, if it were easy, everyone would do it. yes, things have certainly been difficult whether or not all this is vale la pena or not, I do not know and I may never know. I will spare you any more pseudo profound epiphanies and let you in on current news. so, the Sala de Tarea I have envisioned for the last 6 months or so is starting to come to fruition. The afterschool program is for kids who are old for their grade. For instance, Jose Luis, who is 18 and in 8th grade. The idea is to keep kids from slipping through the cracks in the educational system. Somehow too many in the elementary schools in my community get to the 7th grade without knowing how to read. There is no time like the present for literacy. so here we go! September 23rd is the first day!
As far as environment goes, my group is collecting signatures to bring to the Mayor of my province in order to solicit a garbage truck to come through the community on a weekly basis and pick up trash. Dream big, act local, right? That is the plan anyway.
In a girls world.... we are graduating! I am graduating 7 girls from my Club de Chicas this Saturday. They finished a 5-week women's health course covering topics like, self-esteem, teenage pregnancy, menstruation and values and all passed the test! granted it was not a difficult test, they still learned a lot and I am proud of my girls. They are the first group I started in this community and it has evolved immensely.
I also got bumped up to co-director of camp G.L.O.W.! If there is anything I want to be co-director of it is certainly a camp for Girls to Lead Our World.
Women's Association - I am laying the groundwork for a stove project. I will explain more about this in the next blog.
What else? well, nothing; all that is plenty for anyone with Giardia!
I am sure there are funny stories awaiting me in the campo.....!