A Special Thank You

Hey everyone!

So I had two really cool blogs and pictures to put up today. I havent had internet in my site for like a week and a half so I came to use the internet and do some things in Santiago. But I didnt expect the computers to be so old. They dont have a plug for my memory stick! And I dont have time to type them out because my bolas coming soon.

So hopefully I get internet soon but for now...

Thank you to everyone who has sent care packages! They mean a lot to me!

Thank you to my Mom who calls on time, never failing once a week. Its so good to hear that everythings going fine and all the chisme from the States.

And thanks to my sister who called me today! No matter what happens this week, it will be the greatest thing that happened for the rest of the week! It was great to hear your voice and hear my little sobrino...well cry but hear none the less. Liz tell him his Tante Bekah loves and misses him!

Thanks to everyone who reads my blogs! Please send me updates on you too!!

My Daily Schedule

Now I'm starting to get busy with things. Here is my weekday schedule from now until prbably mid-July/ August.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
6am walk walk walk walk walk
7:15 shower shower shower
7:30 nap breakfast nap breakfast nap
8:00 walk to school breakfast walk to school
8:30 breakfast volleyball walk to school volleyball breakfast
9:00 English class
10:00 walk home English class walk home
11:30 walk home
noon lunch lunch lunch lunch lunch
2:00 interviews interviews English class interviews interviews
3:00 English class
4:00 English class
5:30 walk home
6:30 walk home walk home walk home walk home walk home
7:00 dinner dinner dinner dinner dinner
8:00 Guitar lesson Guitar lesson Guitar lesson Guitar lesson Guitar lesson
9:30 read read read read read

In my spare time, I work on my database for my interviews, plan English classes, read, talk to family and friends, etc.
Every 15th and 30th of every month we have meetings for the organizations "La Esperanza" and "Club de Madre."

Swearing-In photos

Hey everyone!

I now have pictures of my swearing-in ceremony including group pictures.
Go to -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/texana/
and click on Swearing-In on the righthand side.

Also, I know people are interested in sending money but please wait! In a few months I will have a "Volunteer Project Grant" set up on the Peace Corps website. I, of course, will give everyone the link. This is a grant that is soley based on people's donations and will go directly to a specific project.


Enjoy,

-bekah

Random Notes

Today I tried “pan de fruta,” AKA breadfruit, for the first time. I think they got the name really wrong. It looks and tastes like a mix between a peanut and a potato. I think they should have called it a “potato nut”.



I am surprised, and a little impressed, how much Dominicans seem to know about the United States history and politics. Before I found out I was coming to the DR and started researching their history, I didn’t know anything about the small country that shares Hispanola with Haiti.

But when I told one person I was from Texas, he asked: “Oh, in Dallas where Kennedy was killed?”
I had a running joke with one of our Spanish teachers who asked me if I was related to Colin Powell.
He would greet me, “Bekah Powell!” (one of the few Dominicans that knows my nickname)
I would say, “Como Colin!” (Like Colin)

The director of the school was introducing me to his daughter and said, “This is my daughter Eleanor. She’s named after Eleanor Roosevelt.”



I NOW HAVE LOTS OF PICTURES UP AND MORE TO COME ON FLICKR! MY ADDRESS IS TO THE RIGHT, UNDER THINGS I NEED. I called it Texana because when I tell people I´m from Texas they always call me ¨a texana¨.

Donda esta el rio?

On Saturday, I went to the river with my family and some of my host dad’s friends. We were suppose to leave at 6 am, so of course we left about 6:30. When it was time to go, I hopped on the back of my host dad’s motorcycle and we were on our way. That’s right! My first motorcycle gang… Mom aren’t you proud!
The river was TWO HOURS away, but it was worth it. We had two mountain ranges in our way and it was so beautiful. Getting up the first mountain range was tough, but going down was my favorite part. They turned off their engines and let gravity do the work. Then it’s just you in the air, with the sun, seeing postcard worthy landscapes, and beautiful people wiz by.
After that mountain range we went through a huge valley, eventually turned onto a dirt road, and I thought we’d be there in no time. But, no, no, silly me there was still another mountain range to cross.
We finally got there and had a blast. The river was in the mountains so it was freezing cold but after a while I finally got used to it. Here’s some pics:






They loved their pictures!

Milking the Cow

The other day, I went one of my project partner’s “finca.” He has a herd of about 30 cows, and uses them for milk. They don’t have any fancy machines that milk the cow for you like we do in the US just a pair of hands and a bag of food to keep the cow occupied.



I did get to try it out and I successfully milked my first cow.
I asked Cordero to take a picture of me milking “Rosa” and this is what he took. Oh well!