The Honeymoon is Over

Hola mis queridos amigos...

First off, an apology to all of my dedicated readers who had to endure two months of the same picture of me on that damn horse... However, better than big spiders, don't you think?

Once again it has been a looooong time since my last post. Where March and April went I have no idea, but both months were over and done before I ever realized it, and here we are well into May. In short, I am still alive and healthy. However, it is the absolute truth when I say: THE PEACE CORPS HONEYMOON IS OVER... The realities of life here in the campo have set in, my work schedule has picked up pace, and I am BUSY!

Anyway, let's do some brief updating since my last post, shall we? Since I last wrote:

HOME:

I have (finally!) moved into my own house - a photo my fantastic clean-up crew is attached. It is a great little house, although definitely showing its age and needs more TLC than I have been able to give so far. She's made of wood with a tin roof and cement floor, and she's very typical of most of the housing in my villiage. I have 5 rooms total: living/dining room, "kitchen," "master" bedroom, "guest" bedroom, and "bathroom."

Now, all of those terms are in quotes above because the reality is this: the kitchen is made up of two tables with a dish drainer, table top stove with propane tank for cooking, and a botellón of drinking water. Most campsites have more cooking facilities than I do, so when I use the word "kitchen," to descirbe my little cocina I mean it in the broadest of definitions.

The "master" bedroom consists of a double bed (borrowed from my host family) with springs that poke out and a big sag in the middle, a Presidente beer crate turned on-end for a bed-side table, and a "closet" made up of a tree branch nailed to two wall supports in the corner of the room.

The "guest" bedroom does indeed have a bed (twin size, for visiting Volunteers or relatives) but also serves as a catch-all storage room. Guests of Casa de Teo have to share living space with a big tank of (non-drinking) water, a mop, a broom, cleaning solutions, rat poison... basically anything that I have chosen to throw in there to keep it out of my way. The guest bedroom is also the gateway to the "bathroom," so it is not the nicest place to sleep in the house, thus my determiniation of it as the "guest" quarters and not the "master's" quarters.

Finally, the "bathroom." So, really, my "bathroom" is really an outhouse attached to the house. That's right: a latrine - no toilet, no flushing water, just a hole in the floor that leads to a place no human being ever wants to see, smell or visit in his life. I have seen my share of outhouses in this country and the thought of the smells, flies, and all kinds of other critters that come with outhouses didn't really make me feel "lucky" that I had one attached to my house, so close and convenient. So, as you can imagine, when most of my neighbors would say: "Oh yeah, that house is great, it has an attached bathroom," I was a bit skeptical of just how "advantageous" that would be. Yet, like with most things I've learned about this country, the locals are ALWAYS right, and I have since come to appreciate having an attached baño - especially on those cold, rainy nights when running to the bathroom outside would be worse than my attached alternative. Don't worry -- pictures coming soon!

WORK:

My biggest project these past months has been the formation and training of 13 kids in the program of "Escojo Mi Vida" - a 10-week program for youth 11-25 years old that gives them information and skills in order to make healthy decisions in their lives: staying in school, avoiding drugs, drinking responsibly, and practicing safe sex to avoid unwanted pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.

Although I'm no Chris Farley warning kids about living in a van down by the river (classic Saturday Night Live routine that I've thought of often as I lead the classes), I think the kids are taking to the program very well. We have 2 weeks left of the course, and then the kids will "graduate" and become what are called Multiplicadores - giving presentations and teaching other kids about what they have learned themselves.

We just participated in our first regional youth conference at the end of April, in which three of the kids from my group represented our community in a weekend camp of activities, games, and workshops focusing on the Escojo themes.

At the conference, I presented a 2-hour talk on "Gender, Machismo, and Sexual Health" - basically talking about how a few small changes in attitude about gender roles in the DR (namely, reducing the influence of machismo and making girls realize that they can and should negotiate safe sex with their boyfriends) can help prevent unplanned teeneage pregnancies and spread of HIV. Perfect topic for a sensitive pony-tail man like me... (well, okay, only without the pony-tail.) A photo of the conference is also attached. In case you don't recognize me, I'm the big white guy speaking in front of the screen. And yes, the whole presentation was done in Spanish... I've come a long way in my habla skills.

LIFE & HEALTH:

In general, I am very happy to be here and doing what I'm doing. There are still some mornings where it takes me some time to get motivated to get out of bed and face the day's challenges, but once I get going with my day, all anxieties melt away and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have the life I have. Most days, by the time I am ready to turn in for the day (which is about 8:30pm as I have no electricity for lights), I feel satisfied that I am doing the right thing by being here and sticking it out, one day at a time.

Health has been okay, but I still find myself getting sick more frequently than I ever did in the US. Mostly colds and coughs - my villiage has very extreme changes in temperature (hot during the day, bitter cold at night), and viruses get passed around fast - and are especially hard on the one gringo in town. Other than that, I've suffered from my share of bad cases of what we Peace Corps Volunteers call "the #3's" (use your imagination and you'll figure it out), but that is common for most PCV's the world over. After all, that's one reason we're here, right? Lone Volunteers fighting those food-borne illnesses one trip to the latrine at a time...

Biggest health surprise so far: I've lost 10 pounds and am now under 200 pounds - the first time I've been this light since I was about 27 years old.

VISITORS:

My mom visited me in mid-April, so I am also happy to say that I've hosted my first visitor from the US. My mom was a real trooper: She had to be a good sport when dealing with the rain, mud, bugs, and other inconveniences of my village. I'm planning on writing a separate in-depth blog about her visit on my next post, so stay tuned...

Until then, un fuerte abrazo desde el campo de la República Dominicana...

-Tod.

Catching Up

¡Hola mis amigos de los Estados Unidos!

Hace mucho tiempo since my last post - more than a month! Time to do some catching up:

I have believed for many years that febrero is the single busiest month of any year, and I can honestly say that it is true of life here in the DR as well. I am amazed at how much has happened in the past month and how my work has increased. An update of life as a volunteer:

First, I am now very close to my 6-month anniversary of arriving here in the DR (I touched down into Santo Domingo on September 13, 2007). This is a big deal for me because it represents the longest I've ever been away from the United States in my life in one stretch. True, I did travel to and from Mexico on and off for a long time back in the 1990's, but the longest stretch of time without returning home was only 5 months (mid-August '96 to mid-January '97). This month will be eventful for that fact if for nothing else.

Second, my initial work with my community is finally at an end and I am starting the next phase of my work as a Volunteer: Project Planning and Funding. For the first 3-month period of any volunteer's service, he is required to do community research and produce a detailed diagnostic report of the current situation in the community. This includes hygiene practices, general knowledge about sickness and healthy lifestyle, nutrition and eating habits, and soliciting information about the community in general. All this is done through personal questionnaires, house-to-house visits, formal interviews, observation, and participation in various community events and meetings.

My work in this phase is now complete (as is my report) so it is time to take that data and apply it towards specific projects and programs for the community. Thus, my life lately has been poring over grant applications, figuring out the rules and regulations for funds, and deciding what resources can be used for what types of projects. All this is community-driven, of course, so that means that I've been pushing and prodding (and eventually attending) a lot of community meetings where we talk about the needs of the community and what projects we'd like to start first to address a specific need. It can be a slow and tiring process to get the community's buy-in, but necessary to ensure a project's sustainability and success. Now I know why we're given two years -- we'll need 'em!

Third, I went on my first horse-back riding trip in probably 25 years last month! It was great. I went with my family on a borrowed caballo (white, of course - the gringo horse for the gringo horseman was the running joke all day long). We went up and over the main mountain between my house and the next valley to an even smaller village called Florencio. Three hours up and three hours back - it was a great time, but now I truly know what it is to be saddle sore - I thought 100 miles on a bike saddle was tough! Six hours on a horse clomping along a rocky trail can be much more punishing on las nalgas. Still, I think I did pretty well for never having ridden anything but a tourist-friendly horse in Estes Park, Colorado back in the early 80's. My caballo was old and not very fast, but he was stubborn. Getting him to go took some effort...

Final news: I will soon be moving into my own house! I am very excited about this, because it means I will finally have some personal and professional privacy to work when I need to, the luxury to sleep when I need to and, most importantly for me, I will now have total control over what, when, and how much I eat in a day. Dominican host mothers (God bless them) think the average Peace Corps Volunteer needs 3-4 times the amount of food that a normal human being will eat, and then they feel disappointed when you are only able to finish half of what you are given. This is the Peace Corps, for God's sake, aren't I supposed to be LOSING weight?

Anyway, after a lot of inquiries, a long wait and a lot of patience, I found my new home for the next two years and will be making some repairs, doing some painting, and finally moving in the week before Easter. Details of the new Casa de Teo (and some before and after photos!) on my next post... stay tuned!

Como siempre, un abrazo muy fuerte desde la RD... - Teo.

Niños, Niños, Niños!

February 1st - It sure has been a while since my last post...

Short story: Life in the DR rolls on...and is getting better all the time.

I am feeling so much more a part of my community now - the difference between how I was feeling just a month ago to now is just amazing. I wake up in the morning now feeling great - full of energy, looking forward to getting up, getting out of the house, and visiting the folks in my community. One of the biggest reasons for my change of heart: KIDS! The niños and niñas (boys and girls) are the best friends of the Peace Corps Volunteer by far. They are curious, fearless, and become instant friends with anyone who (like the PCV) looks or acts differently.

To start with, the two kids who have helped me most have been Dayra (9)and Wilfer (2) who are part of my host family. These two supply me with endless laughs and surprises. Two such surprises are pictured above: One day, Wilfer comes clomping out of my room wearing my big hiking boots - with much hilarity. I just had to snap this picture of him with seemingly oversize feet. Another day, he and Dayra showed up to my door with their new "hats:" two banana (guineo) flower petals on their heads. Once again, a picture worth a post here on the blog.

With other kids in the community, I have also made strides in working with them and gaining trust in the community. Two weeks ago I started offering English classes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (to anyone interested in attending) and to my surprise, the attendance was amazing: nearly the entire high school class of 50 were there on Saturday, and 25 kids, parents, and teens showed up on Sunday. The following week was equally packed and I was thrilled to see the high level of interest by the community.

As I am a health Volunteer, teaching English is not my priority, but since it is an activity that builds interest in my work, and earns me some trust in the community, it is something that I will continue as long as I can.

Como siempre... un abrazo muy fuerte desde la RD... -Tod.

¡Feliz Año 2008!

Feliz Año Nuevo to all of mis paisanos back home!

First off, in addition to wishing everyone a very Happy 2008, I also wanted to thank all of you who posted comments to my last entry, expressing your concern and encouragement. I won't lie: Peace Corps life is tough, and there are times when it would be easy to call it quits and go back home. However, the tough times have been (thankfully) rare, and for the most part I am having a great time, so please don't worry about me.

In fact, much has changed since that very tough day I had back in early December: I am keeping busy, completing my diagnostic interviews and quarterly report later this month, getting ready to present the results to my community partners and PC colleagues back here in the capital, soliciting funds for specific projects, and beginning the process of moving out of my host family's house and renting a house of my own in my community (photos to come soon!) Lots going on now that the holidays are over, so I am happy to be busy.

New Year's Eve in the DR was fun, but low-key. New Year's (like most holidays) is a time to spend with family - and that's exactly what I did to ring in 2008: A traditional meal with the extended family in the "big" town of Ocoa, watching local kids play with sparklers in the street, waiting for the stroke of midnight by the local radio station's countdown, hugs and felicidades all around, and then joining the crush of people in the town square for dancing, socializing, and a fireworks display overhead. Rolled into bed about 2:30am on New Year's Day...

More later... Un abrazo desde la R.D.... -Tod.

3-months down, 24 to go...

Me and my fellow newly-minted PCVs / Domincan Republic...

I am now beginning my fourth month as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the rural mountains of the DR. Hard to believe that I am three months into this experience and have so much more ahead of me... It is both thrilling and imposing at the same time.

I still remember vividly the day I stepped on the plane to leave Seattle to start this adventure, not really knowing what to expect and not really knowing if I'd have what it takes to make it all the way through. In fact, since September five out of 54 of our original group of new Volunteers have decided to leave the Peace Corps early. That made me stop and think at this, my 3-month anniversary: "Will I really be able to make it?"

Luckily, I've had more good days than bad, and have generally been very pleased with my decision to do this. Especially at the very beginning of training, my spirits were always high - being in a new country, exploring a new city, meeting new friends with similar interests and aspirations, hearing the incredible improvement in my previously rusty Spanish... the list goes on of things that made me feel on top of the world when I first got to the DR.

However, reality sets in after a bit and I had a few close calls and a few bad days where I thought about calling it quits and heading home. An example is from my correspondence (and since then, a lengthy entry I wrote in my journal) a few weeks ago, shortly after swearing-in:

I had a major breakdown the other morning (Saturday) after a pretty vivid Aralen dream in which I kept wondering what the hell I'm doing here in the Peace Corps in the middle of nowhere... [Aralen is an anti-malarial drug we're required to take once a week. It often produces vivid, realistic dreams]. I actually even thought about the consequences of quitting early and how that would work. Not just thinking about it, but working out the logistics in my head... packing my bags, explaining my departure to my host family, getting to the Capital, requesting my passport from the office, explaining to the Country Director why I needed to leave, getting to the airport, etc... I ran off to be alone for a while at the top of a hill near my house and just took in the scenery for a bit, trying to think things through. I tried to call a few of my fellow PCVs to throw me a life line, but no luck, just got voicemail. Sat there for a little while longer, trying to calm down and understand what was going on. Frustrated and unsure of what to do, I walked back to town slowly, all the while wondering how and when this situation would improve.

Luckily, once coming back down the mountain, my new neighbor immediately invited me to play dominoes with him and his family and I instantly felt better. The game, the camaraderie, the feeling that I was being accepted helped out so much. I am hanging in there now, knowing that I´ll feel better once I start working on something and getting to know more people... Have to take it one day at a time and find those little things (like a dominoes game with neighbors) that will keep me going day to day...

So, not wanting to end this post on a downer note, I have come to realize that all through my service I'll have to my best to go day-by-day and take things as they come. Finding the little things that keep me involved, engaged, and in this for the long haul... Much like life anywhere, really!

Un abrazo muy fuerte desde la RD...

-Tod.

The Swiss-Canadian Volunteer

It´s official. I am now a 100% certified Peace Corps Volunteer (please note that it´s "volunteer" with a capital "V")...

November 21st, the day before Thanksgiving, 50 other Peace Corps Trainees and I took the pledge and became full-fledged Peace Corps Volunteers in service to the people of the Dominican Republic until 2009.

Here´s the Oath as it´s been said by many Volunteers before...

"I, Tod *******, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge my duties in the Peace Corps. So help me God."

I know, I know-- it sounds very weighty, right? In fact, I choked up a little when saying it myself. I think a lot of us did. Even after 11 weeks of training and preparation, saying that pledge was quite exciting. It was kind of like saying wedding vows, with that kind of permanence to it -- it represented making the leap into the deep end. Bypassing that last chance to back down off the diving board and to say "no thanks" to two years of hard work and uncertainty. It was quite a moment, but I´m happy to say that I made it and am now in this for the long haul.

Anyway, I am also happy to report that I am at permanent site, making myself at home for the duration of the next two years. I really do love my new community. The people are very happy that I´m there and I love the mountains. It´s kind of like the Washington Cascades in some ways (the rainy, cloudy weather), like the Rockies in Colorado (crumbly, rocky soil and steep climbs), and like the Missouri Ozarks in other ways (bugs and deep jungle forests). Good combination of all three of my previous mountain experiences.

One funny thing about my new home (and my friends Scott and Leslie will love this) - everyone thinks that I am Canadian! And when I tell them I´m NOT Canadian, they assume that I must be Swiss!

I was baffled by these assumption at first, but now understand why most people think this way, after hearing a bit of the history of this particular area of the DR. First, there has been a big Canadian influence here in Ocoa for several years. The priest of the main Catholic Church in Ocoa was Canadian (he died just recently) and was very active in all the communities surrounding the main town. He lived and worked here nearly 40 years, so everyone knew him well. He brought a lot of Canadian relief and construction groups here (kind of like Habitat for Humanity) to build schools and houses for the poor.

As I posted in my last entry, I am the first Peace Corps Volunteer that this community has seen, so when they hear I´m with "Cuerpo de Paz" (Spanish for Peace Corps), they assume it´s a religious organization and therefore associated with the Canadian groups who have been coming here for years. Most don´t believe me when I say that I´m an American (estadounidense). They say I speak Spanish too well for an American, or that I "look Canadian!" I love it!

Anyway, after we clear up the Canadian thing, people then assume that I must be Swiss, or of Swiss descent. This is because I live in a coffee growing region of the DR and there are a lot of Swiss immigrants who moved here decades ago and were (or still are) the main owners of the coffee processing plants in the valley. You see a lot of white or lighter-skinned people in my valley - descendants of the Swiss plantation owners.

I love this actually -- unlike in Mexico where people always assume you´re gringo from the US first, no matter where you may actually be from, it´s actually very refreshing!

So for now, in my community, you can find me easily if you ask for "el canadiense" or "el suiso."

More later, friends...
Un abrazo muy fuerte a todos. -Tod.

Moving right along...

Hello Everyone,

Thanks first to Egan for posting the information about Noel and for letting everyone know that I am safe and sound. I had a tough time getting to an internet place where I was because my area was affected pretty heavily by the storm. Lots of places closed or no transportation available for many days.

In all areas, the DR really did get hammered from that storm. Many of my new Dominican friends will be working hard for many years to recover from that storm. Houses were swept away, and the cost to agriculture, such a big part of the DR economy will be affected for years.

Anyway, as Egan said, I am fine, thank God. I was in an area that saw some flooding, but my house was fine. Two of my fellow volunteers did evacuate their houses in the middle of the night the first day of the storm. We spent many days afterwards helping them clean up and recover furniture. Luckily, no lives were lost in the community where I was at the time of the storm.

Life in Peace Corps is moving right along, despite the interruption of the storm. A few days after Noel, it was back to training and learning about our posts and projects. Then, back to Santo Domingo for a few more in-depth sessions and preparation for our final jump into the interior.

Luckily, I now know where I´ll be stationed for the next 2 years! Peace Corps doesn´t want me to post the name of my exact site for security reasons, but I can tell you that I am in the Province of San Jose de Ocoa, just about in the center of the country, high in the rugged mountains of the Cordillera Central, the DR´s main mountain range.

I am in a little bitty town of about 300 people. No electricity (except for a few houses with solar panels), and no running water. The main modes of transport are: Land Rover (yes, Land Rover!), by donkey, by motorcycle, or by foot. The roads aren´t much more than jeep trails scratched out of the rocks. For those of you who know me well will surely know that I am THRILLED to be out in the sticks like this and wouldn´t trade my new home for all the hot water in the fanciest hotels in Santo Domingo. This is Peace Corps after all!

I have some pictures to post, but alas, am again having trouble with this public PC in the internet café. Will do my best to post some pics next time. Until then... Un fuerte abrazo a todos mis amigos... -Tod.