When I came home in September, I got one question a lot: What exactly do you do? My answer was always the same: That’s a good question!
That is because it depends on what I have going on at the time. However, I have some specific projects that I am almost always working on. So, I decided to update y’all on my projects so that y’all can understand a little better what it is that I do do…
1. Brigada Azul – I started the environmental youth group, Brigada Azul, in October. The original Peace Corps club is Brigada Verde, but because most everything we are going to be working on involves the ocean, I decided to call it Brigada Azul. So far we have done a few things. We painted a world map in the school and fixed-up some other murals and I took some youth to two different conferences. A health volunteer brought her youth to Isla Saona to have an “intercambio”. We gave them a speech on trash, they gave us a speech on sex ed, and we had the local doctor talk about Cholera. By the end of the year, we will do a beach clean up, some recycling activities, and take a trip to Bayahibe to see the other side of the park, the caves with Taino drawings.
2. Vendor classes – There are two jobs in Mano Juan, fishing and vending. The vendors are the people that sell small crafts and jewelry to the tourists on the beach. I am the coordinator for the vendors to get classes from an organization called Infotep. It sounds pretty easy, but what makes it difficult is where we live and having no public transportation. We always went through a specific tourist group that has about 10 workers living in Mano Juan. In July when we started, it was very difficult to get the transportation situated, but it’s gotten easier because the tourist company decided that they want to join the class. So, they provide the transportation regularly now. So far we have done classes like: basic accounting, marketing, job security, sanitation in cooking, etc. In December we’ll have a big graduation, and make a list of the classes they want to do the next year.
3. Lionfish – The lionfish is an invasive species of fish that migrated to the DR (and the Caribbean in general) from Florida. They escaped from an aquarium in Florida during a hurricane in the early 1990s, and have been migrating south ever since. They are striped, usually white with black, red, or maroon, and usually can grow to about a foot long. The problem with the lionfish is that it is one of the most venomous fish on the ocean floor and very aggressive. They have 18 venomous spines and use them against predators. For hunting, they work in groups cornering their prey, and then shallow them whole. In the Caribbean, because they’re not native here, they have no natural predators. And, because they reproduce very quickly, lionfish are becoming a plague and are rapidly killing the native fish that the fishermen live on fishing. Though they can’t kill a human, if one of their spines sticks you you’d feel it for a while.
Mid-August, I gave the fishermen a speech all about the lion fish, and was surprised how receptive they were. In October, I tried the fish (it is edible after you cut off the spines and head) with a fisherman and his family, and we all liked it.
Now one of the tourist company that eats lunch in Mano Juan has decided the fishermen $70 pesos for each pound of lionfish to feed their clients. So hopefully this will create a small market and then the fishermen will have more motivation (making money) to hunt the lionfish. Also, in January, we are going to have a huge fishing (for lionfish) competition in Bayahibe with the organization, Reef Check, and then afterwards prepare the fish for the restaurant owners. The hope is that they like it and put it on the menu. If this happens it will create a bigger market and a huge motivation for the fishermen to kill the lionfish.
4. English classes – I’ve been doing English classes ever since I got here and they are still going strong. I still teach two classes Monday through Friday in the school, and one adult class in the evening Monday through Thursday.
5. Marine Interest Group – I am the president of a Peace Corps club called the Marine Interest Group. Right now we are working on various projects. One is creating an educational manual for kids (through Brigada Verde) about issues that effect the coastal parts of the DR. Another is working with Reef Check to check and manage some coral reefs in the DR. Also, we just made a new contact that I’m very excited to work with. It’s called Living Museums in the Sea and is a project by Indiana University and USAID. Basically they set up paths of artifacts (some found and some placed) in the sea about a specific event or area. For example, in Isla Catalina they have one on the William Kidd wreak with canons, ship parts, etc. Then, tourists can scuba dive down and follow the path of artifacts learning more about the event. Indiana University would like to check on the reefs AKA museums every two or three months to make sure that the items are fitting in well with their environment and also make sure that they are not affecting the surrounding corals. However, IU can only come about twice a year. So they need man power to do the dives. IT and USAID will provide training to do the job, and then after that we will dive every two to three months to manage the sites.
I hope that this explains a little better about what I’m working on. If you have any questions, comments, or would like more information, please email me.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Cholera and Tomas
The past week and a half has been one crazy trip…
On Wednesday, October 27th, I got a call from the safety and security officer. She told me that we would be having a Cholera training, because of the outbreak in Haiti, on Friday so I needed to head in to the capitol ASAP. I packed my bag and headed in Thursday morning. The session on Friday lasted two hours…
Cholera is a bacteria that enters through the mouth. It makes you throw up and have extreme watery diarrhea. Without treatment, young and old people usually die within two to four hours, and a normal, healthy adult usually die between 24 to 48 hours.
They predict that cholera will enter the Dominican Republic soon, maybe even sooner due to the hurricane. Also, they have no idea when the outbreak will stop; it depends on how quickly they can get it under control.
During the training, they announced that there is a strong hurricane out in the Caribbean Sea, and that we needed to call in on Monday to find out more information. On Saturday morning, I headed out to Saona. I was going to have a day camp with my friend, Laura, a health volunteer that lives in La Romana and her jovenes. I sent Laura and one of her kids off in and boat and finally, an hour later, boarded a boat with the remaining three jovenes to head to Mano Juan. Just then, the safety and security officer called me and told me that I should not return to Saona till Monday, when we knew more about the hurricane. “Bueno!” I told her the situation, and she said go ahead but be on the first boat back in the morning.
We had a great time in Saona. Our jovenes got to mingle but also learn together. We gave her group a trash charla and she gave out group a charla about sex ed. Then, we gathered the community together to have a cholera charla.
Then Sunday morning, we chipped in with a couple of community members to get a boat to take us to Bayahibe at 7am! I stayed in La Romana on Sunday night and Monday headed into the capitol. Then we learned about the potential Hurricane Tomas that was currently stalking Haiti in the Caribbean Sea. We were being consolidated in the capitol until further notice.
Then began five days of being consolidated in the Barcelo Lina, a really nice hotel, in the capitol. For two days straight the sky was dark gray, and we had high winds and rain. We were safe, though, up in the hotel. The Peace Corps picks the hotel depending on back-up generators, water, building structure, and location.
The first day, it was really fun because we were all together; however, as time passed and we ran out of things to do…we got more and more bored.Thankfully though, today, Sunday, the consolidation was lifted and we can go back to out sites. I’m really excited to get back because I really haven’t been there in 11 days!
On Wednesday, October 27th, I got a call from the safety and security officer. She told me that we would be having a Cholera training, because of the outbreak in Haiti, on Friday so I needed to head in to the capitol ASAP. I packed my bag and headed in Thursday morning. The session on Friday lasted two hours…
Cholera is a bacteria that enters through the mouth. It makes you throw up and have extreme watery diarrhea. Without treatment, young and old people usually die within two to four hours, and a normal, healthy adult usually die between 24 to 48 hours.
They predict that cholera will enter the Dominican Republic soon, maybe even sooner due to the hurricane. Also, they have no idea when the outbreak will stop; it depends on how quickly they can get it under control.
During the training, they announced that there is a strong hurricane out in the Caribbean Sea, and that we needed to call in on Monday to find out more information. On Saturday morning, I headed out to Saona. I was going to have a day camp with my friend, Laura, a health volunteer that lives in La Romana and her jovenes. I sent Laura and one of her kids off in and boat and finally, an hour later, boarded a boat with the remaining three jovenes to head to Mano Juan. Just then, the safety and security officer called me and told me that I should not return to Saona till Monday, when we knew more about the hurricane. “Bueno!” I told her the situation, and she said go ahead but be on the first boat back in the morning.
We had a great time in Saona. Our jovenes got to mingle but also learn together. We gave her group a trash charla and she gave out group a charla about sex ed. Then, we gathered the community together to have a cholera charla.
Then Sunday morning, we chipped in with a couple of community members to get a boat to take us to Bayahibe at 7am! I stayed in La Romana on Sunday night and Monday headed into the capitol. Then we learned about the potential Hurricane Tomas that was currently stalking Haiti in the Caribbean Sea. We were being consolidated in the capitol until further notice.
Then began five days of being consolidated in the Barcelo Lina, a really nice hotel, in the capitol. For two days straight the sky was dark gray, and we had high winds and rain. We were safe, though, up in the hotel. The Peace Corps picks the hotel depending on back-up generators, water, building structure, and location.
The first day, it was really fun because we were all together; however, as time passed and we ran out of things to do…we got more and more bored.Thankfully though, today, Sunday, the consolidation was lifted and we can go back to out sites. I’m really excited to get back because I really haven’t been there in 11 days!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Brigada Verde
At the beginning of October, I started the youth group, Brigada Verde. Brigada Verde is a Peace Corps youth group that was developed to teach kids about the environment. We did our first charla on trash on the October 3rd. We learned the Three R's of trash: reduction, recycling, and re-utilization; and we are doing trash activities. This next week we will do a beach and town clean-up. I hope that we can get the community involved, too.
We also did a map mural in the school. To teach the kids geography and to have some fun painting. They got really into it and we finished in three days.
This past weekend (October 22-24th), I traveled with two of my youth, to Sabana de la Mar for the East Conference. It was held in "Los Haitises" which is a National Park. It was a great learning experience for them, and they also meet a lot of new friends from all over the east.
The last weekend of October, we are going to have a health volunteer and a few of her youth come out and do an "intercambio". They are going to give some sex ed charlas and we are going to give them a charla on basura (trash). We are also going to play soccer and have a Halloween party! After that we will have November for geography class (use the map) and the National Brigada Verde Conference the second weekend of November.
We also did a map mural in the school. To teach the kids geography and to have some fun painting. They got really into it and we finished in three days.
This past weekend (October 22-24th), I traveled with two of my youth, to Sabana de la Mar for the East Conference. It was held in "Los Haitises" which is a National Park. It was a great learning experience for them, and they also meet a lot of new friends from all over the east.
The last weekend of October, we are going to have a health volunteer and a few of her youth come out and do an "intercambio". They are going to give some sex ed charlas and we are going to give them a charla on basura (trash). We are also going to play soccer and have a Halloween party! After that we will have November for geography class (use the map) and the National Brigada Verde Conference the second weekend of November.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Pictures
There are now some pics of Peru on flickr! (See link on the right hand side). And there's even more to come!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Peru: Part 5 - The "Poor Man's Galapagos"
Next we headed out to the beach town of Paracas. Of course it was to cold to swim, but it was not why we went there. Paracas is the home of the Islas Ballestas, also called the poor man’s Galapagos. There you can find flamingos, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, and 250 species of birds.
This was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and funny.
Also, there is the mysterious Candelabra (Google Paracas Candelabra). This three pronged symbol in the sand is huge and sits on the Northern face of the Paracas Peninsula. The origins are still unknown.
This was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and funny.
Also, there is the mysterious Candelabra (Google Paracas Candelabra). This three pronged symbol in the sand is huge and sits on the Northern face of the Paracas Peninsula. The origins are still unknown.
Peru: Part 4 - Chivay
We were going to see the condors fly and had to stop in a small town called Chivay. It didn’t look like much, but it was in the guide book. It said that just outside of town was a natural hot springs. We arrived in Chivay about 10am the morning and our bus did not leave until 3pm so we decided to check out the not springs. When we got there, there was a sign that said zip-lining which we both had never done so we decided to ask how much it was. It was really cheap so made the instant decision of going zip-lining before the hot springs. The zip-lining was actually over a shallow part of the Canon de Calca, the second largest canyon in the world. The zip-lining was a little scary at first but extremely fun!
Afterwards we headed to the natural hot springs to relax. Hot was an understatement! Then we headed back to the bus stop to wait for the bus.
It was about 2:30pm when the security told was to see the condors we would have to pay a fee. When asked how much, he said $35 dollars!! It was super expensive to have a maybe chance at see them, so we decided to stay in Chivay for the night. Thank goodness, we did the day trip of zip-lining and hot springs or the day would have been a waste.
Afterwards we headed to the natural hot springs to relax. Hot was an understatement! Then we headed back to the bus stop to wait for the bus.
It was about 2:30pm when the security told was to see the condors we would have to pay a fee. When asked how much, he said $35 dollars!! It was super expensive to have a maybe chance at see them, so we decided to stay in Chivay for the night. Thank goodness, we did the day trip of zip-lining and hot springs or the day would have been a waste.
Peru: Part 3 - Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is a big lake between the Peruvian-Bolivian border. Half of the lake is considered Peru and the other is Bolivia. It is the largest lake in South America but that’s not what makes it special; it is because a floating reed plant, called totora, grows in the lake and no where else in the world. The root floats and a reed like plant grows straight up out of the water.
The people cut the reed and put layers upon layers of the reeds on the floating root. That way it becomes a floating island…
The people use the reed to make their houses, tools, to cook, and boats…
It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the life and people on Lake Titicaca to my community. Tourists essentially do the same things at the two locations. They come in on a boat, walk around the community, look at the people’s houses and their way of life, the tourists are then hassled to buy little trinkets, they take million pictures, and then they leave. It was interesting to be on the tourist side of it and see it from their perspective.
The people cut the reed and put layers upon layers of the reeds on the floating root. That way it becomes a floating island…
The people use the reed to make their houses, tools, to cook, and boats…
It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the life and people on Lake Titicaca to my community. Tourists essentially do the same things at the two locations. They come in on a boat, walk around the community, look at the people’s houses and their way of life, the tourists are then hassled to buy little trinkets, they take million pictures, and then they leave. It was interesting to be on the tourist side of it and see it from their perspective.
Peru: Part 2 - Machu Picchu
Well we woke up super early and headed to the bus stop. We were told to get there an hour before the bus leaves so that we could get to go to Wandu Picchu. From this overlooking mountain, you can get great pictures of Machu Picchu, but only 300-400 people are allowed up each day. Well, we turned the corner to the bus stop and were shocked at an enormous line! We were not sure if we were in the cut or not, but waited an hour and hoped. Then the line finally started moving and we made our way up the steep mountain on tour buses. After, we waited for an addition 30 minutes to actually get into Machu Picchu and were told when we got to the entrance that Wandu Picchu was full!
A little disappointed but still excited to be at Machu Picchu, we went in to explore. About after an hour of exploring, we found a trail that was called Mount Machu Picchu and decided to go up it a little ways. We found a little hut with a worker and asked him about the trail. It was actually twice as high as Wandu Picchu and you could not only see Machu Picchu but also the tops of the Andes. We decided to climb it. Due to being out of shape and at a really high altitude, it was really hard but really worth it…
View from Mount Machu Picchu
This was part of the trail up Mount Machu Picchu. Narrow stairs beside a straight drop!
A little disappointed but still excited to be at Machu Picchu, we went in to explore. About after an hour of exploring, we found a trail that was called Mount Machu Picchu and decided to go up it a little ways. We found a little hut with a worker and asked him about the trail. It was actually twice as high as Wandu Picchu and you could not only see Machu Picchu but also the tops of the Andes. We decided to climb it. Due to being out of shape and at a really high altitude, it was really hard but really worth it…
View from Mount Machu Picchu
This was part of the trail up Mount Machu Picchu. Narrow stairs beside a straight drop!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Peru: Part 1 - Lima and Ica
I flew into Lima, the capitol of Peru, on Wednesday, July 14th for my long-awaited vacation. I meet my friend, Jolly, there who has been traveling in South America for almost a year. Over the next two weeks, we traveled non-stop all over the southern part of Peru and did some really crazy things. We had so many adventures that I just can't squeeze them all into one blog... I was really tired the first day so we just hung around the hostel...which was actually pretty interesting because it was a mansion turned hostel. There was huge painting and strange sculptures all over the place. The next day, we headed out to the flea market because I had to buy some warmer clothes. My DR beach wear was not going to cut it on the top of Machu Picchu. I ended up buying gloves, a hat, a jacket, and warm fuzzy pants...all for under US $20! Then on the way back to the hostel, we ran into a protest. There were a long line of people marching down the main street flanked with cops with riot equipment on. It was a peaceful protest, but we decided to get off the main street just in case, but not before getting some getting a couple of pics...
Then we grabbed our bags and headed on the bus for the main bus station. I was sitting in one seat with my huge bag when a man and woman came on. The woman sat next to me so I scooted over toward the window and the man stood next to her. He was looking at her pretty intently but I didn't think anything of it because I thought they were together. I turned my head, heard a popping sound, and turned back to the couple just in time to see him run off the bus. The guy, obviously now that they did not get on together, had pulled her necklace off her neck and taken off the bus before the door closed. It was so fast; I can't believe that I had my head turned for just a second and missed seeing him doing it! She wasn't hurt just a little embarrassed while explaining that the necklace wasn't anything "oro ni plata" gold nor silver, just an old plastic cross necklace. The guy had obviously saw her necklace and thinking it was worth something, followed her on the bus to steal it. It was a crazy thing to witness.
Sandboarding in Ica: We headed down to Ica about a five hour bus ride south of Lima. We got there that night and I tried “Salchipapa” for the first time. It is French fries, with chicken, and a green salad on top. Then they put sauces; ketchup, ranch, mayo, and a spicy sauce; all on top and mix it all together. It sounded a little gross, it looked pretty gross, but it was actually pretty damn good! I noticed during the next two weeks that Peruvians liked to mix things you wouldn’t expect to eat together a lot and it was usually surprisingly good. The next morning we headed for the desert to go on dune buggies and go sand-boarding. That’s right sand-boarding! It was really, really fun and so cool to just be in the desert.
Then we grabbed our bags and headed on the bus for the main bus station. I was sitting in one seat with my huge bag when a man and woman came on. The woman sat next to me so I scooted over toward the window and the man stood next to her. He was looking at her pretty intently but I didn't think anything of it because I thought they were together. I turned my head, heard a popping sound, and turned back to the couple just in time to see him run off the bus. The guy, obviously now that they did not get on together, had pulled her necklace off her neck and taken off the bus before the door closed. It was so fast; I can't believe that I had my head turned for just a second and missed seeing him doing it! She wasn't hurt just a little embarrassed while explaining that the necklace wasn't anything "oro ni plata" gold nor silver, just an old plastic cross necklace. The guy had obviously saw her necklace and thinking it was worth something, followed her on the bus to steal it. It was a crazy thing to witness.
Sandboarding in Ica: We headed down to Ica about a five hour bus ride south of Lima. We got there that night and I tried “Salchipapa” for the first time. It is French fries, with chicken, and a green salad on top. Then they put sauces; ketchup, ranch, mayo, and a spicy sauce; all on top and mix it all together. It sounded a little gross, it looked pretty gross, but it was actually pretty damn good! I noticed during the next two weeks that Peruvians liked to mix things you wouldn’t expect to eat together a lot and it was usually surprisingly good. The next morning we headed for the desert to go on dune buggies and go sand-boarding. That’s right sand-boarding! It was really, really fun and so cool to just be in the desert.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sea Turtles
For the past two months, I have been busy learning so much about Isla Saona: the history, the people, their way of life, potiential projects, how tourism works out there, the special laws (because it is a national park), and exploring the beaches. The best project that is on the island is the sea turtle conservation project…
All seven types of sea turtles are endangered species. There are three types (Hawksbill, Green, and Leatherback) of sea turtles that come to the south side of Isla Saona to lay their eggs. Each female turtle climbs up on shore during the night, digs a hole using it’s flippers, waits, gives birth to about 100-150 eggs, and then swims back out to sea. During a season, a female turtle can do this ritual three to eight times. The gestation period depends on the type of turtle, but after about two months, the baby turtles hatch during the night, break through to the surface, and follow the light (the moon reflected off of the water) to the ocean.
There are two times when the baby turtles are very vulnerable to predators (lizards, birds, crabs, etc.). Once when they are still in the eggs after the mother leaves (sometimes sand is washed away by high waves and the eggs are exposed) and, or course, when the baby turtles are crawling to sea.
A man named Negro runs a one man operation in Mano Juan to help the survival rate of the sea turtles. He has two main goals (1) population growth and (2) a census (monitoring how many baby turtles make it out to sea). Negro goes out during the night, collects the eggs from the shore, and brings them back to the center. He buries them in sand in a cooler, and marks the cooler with the type of turtle, how many eggs there are, the date he collected them, and the beach where he found them. Then he waits until they hatch and when they are ready to go to sea, he takes them back to the beach where he found them and lets them go out to sea.
However, Negro isn’t just fighting against crabs and lizards, he’s also fighting against one of the worst predators in the world…man. Negro tells me that the people of Mano Juan understand and don’t bother the eggs. However, people come in during the night from Bayahibe and La Romana to steal the eggs and also capture the female turtles. Turtle eggs are a delicacy to eat and sometimes are also sold to tourists. The turtles are captured to sell or to kill for their shells (to make jewelry and crafts) and for their meat. He says that because it is only him running the operation it is hard to catch the people, and that it’s very sad when he gets to a beach and the only thing he finds are dug up nests.
Even though it is inspiring to see Negro get so passionate about the project and very cool to know that there is such a project, it is very sad to know that men are continuing to not care about the species and only care about making a buck.
I really want to learn about the project more and how I can help. I will keep you updated.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Does a coconut a day keep anything away?
I have now been at my site for three weeks and have been having an interesting experience so far.
The helicopter ride was amazing. A little scary at first because it was really shaky, but the view was amazing.
I started working on my diagnostic (going house to house with community members to meet people. Also, I started teaching English in the school and one class to the adults. Everything has been going well so far. I have had one meeting with the group I’m going to be working with, Junta de Vecinos, and they sound very excited about working. I have yet to see a turtle but there are plenty on congrejos or crabs and one day a couple of dolphins came close to the shore.
In two weeks, I will present my diagnostic at the one year conference, and decide which project to undertake.
As for communication, there is internet at the restaurant next door to my house, but the owner for some reason doesn’t want us to use it. The “centro de llamada” or call center is a really tall tree that you have to climb to the very top. I haven’t gotten to the top yet, but 4 kilometers away I get a little bit of service.
Centro de llamada
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Time for a change
So after a couple of months of long debate, I have decided to get a site change.
I will be moving from the northwest to the southeast. You can go to Googlemaps.com to see exactly where. The name of my site is Mano Juan, Isla Saona. It is an actual isla or island that I will have to take an hour boat ride to get to.
The island currently has generators that provides three hours of electricity every day from seven to 10 pm, but the Taiwan government is currently working on a solar panel project. There are currently about 350 people that live on the island, in which each person’s income in some way affected by tourism. There is one school that has grades 1-7th that has 53 students. When the students get ready to enter eighth grade they have two options: quit school or move to La Romana to continue (an hour and a half away).
This is the beach at my site. The green building on the far right is where I will be living.
This is a pioneer project meaning that I will be the first volunteer on the island. The Minister of Environment has been trying for some time to get a volunteer there. He really wants to start an eco-tourism project on the island. His idea is to have tourists ride bikes in between the two villages on the island, Mano Juan and Catalina (11 kilometers or about 7 miles). He is so behind the project that he already bought 40 bicycles. Another main assignment of mine is to identify potential projects for any of the six sectors: Environment (mine), Information Technology, Youth, Health, Water (aqueducts), and Business. Possible secondary projects include English classes in the school, Brigada Verde (youth environmental group), stoves, and working with the sea turtle house. They have a center there that collects sea turtle eggs from the beach before they are eaten, hatch and raise them in incubators, and then when they are ready release them to the wild. This is the project that I am most excited about learning more about and working with.
I went to the isla yesterday and it was amazing! It’s very beautiful and the people were quite impressive. I am going to be living in the guard house for free and get fed for free (but can make my own meals or eat out when I want). This Thursday and Friday I will travel to my old site with a Peace Corps jeep and driver, get my stuff and Rosalinda, and then return to the capitol. Then next Tuesday or Wednesday Jaime David (the minister of environment), Alberto (my boss), me, and Rosalinda (hopefully) are going to load up my stuff on a HELICOPTER and take it down to the island!!! I’ll be sure to put up pictures soon after.
I will be moving from the northwest to the southeast. You can go to Googlemaps.com to see exactly where. The name of my site is Mano Juan, Isla Saona. It is an actual isla or island that I will have to take an hour boat ride to get to.
The island currently has generators that provides three hours of electricity every day from seven to 10 pm, but the Taiwan government is currently working on a solar panel project. There are currently about 350 people that live on the island, in which each person’s income in some way affected by tourism. There is one school that has grades 1-7th that has 53 students. When the students get ready to enter eighth grade they have two options: quit school or move to La Romana to continue (an hour and a half away).
This is the beach at my site. The green building on the far right is where I will be living.
This is a pioneer project meaning that I will be the first volunteer on the island. The Minister of Environment has been trying for some time to get a volunteer there. He really wants to start an eco-tourism project on the island. His idea is to have tourists ride bikes in between the two villages on the island, Mano Juan and Catalina (11 kilometers or about 7 miles). He is so behind the project that he already bought 40 bicycles. Another main assignment of mine is to identify potential projects for any of the six sectors: Environment (mine), Information Technology, Youth, Health, Water (aqueducts), and Business. Possible secondary projects include English classes in the school, Brigada Verde (youth environmental group), stoves, and working with the sea turtle house. They have a center there that collects sea turtle eggs from the beach before they are eaten, hatch and raise them in incubators, and then when they are ready release them to the wild. This is the project that I am most excited about learning more about and working with.
I went to the isla yesterday and it was amazing! It’s very beautiful and the people were quite impressive. I am going to be living in the guard house for free and get fed for free (but can make my own meals or eat out when I want). This Thursday and Friday I will travel to my old site with a Peace Corps jeep and driver, get my stuff and Rosalinda, and then return to the capitol. Then next Tuesday or Wednesday Jaime David (the minister of environment), Alberto (my boss), me, and Rosalinda (hopefully) are going to load up my stuff on a HELICOPTER and take it down to the island!!! I’ll be sure to put up pictures soon after.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Counting my Blessings
Last Sunday, I was in the capitol for the Super bowl. That morning, I didn’t have too much to do so I went to the intake of a med mission to see if I could help out.
Various doctor groups come to the DR from all over the US for 1-2 weeks to provide free health care. Most of the doctors only speak English so Peace Corps set up a system to allow volunteers to accompany the doctors as translators during the “med mission.”
Sunday was intake day of the cosmetic surgery mission in the capitol. People came in to give general information and schedule surgeries. Now let me make this clear, when I say cosmetic I don’t mean breast implants and gastric bi-pass surgery. We saw people with clef lips, deformed or extra fingers, fire or acid burns, extreme scarring, extra skin on ears.
I went to the med mission thinking that I would be taking people’s names and phone numbers, and/or crowd control duty. A friend and I traveled there and the closer we got the more it hit us that this was going to be a crazy day. There was a line of patients for two blocks to the hospital, and there was a loud crowd just outside the doors. We gripped hands squeezed are way to the front, and asked where they needed us.
We ended up taking people’s general information, but also working with a specific doctor to figure out what exactly happened to the patient. Then describing to the patient about the required surgery. Both the patients and the surgeries were widely ranged. A four month old with an extra finger and extra toe to a 35 year old with major burns on the side of his face down to his chest and elbow.
The person I’ll remember most was a 23 year old girl who came in with a horrible burn on the inside of her ankle. “Two years prior,” she told me. She took off her shoe, “a electrical cord from a fridge exploded and deformed my ankle.” Deformed was an understatement. It looked like her skin had become clay and someone had moved and kneaded the skin. More chunks in some places and so little in others so that you could see the white canvas (bone) peeking out from the background. Then the same person had flicked different colored paint…brown, red, black…on the mountainous clay.
The doctor gave me the worse news of the day…I had to tell the girl with abstract art for an ankle that there was nothing he could de for her. Over 600 people came to the hospital that day, and the doctors over the next two weeks have several hundred surgeries scheduled.
Even though I was there for about four hours, it was an experience I’ll never forget. Count you blessing today for health, for life.
Various doctor groups come to the DR from all over the US for 1-2 weeks to provide free health care. Most of the doctors only speak English so Peace Corps set up a system to allow volunteers to accompany the doctors as translators during the “med mission.”
Sunday was intake day of the cosmetic surgery mission in the capitol. People came in to give general information and schedule surgeries. Now let me make this clear, when I say cosmetic I don’t mean breast implants and gastric bi-pass surgery. We saw people with clef lips, deformed or extra fingers, fire or acid burns, extreme scarring, extra skin on ears.
I went to the med mission thinking that I would be taking people’s names and phone numbers, and/or crowd control duty. A friend and I traveled there and the closer we got the more it hit us that this was going to be a crazy day. There was a line of patients for two blocks to the hospital, and there was a loud crowd just outside the doors. We gripped hands squeezed are way to the front, and asked where they needed us.
We ended up taking people’s general information, but also working with a specific doctor to figure out what exactly happened to the patient. Then describing to the patient about the required surgery. Both the patients and the surgeries were widely ranged. A four month old with an extra finger and extra toe to a 35 year old with major burns on the side of his face down to his chest and elbow.
The person I’ll remember most was a 23 year old girl who came in with a horrible burn on the inside of her ankle. “Two years prior,” she told me. She took off her shoe, “a electrical cord from a fridge exploded and deformed my ankle.” Deformed was an understatement. It looked like her skin had become clay and someone had moved and kneaded the skin. More chunks in some places and so little in others so that you could see the white canvas (bone) peeking out from the background. Then the same person had flicked different colored paint…brown, red, black…on the mountainous clay.
The doctor gave me the worse news of the day…I had to tell the girl with abstract art for an ankle that there was nothing he could de for her. Over 600 people came to the hospital that day, and the doctors over the next two weeks have several hundred surgeries scheduled.
Even though I was there for about four hours, it was an experience I’ll never forget. Count you blessing today for health, for life.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Real Happening
If you know me, you know that I am a huge movie buff. I love getting lost in a different world for two hours, and in every movie I can find at least one good thing about the film.
One director that I enjoy is M. Night Shyamalan. The way he twists reality and fantasy, the way he always uses a little touch of comedy, and how you're always guessing when the director himself will appear (he played the doctor in "The Sixth Sense" and the older park ranger in ""The Village"). However, one movie that I did not enjoy was "The Happening". Even for a big Shyamalan fan, I thought that nature chemically making humans kill themselves using the wind was a bit of a stretch even for him. The one good point I got was the two main themes of the film: nature attacks and human technology is so advanced that it can spread information and keep us connected even in a disaster.
Now two years after the movie, occurs a real happening. Nature attacked with the skill and power of a predator and January 12th, 2010 will be a day for the history books. Nature could not have picked a more deadly location, Porto’O Prince was concentrated with about three million people and the infrastructure was poor. So, of course, chaos has begun after a 7.0 earthquake hit the heart of 3rd world. The earthquake was so strong, we felt it here in the Dominican Republic all the way to Samana (the peninsula on the opposite side of the DR). A friend of mine that lives close to the Haitian border said that the earth shook there for an entire minute.
The second theme to the movie rang true as well. Human technology connected Haiti with the rest of the world shortly after the first quake. The first report was a Haitian skyping! If people could not call to their family, they checked their Facebook page. I'm reading a book right now about the 1800s, in the book a husband and wife are separated by the Pacific Ocean for three years. It takes 24 days one way to send a letter, so they only get a letter from their significant other every two months. Now a days, though, you could just Yahoo! chat or Tweet "I'm doing okay." It is amazing the power of technology and the speed that it changes. For example, I couldn't imagine being a PC volunteer 10 years ago when at my site they didn't have cell service or internet. Now, I can text with other volunteers almost everyday even though some days I don't have water or electricity.
I can use the internet about once a week when there is electricity, when there are not any "problemitas" or little problems, and when I have some extra pesos. However, 10 years ago you could only use it once a month when you went into the capitol. I don't believe a tree can beat me up, but I do think that Shyamalan had a good, truthful message... Nature can be deadly at any point in time, and maybe it deserves the title of the deadliest predator. Technology has come so far, it can keep us connected through any happening.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families of the Haitian earthquake.
One director that I enjoy is M. Night Shyamalan. The way he twists reality and fantasy, the way he always uses a little touch of comedy, and how you're always guessing when the director himself will appear (he played the doctor in "The Sixth Sense" and the older park ranger in ""The Village"). However, one movie that I did not enjoy was "The Happening". Even for a big Shyamalan fan, I thought that nature chemically making humans kill themselves using the wind was a bit of a stretch even for him. The one good point I got was the two main themes of the film: nature attacks and human technology is so advanced that it can spread information and keep us connected even in a disaster.
Now two years after the movie, occurs a real happening. Nature attacked with the skill and power of a predator and January 12th, 2010 will be a day for the history books. Nature could not have picked a more deadly location, Porto’O Prince was concentrated with about three million people and the infrastructure was poor. So, of course, chaos has begun after a 7.0 earthquake hit the heart of 3rd world. The earthquake was so strong, we felt it here in the Dominican Republic all the way to Samana (the peninsula on the opposite side of the DR). A friend of mine that lives close to the Haitian border said that the earth shook there for an entire minute.
The second theme to the movie rang true as well. Human technology connected Haiti with the rest of the world shortly after the first quake. The first report was a Haitian skyping! If people could not call to their family, they checked their Facebook page. I'm reading a book right now about the 1800s, in the book a husband and wife are separated by the Pacific Ocean for three years. It takes 24 days one way to send a letter, so they only get a letter from their significant other every two months. Now a days, though, you could just Yahoo! chat or Tweet "I'm doing okay." It is amazing the power of technology and the speed that it changes. For example, I couldn't imagine being a PC volunteer 10 years ago when at my site they didn't have cell service or internet. Now, I can text with other volunteers almost everyday even though some days I don't have water or electricity.
I can use the internet about once a week when there is electricity, when there are not any "problemitas" or little problems, and when I have some extra pesos. However, 10 years ago you could only use it once a month when you went into the capitol. I don't believe a tree can beat me up, but I do think that Shyamalan had a good, truthful message... Nature can be deadly at any point in time, and maybe it deserves the title of the deadliest predator. Technology has come so far, it can keep us connected through any happening.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families of the Haitian earthquake.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Adaptation
In the middle of December, I took an open water scuba diving class in the capitol, Santo Domingo. The number one thing to remember when diving is to always keep breathing. Sink or swim becomes drown or breathe.
The first couple of classes were lectures and diving in a pool (that was 10 feet deep). Then it was off to the ocean, the Carribean Sea, to do the first dive to 35 feet. The books and papers go out of the window, and you have to rely on everything that you obtained in the last two days. When you first jump off the boat, you're in nothing short of chaos. You're adjusting your gear, refitting your goggles, and trying to breathe. Even though you can breathe through your snorkel, you can't help but hold your breath when a wave dunks your head underwater. You think that you are already losing control, and you are having second thoughts about if you can do this. But then you get the signal, change your snorkel for your regulator, and you let the air out of your jacket, as it's time to descend. You start to breath through your regulator, your heavy air tank is now weightless, and tiny fish start to swarm around you. You are in a different world now; one that is entirely different from the surface. You defy gravity like you are in outer space, you crush human limitations by breathing air underwater, time slows down, and though colors are lost the further you go down, nothing has ever looked more beautiful.
The first couple of classes were lectures and diving in a pool (that was 10 feet deep). Then it was off to the ocean, the Carribean Sea, to do the first dive to 35 feet. The books and papers go out of the window, and you have to rely on everything that you obtained in the last two days. When you first jump off the boat, you're in nothing short of chaos. You're adjusting your gear, refitting your goggles, and trying to breathe. Even though you can breathe through your snorkel, you can't help but hold your breath when a wave dunks your head underwater. You think that you are already losing control, and you are having second thoughts about if you can do this. But then you get the signal, change your snorkel for your regulator, and you let the air out of your jacket, as it's time to descend. You start to breath through your regulator, your heavy air tank is now weightless, and tiny fish start to swarm around you. You are in a different world now; one that is entirely different from the surface. You defy gravity like you are in outer space, you crush human limitations by breathing air underwater, time slows down, and though colors are lost the further you go down, nothing has ever looked more beautiful.
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